Getting children, especially young children, to eat a healthy, well balanced diet can be a challenge.
One fun way to overcome that hurdle is to get kids actively involved in the kitchen.
Thats the concept behind the monthly Kids in the Kitchen presentations held by OSU Extension Office Family Nutrition Program Assistant Darcy Becker at the main branch of the Wayne County Public Library.
In addition to learning basic cooking skills such as how to measure ingredients accurately, Becker also teaches the budding young chefs the importance of safety in the kitchen including how to work safely around hot pans and sharp knives and the key role cleanliness plays in preparing food safely.
By trying out some new recipes featuring potatoes during the PPP Potatoes! session on January 4 the young cooks and their parents also discovered that incorporating vegetables into their diet can be fun when they added a secret ingredient – sweet potatoes – to a chocolate pudding recipe.
The next Kids in the Kitchen presentations are scheduled for January 31 and February 1 when Becker and her young culinary students explore grains from around the world.
The Kids in the Kitchen series is free and open to the public. Because the sessions often fill up quickly, advance registration is required.
To register for a session in the Kids in the Kitchen series visit the Childrens Department in the main branch of the Wayne County Public Library in person or call the Childrens Department at 330-262-0916 extension 7129. On-line registration is also available via the librarys web site at www.wcpl.info.
Sidebar:
Looking for a creative way to sneak vegetables into a young childs diet? Try this recipe OSU Extensions Darcy Becker and the kids followed during the PPP Potatoes! session of the Kids in the Kitchen series at the Wayne County Public Library on January 4.
Chocolate Pudding Surprise
(Makes 4 servings)
Ingredients:
8 oz. cooked sweet potatoes (about 1 cup)
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
½ cup low fat vanilla yogurt
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup lite chocolate syrup
Direction:
Remember to wash your hands!
1. Put sweet potatoes into a bowl and mash until smooth.
2. Mix yogurt and cream cheese in a small bowl until smooth.
3. Add yogurt mixture to the sweet potatoes and mix until well combined. Add brown sugar and chocolate syrup and stir well.
Helpful Hint:
Do not try to use fat free cream cheese. IT will be very runny.
