With increasingly busy schedules, often juggling several jobs at once both inside and outside the home, millennial parents are spending less time than ever cooking with their children. New research by plant-based cleaning company Ecover in partnership with Annabel Karmel, the UK's No. children’s cookery author, has found that all too often cooking with kids is at the bottom of the to do list. It's time we got kids back in the kitchen!
The survey found that more than a third of parents cook with their children just once a month or less. Lack of time was a big factor, but many parents also cited difficulty finding recipes suitable for shorter attention spans or having enough ideas and inspiration about what to cook as the reason. Cleaning up afterwards was also a factor, with lots of us finding it a real challenge to motivate kids to clean up afterwards.
Well, look no further! To help inspire families to cook together more often, Ecover and Annabel Karmel have come up with a new cooking mini-series - as well as all the hacks and effective products you need for that clear up! The inspiring 30 second videos are all delicious, healthy and nutritious dishes that can be whipped up in under half an hour. Perfect for that post-school run period, these child-friendly dishes are easy and fun to make, involve minimal mess, and are delicious to eat. Get a bowl of breadsticks and veggies to munch in front of them and get kids cooking after school. They could even knock up a batch of these delicious savoury muffins for their lunch boxes tomorrow.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers will love making and demolishing this sandwich Hungry Caterpillar, and for hungry older kids the delicious quesadillas are a must. You can see our chicken-less version below.
Our girls help with the meals every day and we definitely believe it has made them more interested in food, as well as taught them some great skills. They all eat well and make healthy food choices (the most exciting edible to come into our house is a bunch of carrots!) We also make time at least once a week to do some baking or another dish the girls have chosen. They can whip up cakes to be proud of, make a mean loaf of bread, and have impressive kitchen skills. Cooking with kids is great, and 2 out of 3 of ours even help with the clean up!
Here's how we got on making some of the Annabel Karmel dishes, and cleaning up afterwards with Ecover. Sophia and Tatiana made The Very Hungry Caterpillar Sandwich, and Lara made Quesadillas with cheese, cherry tomatoes and sweetcorn.
Top 5 Reasons to Cook with Kids
Annabel Karmel, the UK’s number one parenting author said:
"A happy healthy home starts in the kitchen and my brand new series has been created with mums, dads and mini chefs in mind – quick, simple, and super tasty. Cooking from scratch doesn’t have to mean producing elaborate, time-consuming meals. Even the easiest of recipes will have them picking up new skills and trying new foods."
If you're worried about cleaning up afterwards, just follow the brilliant cleaning hacks on the Ecover website. For example, scrub glass baking dishes with a scrunched up ball of aluminium foil. It gets all those pesky little stuck on bits off easily and brings the glass up a treat. Find more great cleaning hacks and tips on ecover.com
It's easy to get your kitchen back in order after a cooking session with the kids, especially with Ecover's gentle yet effective products. And although you may want to do the last wipe down, there's no reason to be the one doing it all if you follow Ecover's clean-up hacks. Give the chance, the kids might even start to enjoy cleaning!
The new Annabel Karmel mini series is part of Ecover’s ongoing commitment to helping families achieve a happy, healthy home through getting children excited about food, helping them make healthy food choices, and helping with the clean up.
You can find out more on Ecover's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds.
Let's get kids back in the kitchen!
The survey found that more than a third of parents cook with their children just once a month or less. Lack of time was a big factor, but many parents also cited difficulty finding recipes suitable for shorter attention spans or having enough ideas and inspiration about what to cook as the reason. Cleaning up afterwards was also a factor, with lots of us finding it a real challenge to motivate kids to clean up afterwards.
Well, look no further! To help inspire families to cook together more often, Ecover and Annabel Karmel have come up with a new cooking mini-series - as well as all the hacks and effective products you need for that clear up! The inspiring 30 second videos are all delicious, healthy and nutritious dishes that can be whipped up in under half an hour. Perfect for that post-school run period, these child-friendly dishes are easy and fun to make, involve minimal mess, and are delicious to eat. Get a bowl of breadsticks and veggies to munch in front of them and get kids cooking after school. They could even knock up a batch of these delicious savoury muffins for their lunch boxes tomorrow.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers will love making and demolishing this sandwich Hungry Caterpillar, and for hungry older kids the delicious quesadillas are a must. You can see our chicken-less version below.
Our girls help with the meals every day and we definitely believe it has made them more interested in food, as well as taught them some great skills. They all eat well and make healthy food choices (the most exciting edible to come into our house is a bunch of carrots!) We also make time at least once a week to do some baking or another dish the girls have chosen. They can whip up cakes to be proud of, make a mean loaf of bread, and have impressive kitchen skills. Cooking with kids is great, and 2 out of 3 of ours even help with the clean up!
Here's how we got on making some of the Annabel Karmel dishes, and cleaning up afterwards with Ecover. Sophia and Tatiana made The Very Hungry Caterpillar Sandwich, and Lara made Quesadillas with cheese, cherry tomatoes and sweetcorn.
Top 5 Reasons to Cook with Kids
- It's a great way to spend that elusive quality time together, especially for one-to-one time with each child.
- Children are more likely to eat something they've helped prepare and they will also try new foods as well as making healthier choices.
- It's healthier than relying on convenience foods, and usually doesn't take much longer.
- They're learning an essential life skill that will give them a healthier future.
- It's fun!
Annabel Karmel, the UK’s number one parenting author said:
"A happy healthy home starts in the kitchen and my brand new series has been created with mums, dads and mini chefs in mind – quick, simple, and super tasty. Cooking from scratch doesn’t have to mean producing elaborate, time-consuming meals. Even the easiest of recipes will have them picking up new skills and trying new foods."
If you're worried about cleaning up afterwards, just follow the brilliant cleaning hacks on the Ecover website. For example, scrub glass baking dishes with a scrunched up ball of aluminium foil. It gets all those pesky little stuck on bits off easily and brings the glass up a treat. Find more great cleaning hacks and tips on ecover.com
It's easy to get your kitchen back in order after a cooking session with the kids, especially with Ecover's gentle yet effective products. And although you may want to do the last wipe down, there's no reason to be the one doing it all if you follow Ecover's clean-up hacks. Give the chance, the kids might even start to enjoy cleaning!
The new Annabel Karmel mini series is part of Ecover’s ongoing commitment to helping families achieve a happy, healthy home through getting children excited about food, helping them make healthy food choices, and helping with the clean up.
You can find out more on Ecover's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds.
Let's get kids back in the kitchen!
Commissioned post