Equipment: Kids' Tools in the Kitchen

I've been getting a lot of questions about how to get kids involved in the kitchen. What's safe? What's fun? What do you do?

Here are some great tools to make meal prep a fun, safe + family friendly affair!

Cutting = scary! However, there are 2 tools that can make it a bit safer for the little ones.

1) Pumpkin Carving Knife: yes, that one from the kit! It has a safety blade that isn't as sharp as a regular knife, and  is just right for little hands. Great for slicing vegetables + fruits.

2) Zyliss Pizza Wheel: I've written about this before, and it's still a great choice. The handheld wheel gives kids more control over their motion, and keeps their little fingers out of the way. Great for cutting pizza (of course), slicing lunchmeat, chopping herbs, cutting hard veggies (carrots)

Of course, always make sure an adult is supervising any cutting by a child. 

A few ways kids can get involved in meal prep:

• cutting
• measuring (AJ loves to measure anything)
• stirring
• shaking (place dry ingredient in a plastic bag, seal and have them shake)
• pushing buttons (on your food processor, mixer, etc.)
• washing (give them a sink full of soapy water and let 'em go...just no breakable items)

Have fun!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

Fall is finally here! Soups, chili, warm mugs of yumminess. Aaaaaah. 

Here is a quick and easy meal to throw together in the slow cooker and come home to lovely smells and dinner ready......

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

serves 8
cook time: 6 hours


1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C dried lentils, rinsed
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
6C water or veggie broth
3T chili powder
2T cumin
1t oregano
salt, pepper & cayenne to taste
1T balsamic vinegar
1T honey
sour cream and green onions, sliced for garnish

-place first 5 ingredients in slow cooker in order listed
-cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until lentils are almost tender
-add dry spices to chili and stir
-continue to cook for 1 more hour or until lentils are tender
-adjust seasoning with salt, pepper & cayenne
-add vinegar and honey and let sit about 10 minutes to incorporate flavors
-garnish with green onions and sour cream, if desired

Meat Eater Versions:

add any of the following proteins and reduce lentils by 1/2
    -1.5# boneless leg of lamb , cut into 1 inch cubes
    -1.5# beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes

Food Find: Lunchbox

Summer is over and school is here! My little guy is starting kindergarten, and he is very excited. Being his mother's son, he is most excited about taking his lunch everyday (it's always about food!).

Since we're new to the whole lunchbox thing, I searched high + low for items that were eco-friendly AND easy for kids to use. Throw in a few über-cute items, and I'd be excited too!

Here's what we found:

Bento Box, über-cute accessories + lunchskins

 pictured: 

Leaflet Bento Box, Animal sauce holders, Bento forks + picks all from Amazon.com.

lunchskins available at Seward Co-Op + online.

Once we got the lunchbox items squared away, we headed to Seward Co-op to let AJ pick out his favorite foods to pack. This is a great way to get your kids involved in making lunches...and making sure they eat it! It's amazing how many healthy foods they'll pick out when left to their own devices. Seward makes it extra fun because they can get their own mini cart to load up.

I'm hoping to feature a great lunchbox meal every now and then to help us all get a little more creative. And I work better under pressure. ;-)

What's your favorite way to pack lunch? Got any great packable meals to share?

Recipe: Watermelon Rosé Granita

I decided that for my first post in 3 months (so sorry! I've been busy.), it had better be a good one. One that addresses the current conditions...mentally + physically. So, for this hot, humid, sultry, mind-numbing week ahead of us, I present Watermelon Rosé Granita. And you don't have to do all that fork scraping business!

photo by amber procaccini

Watermelon Rosé Granita
makes about 12 1/2C servings

1/2 medium watermelon, rind removed and cut into chunks (about 8 cups)
1C dry Rosé wine

3/4 granulated sugar

-In a small saucepan, heat wine + sugar together until sugar is dissolved. Let cool.
-In a blender, puree the watermelon
-Mix wine + fruit together
-Place mixture in a gallon size freezer bag (make sure it has a good seal!)
-Lay bag flat in freezer, and ‘smoosh’ throughout the day to achieve desired consistency.

Serve as a granita or mix with fizzy water or soda for a refreshing beverage.