Cooking with kids can be a fun and educational activity that nurtures their creativity and independence. Involving them in the kitchen also helps develop their motor skills and teaches them about nutrition and food safety. Trying new recipes with kids can be a great way to explore different cultures and flavors, and to encourage them to be adventurous eaters.
So when Liam suggested making banana bread, it was a great opportunity to teach him about baking and measurements, and to experiment with a recipe we hadn't tried before.
Banana Nut Bread:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 ripe bananas
- 3/4 cup pecans
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 and grease your baking pan with non-sticky spray.
- Set a handful of pecans aside to use as topping later.
- In a bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Then add in the baking soda and salt.
- Into that same bowl, slowly add in the flour, vanilla, eggs and combine well using your electric mixture.
- The remaining pecans will need to be blended up and then added into the mixture as well.
- Pour the batter into your baking pan(s) and top with the remaining pecans.
- Then bake. Our racks were at the top (although most recipes recommend moving them to the bottom before preheating.) I checked the banana nut bread after roughly 45mins. by inserting a toothpick and waiting for it to come out clean. I think it took a little closer to an hour probably.
- Remove bread from the oven and allow to cool.
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Although Liam wasn't a huge fan of the banana bread, my husband and daughter both loved it. We also really enjoyed the experience and time spent together in the kitchen, so I started the hunt for some more kid-friendly recipes.
I'm sure many of you can relate - but with summer break in full swing, our household has seen a surge in food consumption. And while my kids are great about eating at meal times, snack time has become a race to the pantry. Luckily, I stumbled upon two amazing yogurt recipes that are both quick and easy to make. Yogurt is a fan-favorite over here so I figured it was worth a try!
Frozen Yogurt Parfait Bites:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup granola, plus more for the topping
- 2 6oz. containers of strawberry yogurt
- fresh fruit (we used blackberries and blueberries)
Directions:
- Rinse the fruit and set it aside.
- Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners (if not using a silicone pan).
- Place 2 teaspoons of granola in the bottom of each cup.
- Add your fruit! The amount depends on your preference. We opted for 1 blackberry and 1 blueberry in each.
- Top the fruit with yogurt. For us, this ended up being about 2 spoonfuls in each but to be honest, we didn't really measure - we just eyeballed it.
- Sprinkle granola over the yogurt.
- Freeze the pan until firm, which should take about 2-4 hours.
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Peanut Butter & Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Bark:
Ingredients:
- 2 containers of vanilla yogurt
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 tbsp. local honey
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 banana, sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp. graham cracker crumbs (optional)
Directions:
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with wax paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, honey and peanut butter.
- Evenly spread the mixture onto the wax paper lined baking sheet.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth.
- Add dollops of melted chocolate to the yogurt mixture on the baking sheet using a spoon. Use a toothpick to gently swirl the chocolate into the peanut butter mixture.
- Top with graham cracker crumbs and bananas, or other toppings as desired.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the mixture is firm, then break it into smaller pieces to enjoy. Store remaining pieces in the freezer.
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Our friends also recently shared another fun recipe with us - a healthier alternative to traditional popsicles - using bananas and yogurt.
Frozen Yogurt Banana Popsicles:
Ingredients:
- 3 bananas
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Popsicle sticks
- Toppings of your choice: sprinkles, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, Chia seeds, caramel or chocolate syrup, etc.
Directions:
- Cut bananas in half and insert one popsicle stick into each half.
- Place parchment paper onto of your a baking sheet.
- Dip banana into the yogurt.
- Sprinkle toppings on top.
- Freeze for 2 hours, or until yogurt hardens.
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We've actually had them before and to be honest - I forgot all about it. We'll definitely be making these again soon here at home!
I'm calling it a win since now we have some healthier alternatives I can offer, and my little ones find both yogurt recipes irresistible.
Overall, cooking with kids can be a rewarding experience that brings the family together and creates lasting memories.
