Kids soak up information like moss or a sponge, which is why I love including my kids in food preparation and planning. We talk about why I am particular about where our food comes from and what food makes it onto our dining table. They know why I don’t include many items and why I find so many to be extremely important. They push me to better understand my own decisions. They help me understand balance, flavor and the importance of food presentation. I love when they test my comfort zone, my convictions, and my assumed beliefs about recipes and ingredients. I love that they make sure to keep food fun!
In all of these conversations, I have two favorite children’s cookbooks. I know that there are ton to love, but I also love to keep things simple. So if I could only choose two cookbooks for my kids, I would choose:
- The Nourishing Traditions Cookbook for Children by Suzanne Foss and Sally Fallon Morell – I love that this book is all about the basics. These recipes are easy to make. They use minimal ingredient lists. They incorporate interesting information about food and ingredients. The recipes are clear for anyone to read and follow. They make recipes that we can eat on a regular basis.
- Chef Junior – I love how this book is written by kids for kids all about preparing real food. These recipes are a bit “fancy” for what you might consider “kid food,” which seems to make them fun to make. These recipes are delicious and clear to follow.
One other note to consider… online recipes are awesome and I use them all of the time. That said, when I am cooking with kids, it helps to have a hard copy of the recipe in front of us. I print a few recipes from time to time, but because the recipes in these books can be prepared often, it is great to have these on hand. Happy cooking!
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