I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Lay’s. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating. All opinions are my own.
My daughter loves helping in the kitchen. Given the opportunity she would happily spend the entire day baking with me. I make our weekly meal plans and tend to incorporate meals I know my daughter will be excited to help prepare. Finding the right balance between trying new recipes and making meals my daughter will love has been challenging. She is quite the picky eater but I have much more success getting her to try new foods when she plays a part in the dinner creation. The mommy/daughter moments we are creating while teaching her to follow simple recipe instructions are priceless.
Some of our favorite meals and appetizers to make together include Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Cream Cheese and Tuna Cucumber Bites, and Chicken Mac and Cheese.
Another family favorite in our home is Spinach Dip with fresh produce. It can be as simple as my daughter mixing all the ingredients together with a spoon in a big bowl. Sure, it gets messy but that only adds to the fun!
Crock pot meals are my favorite meals to prepare because they are so quick and easy. I usually put all the ingredients in the crock pot and turn it on before leaving to my classroom in the morning. When making meals my daughter can’t help prepare she gets to set the table. Her involvement in dinner prep makes her a little more interested in sitting down for a family meal and trying new recipes.
The Lay’s “Do Us A Flavor” contest is currently accepting submissions for your favorite recipes to get turned into a potato chip flavor. The contest has already produced some great new chips including the main flavor that created my pico de gallo crispy chicken strips recipe. You can enter the Lay’s “Do Us a Flavor” contest by submitting a flavor name, up to three ingredients, chip style (Lays Original, Wavy, and/or Kettle Cooked) and a brief description for the flavor. You could win $1 million dollars and some major awesome publicity as the person who dreamed up an amazing potato chip! The judging panel is made up of chefs, foodie, and flavor experts. They will narrow down the contest submissions to four finalist flavors. The flavors will be fully developed and unveiled to be sold in stores Summer 2014. Then fans will vote on their favorite to determine the winner. See the “Do Us A Flavor” rules and regulations for more information about the contest and prize. Contest ends April 5th, 2014.
Do you do anything special to get your children involved in preparing dinner?