Teach your kids to cook healthy meals

Jamie Oliver went into a classroom full of kids and found that none of the young kids knew what the produce was he held up, everything from tomatoes, to radishes, to potatoes, and eggplant and cauliflower. (at 11:17 on this video, it shows the kids http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/ted-2010-graham-hill-has-an-idea-for-granting-jamie-olivers-wish.php)

Strive to eat at home and include them in the meal planning and preparations. If they don't know how to cook healthy, they won't know how to live healthy. If you can teach them to eat a few vegetarian meals a week, as Jamie Oliver is asking in his video above, even better!

My kids eat vegetarian often and don't even realize it. They also always ate what we ate (I processed our meals for them in my food processor, they didn't get jarred baby food). They will eat any vegetable I put in front of them and they help in the garden, where we plant many of the veggies we eat.

Don't mind the margarita on the table, lol..I used this graphic on my Margarita Stewart blog.

Below is an article I got from the Food Network on cooking with kids.

Safe & Easy Kitchen Tasks for Little Fingers

Cooking with your kids will be fun, easy and safe with these tips

Some of the world's greatest chefs got their start hanging onto Mom's apron. Giving your kids a few simple tasks in the kitchen is a fun way to teach them about cooking and nutrition. They may not decide to be star chefs, but you can rest assured they'll know their way around a kitchen — and hey, you never know!

• Planning the Meal. Dinnertime doesn't have to be a battle over broccoli. Planning a meal with your kids is a great way to introduce some healthy ingredients into their favorite foods.
• Washing Fruits and Vegetables. Start your kids' culinary education with this simple but important step.
• Shredding Lettuce. Kids love working with their hands, so they might have so much fun tearing the lettuce that they actually eat the salad!
• Assembling. Let your kids stack their burgers and sandwiches just how they like 'em.
• Measuring. Teach your kids how to measure and they'll have mastered one of the fundamentals of baking.
• Stirring Dry Ingredients. Just make sure their aprons are firmly tied on — you want your kids to stir the dry ingredients, not wear them.
• Separating Eggs. What child doesn't relish the opportunity to get their hands gooey?
• Whisking. This job can be tough on little arms, but it's a great way to teach older kids one of the trickier techniques of the kitchen.
• Frosting a Cake. Encourage your kids to come up with their own frosting designs.
• Tasting — the best part! See what your kids think of their culinary creations and get some insight into their personal tastes.

Source:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/safe-easy-kitchen-tasks-for-little-fingers/index.html