Quick Finger Food in 30 minutes - And Learning Estimation the Easy Way!

It was before lunch. My kids were hungry and I did not have much food. We created a recipe ourselves with what we had and the kids’ dad ate them all! 30 minutes in all and the kids had great fun mixing and creating and were pleased that their dad liked their cooking ….

No real measurements with this one. A lot of estimation!

What we had

  

Wonton Wraps

15 wonton wraps (get them from the local supermarket or China town area for some fresh wonton wraps or click here.)

Minced chicken (you can use pork or beef)
Minced carrots (you can add some chestnuts)

What we had at home

Onion leaves

Little ginger and garlic

Oyster sauce and soya sauce (i use lee kum kee soya sauce - you can get it here if you like or at the local supermarket)

This what we did

Nothing really. Mix everything up.

Wrap the mixed ingredients into the wonton wraps.

Rub some water around the sides of the wraps and glue the sides

Deep fry. Keep the younger kids away. Serve with sauce of your liking. You can also add the wraps into your soup if were preparing a dish.

Teaching notes:

Teach your kids the idea of  ESTIMATION. You have 15 wraps – how much chicken and vegetables do we need? A little less than a spoon is almost a spoonful and so on.



<>

<><>

Deep Fry But I used a little oil

Do you know, parents, you are teaching your children the meaning of estimation, the easy way?

Happy Cooking and Teaching!



Teaching Kids with Cooking – Giveaway to inspire you and the kids

Teaching kids while we cook requires a thought process – what, how and tools. Here’s a tip to creating an environment where the process becomes natural, not purposeful while ensuring it is organized without having to add work or needing extra time. And there's a GIVEAWAY with the tip!


To ensure that we take every opportunity for learning to take place while cooking, the kitchen no matter how small or big can be organized with a simple kitchen set to keep in place the ‘tools of the trade’! Our kitchen tables should always be ready for teaching and cooking.

Casual Kitchen Set

Keep tidy, books including recipe books, pencils and papers and more importantly kitchen appliances which the kids can use easily. Kitchen utensils, pots and pans, mixers and such.

The kitchen accessories must be made asseible to the kids to help them be independent in preparing a meal. At the same time, there must also be material handy for them to write, refer and so on.

A kitchen island is splendid or a casual dining set for the kitchen would do the trick.

I was thinking about it for a long time on what would encourage parents and kids to leap onto this idea as part of their daily routine. And it came to me that its so much easier, neater and organized to have an area in the kitchen where the kids are comfortable and cosy. It may sound simple but I think it is often forgotten. The kitchen should look as inviting as possible and learning can then come naturally.

GIVEAWAY: I love this! As I thought about it, my friends at the CSN stores provided me the opportunity to help me which could work to encourage my readers to receive and implement this idea in their kitchens to help kids learn and have fun.

They are willing to offer GIVEAWAYs to my readers – they will give away USD60gift certificate. You can buy anything from their stores. I am suggesting a nice kitchen table suitable for your home.

I am not given any compensation, no free gifts, nothing at all for offering this giveaway to my readers. CSN Stores like what I am doing with this blog and suggested a way to benefit readers and at the same give their stores a look.

It's open to all of my U.S. and Canadian readers.

To receive the gift certificate: Just leave me a comment with your email address so CSN can contact you directly to send the certificate. Visit http://www.diningroomsdirect.com for more ideas for your kitchen adventure.
 
Happy Cooking and Teaching!

Don't Waste - Fry!

What do you do with left over Kentucky Fried Chicken? We can re-heat. But there are other things as well. Here's what my boys told me to do today.

We prepared some fried rice. It takes 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.

Waste not want not!

Slice thinly some onions, ginger and garlic
Chop vegetables of choice - i like cabbage
Some chilly
Soya sauce
Chop or tear off the meat from the chicken - your kids can do it too.
Cooked rice (you can substitute with pasta of your choice or noodles)

Fry the onions, ginger and garlic
When light brown, add the vegetables and chilly
Add the chicken and rice
Mix in the soya sauce to taste

And there you have it.

Notice, that i have not used seasoning or other taste enhancers.

