Make meal preparation a family affair

Delta Faucet and Korey Kealey offer parents the following tips to get kids excited about helping to make their meals.

Plan ahead – Meal calendars are a great way to organize what will be made for dinner for the month. They help you grocery shop for only the items you need and take the stress out of figuring out what the family's going to eat for dinner tonight. Be sure to ask the children for their opinion. They'll be more likely to eat the foods put in front of them if they helped to choose it.

Make it a group task – Spend time making meals together. Set up work stations for each person, such as measuring out the pasta or washing the vegetables. A touch-activated faucet, such as the Pilar kitchen faucet from Delta, helps make working in the kitchen more efficient and makes it easier to turn off the water flow when hands are messy. Kids will love tapping it on and off.

Shop together – Bring kids with you to the grocery store (or just get their feedback on what they'd like you to buy) so they can choose a special, healthy snack for their lunch box. Alternatively, bring them to a local farm and pick the ingredients for a special dinner or dessert . Apple picking is the perfect fall activity and when you get home, make this kid-friendly apple crisp together.

Ingredients

2 cups (500 mL) peeled, cored and thinly sliced apples, such as Macintosh, Empire or Spartan

2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar, or to taste

1/4 cup (50 mL) apple juice

1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice

2 tsp (10 mL) cornstarch

2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Oat topping ingredients:

1/2 cup (125 ml) walnuts or almonds, finely chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar

2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour

2 tbsp (30 mL)softened unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch square shallow baking dish with butter or cooking spray. In a large bowl, toss together the apples, sugar, apple juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined. Set aside.

To make the oatmeal topping: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, gently combine the walnuts or almonds, oats, brown sugar, flour, and butter at low speed.

Place the apple mixture in the dish. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the apples are cooked through, the juices are bubbling, and the topping is browned. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

More information is available online at www.deltafaucet.com and www.foodthought.com

www.newscanada.com