The Good Foundation
With the rise of delivery services, an always-expanding range of fast-food options and our increasingly frenetic lifestyles, home cooking can easily become an afterthought.
Not only does routinely choosing convenience lead to poorer health, including conditions like obesity and prediabetes, but it diminishes self-sufficiency and the lifelong skills that are learned in the kitchen.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to equip the next generation with the ability to whip up sustaining tucker from scratch – and the younger they get started, the better.
The Jamie’s Ministry of Food program highlights the positive impact of teaching kids to cook, with evaluations showing participants gain a deeper appreciation of food and a willingness to try new things.
Being competent in the kitchen also increases their self-esteem and understanding of what makes a healthy meal, from the ingredients to the preparation method and portion size.
Given one in four Australians aged 2-17 are considered obese, this is crucial knowledge.
Youngsters are more likely to stick with a nourishing, balanced diet as they grow if they’ve mastered simple styles of cooking with vegetables, fruit and lean meats (or meat alternatives).
What’s more, getting children involved in rustling up a feast is a great way to coax fussy eaters into broadening their horizons – they’re often bursting with excitement to taste what they’ve created!
At its heart, cooking is fun – especially as a family! Bonding with your kids while showing them how to prepare a delicious, nutritious meal is a win-win.
Depending on their age and experience, you can start by giving them small tasks like mixing and measuring before teaching them trickier techniques such as slicing and dicing things using techniques like ‘the claw’ which ensures that little fingers don’t get chopped!
We think these Jamei Oliver recipes are the best for getting your little eons active in the kitchen and excited about trying new ingredients!
BBQ burgers
Who doesn’t love a juicy burger? This super-simple recipe is a healthy alternative to takeaway. By choosing their own fillings, kids will get a sense of ownership.
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/minced-beef-recipes/buddy-s-bbq-burgers/
Mini super-fruit breakfast wraps
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not jazz it up? Topped with brain-powering fruit, these wraps will help your children form the pivotal habit of making brekky.
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/mini-super-fruit-breakfast-wraps/
Fresh pasta
Colourful and crammed with goodness, cheffing up scrumptious pasta is easier than you’d think! Youngsters can really get hands-on by helping to knead and roll the dough.
https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/homemade-pasta-guide-lunch-lady/
Grilled fruit salad
Perfect as a snack or dessert, kids can give fruit salad a twist by chucking it on the grill. Using a barbecue (while supervised) allows them to learn a new cooking technique.
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/buddy-s-grilled-fruit-salad/
To find more delicious recipes, follow @thegoodfoundation on Instagram.
If you want your kids to learn some of Jamie’s best cooking tips and tricks, you can book them into Jamie’s Ministry of Food face-to-face or online cooking classes here: https://www.thegoodfoundation.com.au/courses/
