If you struggle to get your picky eaters the essential nutrients they need, you’re not alone. It can be tricky when your kids only like a certain number of foods. We’re here to help! You and your little ones will love Otamot‘s nutritious and delicious pasta sauce. Packed with a handful of vitamins and ten organic vegetables, this sauce provides the nutrition your kids need, while satisfying their taste buds and tummies! This versatile addition to your pantry will become a staple in your household!

From the Mouth of a Kid:

Yummy Sauce! It’s my favorite with meatballs.

From the Eyes of a Parent:

I have loved Otamot’s pasta sauce ever since I first discovered it! My kids aren’t big fans of vegetables in general, and this sauce makes it so easy to get them the nutrients they’re missing out on. There’s no added sugar or preservatives, which is super important to me. It’s also packed with vitamins and healthy oils, and just tastes really good! Overall this is a great product that I always have in pantry!

The Icing on the Cake:

Otamot sauce is made from 10 organic vegetables, including sweet potato, butternut squash, spinach, and red beet. There’s no added sugar or preservatives, and it’s non-GMO!

Time to Eat?!

Otamot sauce is a great addition to any meal – lunch or dinner! Add it to pasta, chicken, soups, or casseroles for an extra punch of flavor and nutrients!

Mix it Up!

Great for kids who shy away from the spices in salsa to add as the tomato flavor in tacos, burritos, or nachos.

www.otamotfoods.com

www.facebook.com/OtamotFoods

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.

Here at The Creative Kitchen, everyday is Food Day! On a daily basis, we educate children about and through cooking. However, some children do not get the opportunity to learn about food or to learn which foods are the good foods for our bodies. That is where Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day comes in! Food Revolution Day is focused on getting kids excited about food and cooking up delicious, nutritious meals from scratch.

With the ever-growing market of highly processed unhealthy foods increasing everyday and the decline in families eating whole or homemade foods, it can be difficult for a child (or an adult!) to determine which foods provide proper nutrients and which “foods” just provide empty calories, sugar, salt, and fat. This is reflected in the large amount of diet-related issues faced by millions worldwide – and especially in the epidemic levels of childhood obesity in the United States. Diet-related disease, including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, are among the leading causes of death and are generally avoidable with healthful diets of fresh foods and minimally processed products.

Since 1999, The Creative Kitchen’s founder, Cricket Azima, has been supporting food education throughout New York City, teaching children ages two years old and up – and their families too. Cricket works to produce a positive relationship between children and food, while having fun in the kitchen and creating healthy eating habits for life.  Recipes are fruit and vegetable based – and naturally kid-friendly and delicious! Kids learn and practice basic cooking skills as they enhance other traditional disciplines such as reading, mathematics, science, social sciences, nutrition, music, art, history and geography, in age-appropriate And FUN ways. In addition, children strengthen their motor skills, self-esteem, socialization, cultural understanding, teamwork, independence and personal responsibility.

In addition to classes and events, The Creative Kitchen also produces the Kids Food Festival, a series of food events, programmed with the assistance of the James Beard Foundation, that educates families on how to make balanced food choices. Cricket also developed Everybody Can Cook, a curricula featuring adaptations for special needs children with various physical and developmental abilities. She works with a variety of food companies, offering services including spokesperson, recipe development and testing, freelance writing, teaching, family outreach, blogging, creating webisodes, special events, and consulting.

Since 2002, renowned chef Jaime Oliver has been encouraging families and schools to get back to the basics and cook meals full of fresh local produce instead of relying on heavily processed fast foods. This year, his global day of action Food Revolution Day is on Friday, May 16. It is being celebrated all around the globe, with 100 countries and over 105,000 participants taking part in the movement! You can get involved too by visiting the official website and adding you name to the growing list of Food Revolution Day participants!

Join the Food Revolution celebratory events!  If you’re in New York City, come cook with Cricket Azima and The Creative Kitchen’s team at Whole Foods Market, Tribeca location (second floor café space) from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.  Bring your family and have fun learning to make (and eat!) Jamie Oliver’s Rainbow Salad Wrap.  Register in advance by calling (718) 406-7506 or email Events@TheCreativeKitchen.com.

Can’t make it to the class?  Watch Jamie’s LIVE cooking lesson and cook along with his Rainbow Salad Wrap recipe. Food Revolution Day is all about having fun with food, eating delicious creations cooked by you, and spreading the word about real food!

Tag #FRD2014 in your pictures and social media posts to be featured on the Food Day Revolution Website!

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.

With Mother’s Day just around the corner it’s time to celebrate that special super-mama in your life. The woman that can prepare a healthful breakfast, give a morning cuddle, pack delicious well-balanced lunches, and get everybody out the door on time all before 8 a.m. We can all celebrate the terrific women in our lives this Mother’s Day, Sunday May 12th with these cute kid-centric tips from The Creative Kitchen.

Mother’s Day Classes

City Treehouse

Ages 2 to 5. May 4th, 11:00AM – 12:00PM

Make-and-Take Mother’s Day Treats. Come on by as Cricket Azima and The Creative Kitchen help kids create presents for Mother’s Day! Children will have lots of fun and keep their hands busy as they prepare tasty treats to give to deserving moms! Mothers can expect to be gifted with a delicious scone mix and yummy, edible flowers! To register please call 212-255-2050.

Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center

Ages 2 to 6. May 11th, 12:00PM – 1:00PM

Ages 7 to 10. May 11th, 2:00PM – 3:30PM

Calling all Supermoms… bring your kids and join us for a fun, interactive Mother’s Day lunch! Get a jump-start on your special day tomorrow by enjoying a cooking workshop together with your child, and let us help you celebrate YOU! On the Menu: Chilled Green Goddess Soup; Strawberry-Spinach Salad and Champagne Vinaigrette: Chocolate-Cherry Scones; Lavender Lemon Spritzers.

Recipes

Click here for Cricket Azima’s Fizzy Punch

Click here for Cricket Azima’s Breakfast Cake

Recipe for a Mother’s Day to Remember

• On Mother’s Day reward mom with a little something we could all use…extra sleep! Let the kids enjoy a morning out gathering fun things for Mom’s brunch with a loved one while she catches some extra zzz’s.  Just don’t forget some flowers!

• Now it’s brunch time! Begin by turning on some of your favorite tunes, get the kids in the kitchen to help make Cricket Azima’s delicious “Breakfast Cake,” and lastly stir up a pitcher of Cricket Azima’s signature Fizzy Punch for a scrumptious finish to this delicious meal!

• Now that mom has had some extra sleep and a delicious brunch, she will be ready for the day! Take her on a family outing and , head to Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center for an interactive Mother’s Day Lunch with The Creative Kitchen. 

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.

City Treehouse Valentine’s Event  

Ages 2 to 6. Saturday, February 9th, 3 PM – 4 PM   

Treat your little sweetheart to a hands-on cooking class. Children will create sweet strawberry salsa and Valentine’s Day cookies, which they will wash down with delicious Organic Valley milk. To register please contact City Treehouse at 212-255-2050.

Valentine’s Event at Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center

Ages 2 to 5 (plus one caregiver). Sunday, February 10th, 12 PM – 1 PM

Ages 6 to 9 (drop-off). Sunday, February 10th,  2 PM – 3 PM

Ages 10 to 12 (drop-off). Sunday, February 10th, 4 PM – 5:30 PM 

Calling all junior chefs! Make this Valentine’s Day extra-special by learning how to whip up a yummy, colorful Valentine’s brunch that will surely please the whole family. You’ll add sweet strawberries to homemade pancake batter, choose your favorite vegetable colors to fill fluffy frittatas, and say “I love you” with heart-shaped cookies, still warm from the oven.

Register for the 12 PM class here.

Register for the 2 PM class here.

Register for the 4 PM class here.

Fall/Spring Class Schedule and Special Events

*Please note that all classes require advance registration.

Remaining Fall Classes

Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center

120 Warren St., between Greenwich and West Street

Registration Phone #:  212-766-1104

http://www.thecreativekitchen.com/classes-and-events/

Fun Foods for Toddlers

“Fun Foods for Toddlers” is The Creative Kitchen’s class designed to bring age-appropriate recipes to toddlers and their families, with a special focus on themes, colors, numbers and shapes. Parents learn techniques for getting toddlers to help-out in the kitchen and incorporating new and wholesome foods into the family’s diet.

Monday Series 10:30-11:30am, October 1^st  – December 17^th, Ages 2 to 4, 12 classes

Thursday Series 11am – 12pm, October 4^th – December 20^th, Ages 2 ½ to 5, 12 classes 

Cost: $480 per series 

City Treehouse 

192A W 20^th Street, between 6^th and 7^th Avenues

Registration Phone #: 212-255-2050

http://www.thecreativekitchen.com/classes-and-events/

Fun with Food 

Cricket Azima and The Creative Kitchen present a hands-on cooking series. Recipes feed the brain and the belly, focusing on themes such as numbers, colors and shapes. Adult participation required.

Ages 2 to 4 

Tuesdays, 10:30am-11:15am, September 11^th – December 18^th, 14 classes 

Series Price: $40/class; $560/session 

Everybody Eats Lunch

Cricket Azima and The Creative Kitchen present a hands-on cooking series. Children will experience different flavors, textures and recipes as they cook their own lunches! Everyone eats their dish at the end! Adult participation required.

Ages 2.5 to 5 

Fridays, 12:00-12:45pm, September 14^th – December 21^st, 14 classes

Series Price: $40/class; $560/session

Upcoming Fall Special Events

J&R Jr. Chanukah Event

J&R Jrs. @ J&R Music and Computer World

23 Park Row, at Ann Street

The Creative Kitchen and Cricket Azima will host a hands-on cooking class for kids ages 2 and older (adult chaperone required) from 4:15 – 5pm.  Participants will make and eat Playtime Pasta – a taste of what’s to come in The Creative Kitchen’s cooking classes offered at J&R Jr.’s.  For more information or to register for these classes, visit www.thecreativekitchen.comor call 718-406-7506.

