As an author of cookbooks for children, I often get questions from parents about feeding kids—how much, what and how.  While I have some practical experience in that area, I am primarily a food educator and recipe developer.  In fact, I have struggled with eating issues myself.  I was a super-picky eater as a child.  If it wasn’t processed or familiar to me, I wouldn’t eat it.  I think back now to my dinner plate at Thanksgiving when I was a kid—a scoop of corn, two dinner rolls, and the requisite piece of turkey about the size of a quarter.  ...

Tags: snacks, anxiety, children, conflict, feeding, healthy, Katja Rowell

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A concerned mom posed a great question on the Betty Crocker message board last week.  Her daughter is an avid baker who aspires to be a professional chef when she grows up.  The trouble is that the would-be chef enjoys making treats like cookies and brownies as hands-on learning, and perhaps enjoys too many sweets, according to mom. As a cookbook author and recipe developer, I can definitely relate.  Often it takes me a few tries to pe...

Tags: Bake sale, baking, baking club, charity, children

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I read a news story yesterday about children and vegetables that was fascinating.  My first business—which offered cooking lessons for kids—was called Picky Eaters, so I was regularly invited by groups to give talks about how to get finicky kids to eat a wider variety of foods.  Parents were always seeking hints and tricks to get children to try vegetables, specifically. According to the study featured in the news story, “186 four-year-olds were given regular carrots and, on other lunch days, they were given the same ...

Tags: children, dinner, picky eaters, vegetables

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A friend and her little ones are members of their local children’s museum in Arizona.  They love to go there and participate in events of all kinds, including hands-on food projects.  They are coming to visit me soon, and I cannot wait to take them to my favorite food-related museum, the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis.  Calling itself “the best smelling museum ever created,” the actual experience corroborates their claim.  While the history of flour milling in the Midwest may not seem like a riveting topic, it is because it connects history, geography and food.  Why does it smell so goo...

Tags: Julia Child, children, experience, food, museum

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I just read about a school where selling snack foods during the lunch period set off a parental brouhaha, since the practice conflicted with rules about healthful eating that the school had previously adopted.  The school did not allow for these types of snacks to be sold, or even to be eaten in classrooms for celebrations.  The rules also prohibited teachers from giving students candy. Times have changed a lot since I was in elementary school.  Back then we routinely celebrated everyone’s birthdays with cup...

Tags: Cupcakes, Valentine's Day, children, health, school, treats

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Cooking is a novel and fun way to celebrate a birthday. Cooking parties are appropriate for children ages 2 to teen, and can be scaled appropriately so kids can enjoy a hands-on experience.    Children as young as two could decorate cookies with adult support.  Children as young as four can make cookies from a mix with adult leading them through the steps.  Older elementary-age children can follow an adult’s directions.  Tweens can make cookies with an adult’s supervision.  The key to a successful kids cooking activity is preparation, so the entire process of cooking is controlled and kids can have a fun experience in a safe environmen...

Tags: Birthday Parties, cookies, children

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With most schools still on break until next week, at this point parents could probably use some inspired ideas to keep kids happy and occupied.  There are a multitude of activities for kids and families like roller skating or going to an indoor water park.  But these activities can cost a lot.  Stuffing teddy bears at the mall or playing games at an arcade is fun for maybe one day of winter break, but done repeatedly these activities can break the bank.  A fun alternative is getting kids active in the kitchen.  Cooking and baking appeals to toddlers and teens, and it can create memories as meaningful as any that cost many times more money.  Who knows?...

Tags: baking, Contest, cookies, recipe, activities, children, cookie mixes

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Are you like me, and you dread selecting holiday gifts for other people?  I enjoy buying and wrapping and giving gifts, but I find that I sometimes second guess myself and, in the process, drive my husband crazy.  He is the type of shopper who sees something, thinks that it might be a good gift and buys it on the spot.  I, on the other hand, feel a need to shop around to find an improved version or better price.  When it comes to buying gifts, I can’t help but be a little biased.  Being a cookbook author, I love all things related to food and I assume everyone else does too!  That’s why I love to buy food related things for every occasion....

Tags: holiday, cooking, children, cookie mixes, gifts, presents

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