Whether you are like me and spending some extra time at home with your kids during this time of social distancing, or whether you’re just looking for some fun things to do on a weekend once this world is more normal again, cooking is a great family activity.
Before having kids, one of my favorite hobbies was cooking and baking. With my oldest now two and a half, I feel like I am finally getting back into this, but the process certainly has changed a bit. My days of spending hours in the kitchen cooking or baking up elaborate recipes will be back some day, but for now, we aim for easier recipes that keep with the attention span and skills of a two year old. Bonus points if they can be made with her 6-month-old sister strapped on me.
My daughter loves helping me in the kitchen and I love having her help…most of the time. I’ll admit sometimes during that rush afterwork when I am trying to get something on the table so we can eat a real meal before we start bedtime routine it might be easier to have the kitchen to myself. There are, however, some great recipes that allow her to help safely while having fun and enjoying her creations.
Here are some recipes we love to make and hit all our check boxes (lots of stirring, mixing, pouring, dumping, scooping, and chopping) and which are easy enough that we can make sure to have as much fun as possible.
Banana Bread
We typically make this into mini muffins as anything mini is more fun to eat, according to my daughter. It also allows us more scooping practice.
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Pizza Waffles
Sometimes we will make the waffles ahead and freeze them and toss them in the toaster when we're ready to make pizzas.
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Monster Muffins
These are so fluffy and delicious. They are not overly sweet, which is great, but if we want a treat, we'll top them with spreadable peaches.
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Bean & Cheese Quesadilla
These are a delicious quick meal. There is plenty my daughter can help with, including using a butter knife to practice some chopping of the bell pepper.
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Peanut Butter, Banana & Raisin Sandwich
My daughter can easily chop the banana up with a butter knife and place the raisins and banana for the sandwich. Sometimes we get creative and use a cookie cutter to make some fun shapes too. Non-nut butters are equally great if you have allergy concerns.
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