Kim did a fantastic job of introducing our simple recipe. Fruit salad with yoghurt. She had laminated photos of each fruit going into the salad, as well as its name in French, and English. Each child was given a page with the food item they were going to pick up in the grocery store. We went around the store, and selected the best fruit for our salad, and some Minigos (in place of yoghurt). Then, we went to the cashier, and bought our groceries before heading back to the kitchen.
It was interesting because we had to modify our list to compensate for ripeness, quantity, and possibly price. I am not sure how much the kids noticed this, but I think it is important to take our children grocery shopping in order for them to understand a little about finances, and wholesome eating. It is also a starting point to talk about where our food comes from.
Of late, my five year-old daughter has been asking me who kills the meat we eat. This question is usually followed by the statement that whichever animal it was does not like to be dead. Right you are. Here's a transcript of our most recent meat discussion, translated from French.
"What kind of meat is this?"
"Chicken."
"Who killed the chicken?"
"The farmer."
"Why did the farmer kill the chicken?"
"For us to eat. You know, it's like how the lion eats a gazelle, except we get the farmer to chase the chicken, and kill it for us."
Pause from my daughter. "No, lions eat zebras, Mom. Cheetahs eats gazelles."
Anyway, my son is now starting to ask these questions, but not really understand what he is asking. He's three, and mimicking his older sister. My daughter is sort of comprehending the idea that some animals eat other animals. Although, both of them think those animals (carnivores) are mean. They often use the term mean to describe dinosaurs with sharp teeth. Or, sharks. It is hard to explain to three and five year-olds that most animals are not mean or nice per se.
Back to the cooking session. The kids each made an individual fruit salad. They cut their fruit, with plastic knives, on flexible cutting boards. They helped Kim pour some of the fruit juice from the canned fruit over their own cut up fruit. Finally, they scooped out the Minigo on top of their salad. Of course, cleanliness is important, so they had washed their hands before starting, and were wearing aprons. At the end of the session, they were allowed to eat their creations. I think an hour might be too short for all the steps of this program, but otherwise, it was a great success. Then, I was able to pick up a few groceries for ourselves when it was finished.
We arrived home before 11am, which meant I had a lot of time before lunch, and nap. so, I decided to make another school-friendly baked good for my daughter's lunch. I measured out all the ingredients, and had my son help out with smashing the banana, adding ingredients, and mixing the batter. The only problem was he kept eating my banana, and I was in short supply. Otherwise, he did a bang up job of mixing the wet ingredients, and mixing the dry ingredients. To incorporate everything together, I helped him out.
This was another recipe from Boîte à Lunch Santé, by Geneviève O'Gleman. The yellow zucchini loaves were well received, so I am hoping these Cranberry Fairy Fingers will be eaten as well. The recipe, and pictures follow.
All of this cooking, and baking inspired me, so I signed my kids up for a session at the Real Canadian Superstore, on Lasalle. They have a program for kids aged 3 to 5. Perfect for our family this year. I did it once when my daughter was three, and she always remembers when we go to the RCSS. I was describing the cooking classes, and birthday parties to my friends in Winnipeg, and the Loblaws stores in Manitoba do not have these programs. If you live in Alberta, on the East Coast, Ontario, and Québec, you are in luck. Also, they have a cooking session on Wednesdays, at noon, and the last Monday of the month at 6:30pm, for adults. It costs $10, but you get a $10 card for the grocery store, so it's essentially free. Gotta love it!
www.pccookingschool.ca
Cranberry Fairy Fingers (makes about 25)
2 ripe bananas, mashed. 1 egg. 1/4c. (60mL) margarine. 1/2c. (125mL) brown sugar. 1/2c. (125mL) milk. 2tsp (10mL) vanilla. 1c. (250mL) whole wheat flour. 3c. (750mL) oats. 2tsp (10mL) cinnamon. 1tsp (5mL) baking soda. 1c. (250mL) cranberries.
Preheat the oven to 350F (180°C). In a lage bowl, mix bananas, egg, margarine, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients except the cranberries. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Incorporate with a fork. Add the cranberries, and mix until they are well distributed. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, drop two tablespoons of the dough, and use your fingers to shape into long, finger-like cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. They can be frozen.
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