Ages: 2yrs and up 

Event Date/Time: Wednesday, December 12^th 4:15-5:00pm

Kids! Winter Wonderland 

Wholefood Bowery Market

95 East Houston St

The recipes may vary, but one thing remains the same—cultures from all over the planet celebrate the winter holidays with family and food! In this hands-on class, kids of all ages will learn how to make some fun and festive holiday favorites that celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, all in one afternoon.

On the Menu: Mashed-Potato Latkes with Applesauce and Sour Cream; Kwanzaa “Celebration Stew” with Chicken and Collard Greens; Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple-Cinnamon Frosting; Peppermint Hot Chocolate with Organic Valley Milk.

Ages 2 to 5 (+1 caregiver), 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (to register http://wfmkids2-5.eventbrite.com/)

Ages 6 to 9 (drop-off class), 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (to register http://wfmkids6-9.eventbrite.com/)

Ages 10 to 13 (drop-off class), 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm (to register http://wfmkids10-13.eventbrite.com/)

 Event Date/Time: Sunday, December 16^th 12pm – 5:30pm 

City Treehouse Winter Event

192A W 20^th Street, between 6^th and 7^th Avenues

Registration Phone #: 212-255-2050

http://www.thecreativekitchen.com/classes-and-events/

Warm up with winter treats. In this hands-on class, kids will learn how to make fun and festive wintertime favorites while enjoying Peppermint Hot Chocolate with Organic Valley Milk!

Ages 2 to 6

Saturday, January 26^th, 11:00am – 12:00pm

 Upcoming Spring Classes

Karma Kids Yoga

104 West 14th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues

Phone: 718-406-7506

http://www.thecreativekitchen.com/classes-and-events/

The Creative Kitchen Lunch Club at Karma Kids

The Creative Kitchen nourishes mind and body at Karma Kids! Children experience different flavors and textures of wholesome ingredients while getting hands-on to create balanced dishes that stimulate the senses. Incorporate good-for-you foods into your kid’s diet while focusing on themes such as numbers, colors, and shapes.  Everyone enjoys their delicious creation for lunch at the end of class.

Ages 2 to 5

Mondays, 1-2pm, January 7^th to March 11^th, 10 classes

Cost: $45/class; $400/session

J&R Jr.

23 Park Row, at Ann Street

Registration Phone #: 718-406-7506

http://www.thecreativekitchen.com/classes-and-events/

Lunch Club

Cricket Azima and The Creative Kitchen team create age-appropriate recipes that focus on kid-friendly themes, colors, numbers, and shapes. Toddlers have fun with their adult chaperone (required) cooking and eating and a delicious dish in each class. Bellies of all ages will leave happy and satisfied! Icing on the cake–kids have a blast making food related arts and crafts!

Ages K-2^nd Grade

Wednesdays, 11:30am – 12:15pm, January 9^th – March 13th, 10 classes

Cost: $45/class; $400/session (chaperone must attend)

After School Snack Club

Cricket Azima and The Creative Kitchen team create age-appropriate recipes that focus on kid-friendly themes, colors, numbers, and shapes. Children have fun cooking and eating and a delicious dish in each class. Bellies of all ages will leave happy and satisfied! Icing on the cake–kids have a blast making food related arts and crafts!

Ages Kindergarten to 2^nd Grade

Wednesdays, 3:45pm – 4:45pm, January 9^th – March 13th, 10 classes

Cost: $45/class; $400/session (drop-off optional)

After School Dinner Club

Cricket Azima and The Creative Kitchen team create age-appropriate recipes that focus on kid-friendly themes, colors, numbers, and shapes. Children have fun cooking and eating and a delicious dish in each class. Bellies of all ages will leave happy and satisfied! Icing on the cake–kids have a blast making food related arts and crafts!

Ages 3^rd Grade to 5^th Grade

Wednesdays, 5:00pm – 6:00pm, January 9^th – March 13th, 10 classes

Cost: $45/class; $400/session (drop-off optional)

Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center

120 Warren St., between Greenwich and West Street

Registration Phone #:  212-766-1104

http://www.thecreativekitchen.com/classes-and-events/

City Treehouse 

192A W 20^th Street, between 6^th and 7^th Avenues

Registration Phone #: 212-255-2050

http://www.thecreativekitchen.com/classes-and-events/

Fun with Food 

Cricket Azima and The Creative Kitchen present a hands-on cooking series. Recipes feed the brain and the belly, focusing on themes such as numbers, colors and shapes. Adult participation required.

Ages 2 to 4

Tuesdays, 10:30am-11:15am, January 8^th – April 9^th, 12 classes

Series Price: $40/class; $560/session

Everybody Eats Lunch

Cricket Azima and The Creative Kitchen present a hands-on cooking series. Children will experience different flavors, textures and recipes as they cook their own lunches! Everyone eats their dish at the end! Adult participation required.

Ages 2.5 to 5

Fridays, 12:00-12:45pm, January 11^th – April 12^st, 12 classes

Series Price: $40/class; $560/session

After last week’s Fiesta Fun Day at Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center, siestas were on the menu all around! Los niños agreed that there was nothing more fun than squishing avocados with their hands!