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As we wrap up our week 3 focus on cooking, we’ll talk about some ways to get the whole family involved. When kids participate in the process of meal planning, cooking, and growing food, they are more likely to eat the food that’s served. But that’s easier said than done. Use these tips and resources to get kids more involved in creating meals.
New raffle winners announced below! Read on to see if you are one of them.
Kid-friendly kitchen tasks
Kids at almost every age - from toddlers to teens - can help out in the kitchen. Being involved in meal prep can inspire interest in cooking, develop fine motor skills, and set kids on a path to more adventurous eating.
Some age-appropriate tasks for younger kids include:
- Picking and washing produce
- Measuring and stirring together ingredients
- Greasing baking dishes
- Kneading dough
- Decorating cakes and cookies
- Helping with cleanup
As kids get older, they can help more with meal planning, cutting and peeling fruits and vegetables, and following recipes to help make dinner for the whole family.
See cooking tasks kids can help with at every age and easy recipes that kids can make from The Food Network and 70 kids cooking activities for more ideas.
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While young children are learning about flavors, textures, and their independence, there will always be food they refuse to eat. Avoid labeling them as ‘picky eaters’ or that label might stick.
Kids need to be introduced to new foods many times. When offering new foods, keep the portion size small in case they don’t eat it. If they like a food, you can always serve more! You can also use leftovers in a meal the next day. For example, berries left on a plate could be stirred into tomorrow’s yogurt or baked into pancakes. Other tips for encouraging diverse eaters:
- Serve your children the same or similar foods to what you are eating. That way, you are modeling eating the food and using up the ingredients.
- If you are buying a food specifically for your kids, make sure it is part of your meal plan. One example is baby carrots; if you won’t eat them all as snacks, plan a meal that can use them up.
- Listen to your child’s hunger cues and review the signs your child is hungry or full from the Center for Disease Control.
Don’t give up on foods right away but continue to try different ways to prepare and serve them. Keep mealtimes as low stress as you can. Avoid pleading and bargaining. Expecting no wasted food for this part of your child’s life is unrealistic, but you can do your best to keep it minimal.
See toddlers at the table from Kids Health or No More Food Fights from Big Little Feelings for ideas and information. Cooking Matters also has a YouTube video series with tips for feeding kids.
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You care about reducing food waste for a variety of reasons, but how do you talk to your kids about the issue?
Some good first steps include involving them in the Stop Food Waste Challenge and helping them learn where food comes from. Take a family outing to a local farm or farmers market or grow your own food. Your local co-op may offer farm tours, or visit a local farm such as Gale Woods Farm in Minnetrista.
The following resources offer additional ideas:
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Help your kids build a good foundation with cooking and eating habits. Choose these actions in the cooking category:
- Get involved in the kitchen
- Try new foods
- Trust your child’s hunger cues
- Talk about wasting food
Stop Food Waste Challenge partners are hosting several events throughout the challenge. Find a full list of events here.
Q and A with a food waste prevention specialist
Tuesday, August 22 and Wednesday, August 23
Wondering how you can do better with grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking, or storing food so that you can waste less and save money? Submit your questions on Hennepin Environment’s Instagram starting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22. Our food waste prevention specialist will be on deck to answer your questions throughout the afternoon on Wednesday, August 23. This Q and A is open to all!
Follow Hennepin Environment on Instagram and check our stories to participate.
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Scrappy cooking sharing event
Wednesday, August 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Edina Senior Center Fireside Room, 5280 Grandview Square #101, Edina
Make meals, not waste! Join your fellow Stop Food Waste Challenge participants for an in-person lunch session. Bring a completed dish to share using food scraps, ugly or rescued foods, or anything that you have learned from the challenge so far. This is a recipe share event and a place to learn from each other, all while enjoying yummy foods. Utensils and plates will be provided. This event is free and all foods are welcome.
Register for the free event.
Stop Food Waste Challenge tips
Raffle winners
Congratulations to our next raffle winners, Katy Kvelek, Crystal Turner, Iris Winter and Lindsay Ruble! Winners should email zwc@hennepin.us for more information on their prize.*
Impacts
The impacts are really starting to add up! Make sure to check in to your dashboard to mark actions as complete. As of this week, participants have completed 2,916 actions for the following impacts:
- Over 1,320 minutes spent learning
- Over 2,700 pounds of CO2 has been saved
- Over 1,350 pounds of food waste prevented
*Ramsey County and Washington County employees and their immediate family members are not eligible to receive a prize.
City of Golden Valley
Here’s what Stop Food Waste Challenge partner, the City of Golden Valley, had to say about why they care about preventing food waste:
"Approximately 30 percent of materials found in residential trash would be accepted for organics recycling. Reducing or recycling this food waste, instead of throwing it away, presents one of the biggest opportunities to prevent landfilling. Golden Valley's Resilience and Sustainability Plan also aims to promote waste reduction, recycling, and composting so this is an important initiative for us."
City of Roseville
Here’s what Stop Food Waste Challenge partner, the City of Roseville, had to say about why they care about preventing food waste:
"Creating a sustainable future means using our available food resources more responsibly!"
City of Scandia
Here’s what Stop Food Waste Challenge partner, the City of Scandia, had to say about why they care about preventing food waste:
"To educate our residents with resources and opportunities regarding our nation's food waste dilemma."
City of Shoreview
Here’s what Stop Food Waste Challenge partner, the City of Shoreview, had to say about why they care about preventing food waste:
"We want to share simple strategies to help prevent food waste."
Wednesday, August 2: Get to know what you throw
Friday, August 4: Meal planning to waste less and save more
Monday, August 7: Keeping track of the food you buy
Wednesday, August 9: Lower your "foodprint"
Friday, August 11: Creating a grocery list and sticking to it
Monday, August 14: Buying just what you need
Wednesday, August 16: Cooking creatively
Friday, August 18: Make just what you need
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