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Easy Meals Even My 5-Year-Old Can Make

If you have read some of my other blogs, you may have noticed that I routinely involve my children in food prep, recipe planning and cooking and baking. In fact, every day my 4-year-old daughter now asks me if she can help me cook (and I love it!).

 

kids prepping food


My oldest child just turned 5 and he recently made our family of five a meal all by himself (a baked pasta recipe in the crockpot. I don’t know which one of us was more proud. Granted it was a pretty easy recipe to follow and I did supervise to make sure he didn’t run into any complications. But it did get me thinking that making meals using HMR Entrees is so simple that even my 5-year-old can do it. So now he does.

We have a new routine. I often use HMR Entrees as our “fast food” for a meal. When I do, I hand over almost all the “work” to my son so that he prepares a combination of HMR Entrees with vegetables for our family. His favorite involves washing some fresh spinach and using the salad spinner to dry it (that’s the fun part!), and then lays the spinach on the bottom of a casserole dish. He opens 4 HMR Lasagna with Meat Sauce Entrees (or 4 HMR Cheese and Basil Ravioli for variety) and puts them on top of the spinach. He likes to add a bit of Italian spices and sometimes we add a bit of canned tomatoes. He can’t reach the oven dial by himself so I help with that part, and I also put it in the oven and take it out (safety first!). Then 30 minutes later -Voila!- supper is served, with very little mess and a huge reward. Our family gets to enjoy a nutritious, delicious, and low-calorie home-cooked meal, and my son participates in putting a healthy meal together to feed our family. And his pride in his contribution, sense of independence and confidence are priceless.

So the next time you are getting a meal ready for your family, say yes to involving them in the process so that you get the benefit of good food made fast, and very proud helpers.

What HMR Entree recipes do you routinely make and enjoy?
 


 
 

by PeggyKerans on 08/06/2012 | Share Story With a Friend

tags: HMR, kids, mommy blog

About the Author

Peggy Kerans

Peggy has worked at HMR since 1997 in a number of departments. She is a woman that wears many hats, and juggles a hectic family life with her husband and 3 small children. She likes to cook, do crafts, be a positive role model for her family and keep things fun.

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