Kids in the kitchen!!  How often are your kids wanting to help make dinner, or whatever you may be making at the time.  I am the first to admit that when it is a crazy weeknight in the middle of school, soccer, piano and other various activities that I do not want my kids in the kitchen with me.  I want to get it and get out.  I want dinner on the table as fast as possible and to do that, I need to do it by myself.  However, I don’t feel guilty about pushing my kids out of the kitchen once in a while because I know that more often han not I am inviting them in.   It is great for them to learn how to measure and pour, stir and even cut.  Learning to cook while young, will help them to develop a life skill that they will need later on.  I have also found that my kids are much more willing to try something new if they had a hand in preparing it.

My kids love to be in the kitchen with me; especially my oldest.  Since it is summer and school is officially out, we will be featuring some simple kid recipes.  The “Kids In The Kitchen” recipes will be made by my kids and have their stamp of approval.  You may even see some photos taken by my kids-we are working on photography as well as cooking.   My daughter has a list of recipes that she can’t wait to share, so be sure to watch for more kid friendly recipes.

We thought we would introduce “Kids In The Kitchen” with a simple recipe that kids of just about any age can be involved with.  My kids love Banana Pops.  It is a relatively healthy snack option and the possibilities are endless.  Use whatever you have on hand.  We use whatever we can find in the pantry to top them off.  We have listed some of our ideas, but go ahead and get creative.  Let your kids experiment with flavors-see what they like.

Banana Pops

Ingredients:

Bananas
popsicle sticks
Nutella
sprinkles
coconut
crushed graham crackers
cereal
chopped nuts
marshmallows
chocolate chips

Directions:

Cut bananas in half and place a popsicle stick in one end of each half.  We found that putting the bananas in the freezer at this point makes them easier to roll.  Let them sit in the freezer for 10-20 minutes; you don’t want them to be frozen.

Either roll the bananas in the Nutella or spread it on with a knife.  Roll in desired toppings and enjoy!!