5 Easy Recipes to Cook with Kids

Cooking and baking together as a family can be a great way to help develop your child’s core skills, helping develop the basic skills of your children from an early age.  From measuring out ingredients to understanding what flavours work best together, and communicating different stages, cooking can do so much to developing your kids.  Plus, you have the added bonus of looking forward to cooked breakfasts and dinners as your children grow up, meaning less time in the kitchen for yours truly.

Below we look at five fun recipes from some of Northern Ireland’s top food bloggers that will allow you to cook smarter with your kids.

5 Great recipes for kids from Northern Ireland food bloggers

1. Easy bake German Biscuits

Jam, biscuit and icing – three ingredients that work so well together.  This German biscuit recipe from Nial and Helen of Pikalily blog is a fun way to get creative with your kids in the kitchen.  You can cut the biscuits into random shapes and get your kids to ice the biscuit in a variety of colours and designing, ensuring it’s a fun-filled day in the kitchen for all (until you get to the washing up of course).  With only five ingredients needed, this is an easy recipe for you to try out at home with the kids.  View the German biscuit recipe here.

Image via Pikalily.com

2. Straightforward lemon tart recipe

Another dessert to consider getting stuck into with the kids, this lemon tart recipe from Ruth at Willow Lane.  You can try different fillings but your kids will have fun helping you make and cook the pastry.  Once the pastry is ready, get the kids to help you add the feeling, and if they’re old enough, they can also help you whisk the ingredients for the filling together (a hand whisk will be useful here).  You can check out the steps to making this lemon tart recipe here.

Image via welcometowillowlane.com

3. One pot slow cooker beef curry

Slow cookers can be a great way to take a lot of the stress out of cooking for many families.  One pot recipes like this tasty beef curry dish from Debs at SuperBusyMum.net help many families save time when it comes to cooking dinner for the family.  Simply get the kids to pop all your ingredients into a slow cooker and leave it to simmer away.  This one pot curry recipe will not only be an enjoyable cooking experience with your kids, it can also be one that opens them up to new ingredients and new food cultures.

Check out this great one put beef curry recipe here, and remember you can cook smarter with your one pot recipes by using a pressure cooker this spring.

Image via superbusymum.net

4. Spaghetti Pasta Bake

This recipe from Gina at skintmomma.co.uk is one that is easy to make and provides plenty of eating for the family.  Gina shares lots of great money saving recipes for families, and this Spaghetti Pasta Bake is one of our favourites.  Full of flavour and a dish that the kids will have great fun putting together, this could quickly become a family staple.  With spaghetti, cheese and tomato sauce all in the mix, your kitchen could get messy, but you will have your little cleaners on hand to help get things back to normal in no time. Check out this spaghetti pasta bake recipe here, and visit skintmomma.com for more tasty recipes for the family.

5. Quick and easy Moroccan bread

Another fun recipe to try out with your kids is this Moroccan bread recipe from Laura at Daydreaming Foodie.  From weighing out the ingredients, to mixing and kneading the bread mix, your kids will learn so much helping you bake bread.  This is also a great way to get your kids appreciating the work that can go into making baked goods, and if they enjoy it, why not make soda bread or potato bread your next bread challenge!  View this Moroccan bread recipe here.



Image via daydreamingfoodie.com

Have you got any kid friendly recipes to share?

These are just five of our favourite kid-friendly recipes from some of Northern Ireland’s best food bloggers, but have you got any recipes of your own that you enjoy making with your kids?  Let us know by sharing your favourites with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Now that’s #SmarterCooking