Often in the summertime you want a quick and easy meal without any of the fuss of having to cook. This Veggie Salad in a Jar from our friends at Cooking Light is the perfect choice. Super versatile, these salads can be made a day ahead and your little ones can have fun picking and choosing what ingredients they’d like to add to this appetizing meal.

Ingredients:

Instructions:

1. Combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper, and salt in a 1-pint mason jar with a lid; shake well to blend. Divide dressing between 2 (1-pint) mason jars.

2. Divide onion between the 2 jars. Repeat procedure with chickpeas, bell pepper, hearts of palm, tomatoes, and quinoa.

3. Divide lettuce between the 2 jars, gently pressing down to fit. Divide cheese between the 2 jars; secure lids on jars.

4. Refrigerate salad up to 1 day. Shake jar to distribute dressing before serving. Eat straight from the jar, or empty contents into a bowl.
 

Tips & Trick:

• Pack your salads tightly with the dressing on the bottom, followed by denser ingredients that won’t get soggy while they marinate.
• This recipe is easily adaptable and easy to transport.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Change up your family’s pizza night with pizza-dillas! This pizza + quesadilla combo by our friends at Cooking Light is a kid-friendly meal that can be made ahead for those busy nights. The recipe for Steak & Mushroom Pizza-dillas is quick and easy and can be made to suit the tastes of the whole family. Don’t like steak and mushrooms? Swap them out for chicken and broccoli or make a vegetable-ful vegetarian version!

Ingredients:

Instructions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Place steak in a medium bowl.

2. Add butter to pan; swirl until butter melts. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, garlic, and mushrooms; cook 6 minutes or until mushrooms brown and liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms to steak; toss to combine.

3. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons cheese evenly over half of each tortilla. Divide steak mixture evenly among tortillas; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Fold tortillas in half over filling. Carefully coat both sides of quesadillas with cooking spray. Place 2 quesadillas in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned and cheese melts. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Cut each into 4 wedges. Serve with marinara.
 

Tips & Trick:

• Get the kids involved! This simple recipe is great for little hands in the kitchen. Let kids sprinkle the cheese and add the steak and mushroom mixture on to the tortillas before warming them on the stove.
• This recipe is easy to customize to your family’s tastes. Add your favorite meats, vegetables, and cheeses and make it your own!

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

You’ve likely herd of grass-fed beef, but have you heard of grass-fed butter? Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter is made from the milk of cows who spend 10 out of 12 months each year grazing in Irish pastures, and the difference is in the taste: rich and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness. While cooking with Kerrygold butter can enhance the flavor of any sweet or savory dish, be sure to try it on a simple slice of bread or cracker to get the full experience. Your kids are sure to love a slice of healthful, whole grain bread with Kerrygold on top!

From the Mouth of a Kid:

This butter is the best! Makes my bread taste extra yummy and sweet.

From the Eyes of a Parent:

Kerrygold butter is richer, sweeter, and creamier than many other brands on the market. It’s perfect for any recipe that calls for butter, and my kids agree that cookies made with Kerrygold are the best! While it’s great for cooking and baking, it’s also a great way to get my kids to eat their fiber and whole grains– I just slather some Kerrygold on a slice of whole grain bread and they can’t get enough.

Flavorful Features:

Kerrygold butter is available in salted, unsalted, reduced fat, garlic & herb, and butter with canola oil.

The Icing on the Cake:

Kerrygold sources their milk from small, family farms that do not treat their cows with hormones or antibiotics. Grass-fed butter has been shown to contain more omega-3’s, beta-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and Vitamin D than traditional butter.

Time to Eat?!

Any time you use your traditional butter. Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter is especially delicious on toast in the morning or a slice of whole grain bread with dinner.

Check out these family-friendly recipes featuring Kerrygold products!

Cheese and Tomato Macaroni with Broccoli

Crispy Potato Rosti

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Ingredients: 

1 pound whole wheat pasta, cooked

1 pound fresh low-fat mozzarella

5 small tomatoes

1 green bell pepper

1 orange, yellow or red bell pepper

1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 bunch fresh basil

2 lemons

olive oil, to taste

balsamic vinegar, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions: 

Together:  Cook pasta according to package directions.

Together:  In a large mixing bowl, add cooked pasta and set aside.

Kid: With a plastic knife, dice mozzarella, tomatoes, and bell peppers and add them to bowl of pasta. (Dice the ingredients small, so you can challenge your children to fit as many colors as they can into one bite!)

Kid: Remove basil leaves from stem. Tear leaves into small pieces and add to bowl.

Together:  Add beans and juice lemons into the bowl. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to pasta salad, a little at a time. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste and eat!

Tips & Tricks: 

Give your kids options in the kitchen. Instead of the vegetables included in the recipe, ask them to suggest other favorites. Vote on a bean variety instead of cannellini beans. Have the kids choose between broccoli and spinach. When you give your kids a choice in what they eat, they are more likely to eat it! The key is to select two choices that, as a parent, you’d be happy for them to eat either way.

Article: 

To read the full article on The Kids Cook Monday, click here! For more delicious and healthful recipes for kids of all ages and abilities, check out The Creative Kitchen’s new adaptable cooking curricula, Everybody Can Cook.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.