Its tasty and healthy and easy to prepare.

Happy Cooking and Teaching!

3 Minutes Power Breakfast

CHEESE! 1 slice of cheese (1½ ounces or so) equals to 1 glass of milk (8 ounces of milk). Cheese has everything good for young children. My 5 year old son is generally a lazy eater but he found an easy, tasty and quick recipe involving cheese ……

Click to find out more about cheese

My little boy’s recipe is simple:


You need:

A toaster
2 slices of bread – sides kept
A Little butter
1 slice of cheese

Preparation Method


Toast both slices of bread

Quickly place the slice of cheese on one slice after toasting (the bread is still hot helping the cheese melt into the bread)
The other slice of bread – spread with a little butter which he will eat after he finishes the first slice with the cheese

Cheese Bread

Walla! He calls it CHEESE BREAD

Teaching Ideas:

I took the opportunity to inject some information – only took 3 minutes

1. Praise – this is an excellent recipe – where did you get it from?

2. Do you know where cheese comes from?

He answered cheese comes from the store! You explain that cheese originally comes from milk which comes from cows

3. Why is cheese good for you?
It’s got calcium for your bones and teeth
4. Bread is good too. What’s in it
Carbohydrates. It gives you energy.

Interesting Facts about Cheese

Cheese is really concentrated milk. Cheese is really proteins and fat from milk. The milk protein, casein is coagulated. Typically, the milk is acidified and addition of an enzyme causes coagulation. (Read more on Wikipedia. Useful to print the information and read it to you children)

Did you know that that eating cheese after a meal may actually reduce cavity formation by neutralizing the mouth acids that promote dental decay?

Other ways for our kids to eat cheese:
(i) Cheese can be part of an entree, a snack, or eaten as dessert.
(ii) Let kids nibble plain cheese, cheese and crackers
(iii). Vegetables take on added appeal when cheese sauce tops them. Sprinkle grated cheese such as Parmesan on macaroni or on steamed vegetables.
(iv) Make grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, macaroni and cheese, and of course lasagna.

Cheese has:
- Calcium
- Protein
- Phosphorus and
- Fat

A 30-gram (1.1 oz) serving of Cheddar cheese contains about 7 grams (0.25 oz) of protein and 200 milligrams of calcium. It takes about 200 grams (7.1 oz) of milk to provide that much protein, and 150 grams (5.3 oz) to equal the calcium.

(Read more on Wikipedia)

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

Breakfast on the Fly!

Breakfast recipes is a hot button. What do we eat in the mornings and what do we give our kids? Should we just skip breakfast – of course not. There is risk of kids later being overweight and developing other health issues. Skipping breakfast is like a car running out of gas – we lose energy and focus by mid morning risking our health and all the other things that we do.


There are all sorts of breakfast recipes. But here are some tips on quick ideas for busy days!

1. Stay away from sugary breakfast cereals and donuts in the morning

2. Have instant oatmeal – add hot milk. For adults, add hot water and a bit of honey

3. Keep a variety of whole grain cereals that are low in sugar

4. Sprinkle oat bran, wheat bran, psyllium husk, flax seed meal on cereal for extra fiber.

5. Cut up fruit with oats or cereals

6. Make cheese sandwiches, scrambled egg burritos and other finger foods that kids can eat quickly, sardine sandwiches. Using a sandwich maker quickens the process.

7. Cut up fruits and serve with yogurt or blend the fruit and yoghurt

8. Bread, butter and jam (BBJ as my kids call it) or peanut butter on toast

9. Boil, scramble, fry, or poach eggs - they're packed with nutrition and one a day is perfectly healthy

10. A glass of milk or coco with milk if they don't eat cereal or if everyone’s in a hurry

11. A bowl of baked beans or beans on toast - they're lo laded with protein

12. Have breakfast sitting down instead of on the go

13. Quick noodles – see some basic recipes on this blog.

14. Fried rice – keep it simple and basic – see recipe on this blog

Then when you have a little extra time on Saturday or Sunday morning, make a
good recipe with your kids.

Teach kids to have something in the morning. No junk food. Make it a rule.

Happy Cooking and Teaching!