Taste & See Classes Rough Draft

Taste & See:
Picky Eater workshops and Cooking Adventures!

Class Objectives- To give parents and kids the tools to make good nutritious choices be excited about trying new things and to be connected with where our food comes from. Diving into a world where we use our senses to critique and make choices about new foods without living in “food fear.” All while having lots of food fun!

Classes:

Picky Eaters tasting workshops( or Choose Your Own Adventure!)- Foods are put into 2 or 3 categories starting with more familiar foods moving onto the more adventurous. Kids are encouraged to use all five senses to make opinions on spices, herbs, fruits and veggies. Kids will vote on trying one or more new items in a dish we will all help prepare and will take home a few recipes to try at home. Every class will touch on the importance of a balanced diet, the adventure of trying new things to figure out our own opinions, helping out in the kitchen and how different foods help our bodies. Every class has a different ending and we all leave with the pledge to be an adventurous eater trying at least one new thing a week!

How not to raise a Picky Kid!( Parents Session)- We all know that the main problem with teaching our kids to eat right is the power of free will. Here we will learn the tools to take home to help out even the pickiest kid. As a mom( and chef) of one very self- reliant, strong willed 4 yr old boy I have been through it all and want to pass on the knowledge. We will talk about defusing dinnertime battles, teaching our kids how to make good nutritious choices by getting them involved ( encouraging their independence and creativity) and not unknowingly adding to the problem.

We will choose one cheap and fast healthy meal to try during the class.

Each class goes home with recipes to try and the knowledge to begin cooking adventures with our kids!


Food Adventure Tours- Food Field trips for kids (parents can come along too!). Taking a tip from Mister Rogers and Sesame Street kids will get to know their culinary neighbors (or the people in their neighborhood) on a fun food tour. We will learn about where our food comes from and what it takes to get it to our table touring local artisans and farms. This will help to encourage independent nutritious choice while having fun and learning something new.

Time Management

So today is one of those days where your hair gets overlooked in the frenzy of things and the dishes begin to crawl out of the sink.



My goal for today was simple but now seemingly insurmountable; I was going to try and organize my time better. I thought if I plan out the day better things will be easier and Owen could use some structure. So right after breakfast Owen and I were going to crack open his Pre-K workbook and do some lessons. You would assume this was an easy enough task but you would be wrong( c'est pas de la tarte). At the mere mention of sitting down and writing instead of playing Lego's tears began erupting with kicking and screaming following shortly thereafter.

Now mind you this "playing with Lego's" endeavor seems to require an entire day if not longer. You must sit and pretend to care for being shot at constantly( as you are always the bad guy). The plot never changes and any hint of dislike towards it results in immediate childhood depression. Now I'm not saying our days are dramatically depressing and my son desperately needs a Lego's counselor; but he does get stuck it a rut no matter how creative he may be otherwise.

And Noah may sick. He keeps waking up from naps early and crying until I hold him. Normally he puts himself to sleep when I put him down but today he needs me to lay down and hold him. I took this photo if him finally going to sleep.



The cat was next to him but the cat is following me around needing my constant attention too. I had no idea I was so popular.

Diving in head first

I am a multi-tasker. I have two kids and about a million ideas rolling through my head at any given moment. Book ideas, classes I should teach, crafts I could make with my children, etc. So with this blog I am attempting to slow down and focus on an idea I've had for awhile. Writing and documenting my everyday culinary and nutrition adventures with my kids. My son Owen is four years old and eager to jump at the chance to create and have fun. We've been cooking, crafting and laughing together for years but now I'm going to challenge myself to document it. And this year we have a garden! We don't quite understand it but it's there getting watered with a plethora of herbs, vegetables and weeds flourishing in it. I may have killed a few beets trying to save them but there is always the farmer's market.

We will be posting recipes, dirty-faced child tasting sessions, laughing 3 month old babies, ridiculous 4 year old quotes and much, much, more.