My youngest Daughter used to be one of the pickiest eaters you have ever seen. Then a couple years ago I started having her help me cook and things changed...a little at a time, but they changed. Now not only does she eat a much wider range of foods, but she has more cooking skills then so many kids going off to college.
There are so many reason to get your kids involved with cooking the food they eat. To me my favorite reason is more time to spend with my baby girl working side by side with me.
Today we are going to cover something ANY kid can help with. This is one of the first meals we started with at 5-6 years old and one she can literally do from start to finish on her own with just a little help putting things into and out of hot pans. A little reminder here and there of what is next and she is good to go.
This meal is really just putting together premade items, but it's a great way to get kids started in the kitchen. Plus this meal can be completed in under 20 minutes even with having a kid helper.
The only part of this meal that takes any amount of cooking time is the Chicken. You want to cook it first and many times when I grill I will add 1 breast with Italian seasoning on to use later in the week. Also tend to cook up a breast with Mexican seasoning for the kids lunches as they love taking tacos to school for lunch. Tonight we just cooked this on the stovetop as it was raining.
Ingredients:
1 Pound Boneless Chicken Breast
Jar of Alfredo Sauce
Package of Fettuccine
2 cups of Spinach sliced
Salt
Italian Seasoning
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 Minutes
- Get started with the Chicken. Based on the size of the breasts slice them in half so they aren't as thick. This speeds up cooking and allows the center to cook faster without overcooking the outside. Season it with the Italian seasoning.
So many ways to cook a chicken breast, just do it the way you prefer.
While the Chicken is cooking Slice about 2-3 cups of spinach.
Remove the chicken and let rest for 2 minutes before cutting.
Now that your chicken is done cooking get your water boiling for the pasta. Make sure to add salt to the water.
Get a small pan warming on Low-Medium heat for the Spinach. Add a small amount, (approx 1 Tablespoon) of Olive Oil (We use a Tuscan Herb Oil).
5b) Cook the spinach until soft. This will only take about 90 seconds.Once your spinach is set to the side use the same pan and start warming your sauce on Low-Medium Heat.
While the sauce is starting to warm up cut the chicken.
Add the noodles to the boiling water once the sauce is warm (2 minute cook time noodles were used, adjust the noodle start time based on how long your noodles need to cook)
While boiling the noodles add the spinach to the sauce. (you can also add the chicken)
Drain your noodles and add to your saucepan. You are ready to serve.
Below are some photos of my Daughter in action. She did everything except cut the Chicken once cooked as she was stirring the Noodles, Spinach, and Sauce. Plus she doesn't like cutting hot meat...sensitive little fingers. Meal was great and my Daughter is so proud of her cooking skills. You should see how happy a kid is when they "make dinner".
All Photos are taken by thedarkhorse and all rights are reserved. Photos are taken with a Samsung S8+
Thank you for your support. All quality same day comments will be upvoted. Enjoy hearing feedback about my posts, writing style, and photos.