Learning to Stir + Cranberry Coconut Energy Bites

The Seasoned Kids

Lesson 2: Learning to Stir

As we continue to show our kids cooking in the kitchen, we hear two questions very often:

1. How do you start getting your kids involved with you?
2. How do you get your kids to eat so well?

To us, these two questions go hand in hand. You get your kids eating well by offering them a variety of dishes, flavors, and colors from the very beginning and allowing them to explore food on their own in the kitchen. For most parents, stirring things together is the first step in the kitchen they are comfortable teaching their little ones.

How to Start

Kids love stirring anything that you let them.  It’s such a simple way to get them involved and let them feel like they are making a real contribution with the meal.  A great first thing to teach kids to stir is chocolate milk. From there you can move on to things like pasta salad, overnight oats, or a brownie mix.

Tips for teaching your kids to stir

• Use a learning tower to get them stable at the counter
  • Standing on a stool or sitting on the counter, doesn’t stabilize kids as much as a tower will
• Use oversized bowls in the beginning
  • Kids don’t know how fast or slow to go in the beginning, using an oversized bowl will help contain some of the inevitable mess
• Speaking of mess, be patient!
  • There will be a bigger mess than if it was just you and it will take longer to stir, but the time spent with your kids with worth it!
• No hot ingredients in the beginning
  • Stick with foods that are cold or room temperature at first. Build up stirring on the stove as your child grows
• Let them taste test!
  • Remember you are in the kitchen to teach them a love of food, to try new foods, and grow their palate.  Let them taste their creations!

If you have a baby or very young toddler, like us, don’t be surprised if they just want to taste test (see bloopers below)!

Recipe Time!

We’re excited to share this Cranberry Coconut Energy Bites recipes with you today. We helped measure out the ingredients (check out these awesome measuring spoons for kids!) and the kids poured and stirred together.  Afterwards, we did show Skibbles how to roll them and by the end of the bowl, you couldn’t tell which ones I had made and which ones she had.  Such a great sensory activity for them!

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Cranberry Coconut Energy Bites

Author: Larisha Campbell

Ingredients

• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup flax
• 1/4 cup agave (or maple syrup)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Pour all ingredients into a bowl.
2. Stir until very well combined.
3. Roll mixture into one inch balls.
4. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 4 hours.
5. Store in an air tight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

This post is a part of our “The Seasoned Kids”, kid’s cooking series. Learn more about The Seasoned Kids here.

Previous Lessons!

Week 1: Teaching Importance of Washing Fruits and Vegetables + Berry Parfait Recipe

Funny Blooper Time! 

Each week, we’ll share at least one funny blooper that happened during our shoot!  This week, while we were trying to shoot, we turned around and found our toddler on the ladder. She thought it was hysterical. Photographer in the making!

On top of that, trying to teach her the learning to stir lesson was hilarious, she just kept trying to eat it.

 

A video posted by Larisha & Andrew (@wereparents) on Oct 14, 2016 at 4:43am PDT

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