Dads sometimes get a bad rap when it comes to preparing healthy meals and helping in the kitchen.
I’m here to set the record straight that we can also contribute to positive and healthy meal planning for the family. Not to mention, adding a little fun and flavor to the mix as well.
For me, I always try to get my girls involved in the kitchen. They are both curious and enjoy the process of seeing a project or recipe through to completion. Typically, we work in the confections category – of course we do – but we can also venture into healthy snack planning. Sometimes it involves cutting up Granny Smith apples and drizzling honey over them. Other options include cucumbers with ranch dressing, or even pasta with black olives. Most dishes are made simple, as that’s what they prefer at this time in their young palettes. Let’s be honest, I didn’t always love tomatoes or linguini with clams. It came with time, and it will with them as well.
Because this topic is so interesting and supposed to provide ideas for other families, I decided to crowdsource some responses from the interwebs and social media.
For single dad, Zack Adcock, cooking time has always been a bonding opportunity with his daughter, Tessa.
“I feel like that’s had her grow up appreciating that food doesn’t just show up and that it’s often a product of our work, planning, and decisions,” says Zack.
Zack also adds that keeping things healthy should involve talking about how food helps our bodies, and isn’t just about momentary taste gratification. Limiting unhealthy snacks and meals at home as much as possible is also a key to success.
For head chef and food-curious aficionado, Matt Timberlake, it’s all about planning ahead and keeping up-to-date and new ideas found in magazines like Cook’s Illustrated and Milk Street.
“When the kids want to be involved, it’s even better”, says Matt. “My two girls have a subscription to Raddish Kids, which was given by my father for a holiday. It’s a cool monthly kit for food-curious families, including three themed recipes a month, shopping list, a gadget used in the meal, and instructions that challenge kids, but still can be done in an hour.”
“Having access to kitchen tools and utensils is also helpful for the kids,” Matt added. “Some ideas that tend to work and are garnering rave reviews are Taco and Shawarma Bars as they offer many new taste options.”
“Another way I pull them into the task is the garden. From May to November, we always have something growing in our yard that appears in the meal,” says Matt. “In the end, it’s hard to always make everybody happy every night of the week, but we manage it often enough with planning ahead, noticing where their tastes lead them, and occasionally challenging them with new things.”
For dad veteran, Warren Oster, he remembers when his boys were in primary school and they had a phase where they were fascinated with fast food and Lunchables. Inspired by the wacky packages he remembered from the 1970s, for taco night, he printed some bogus “Taco Hell” wrappers that looked just like the real ones to wrap their healthy home-cooked versions, and the “Munchables” with cookie-cutter cheese and lunch meat packed in cool bento boxes were a hit at school.
“It’s all about presentation at that age,” says Warren.
Good luck, Dads!
Jeff Hulett is a freelance writer, musician, and PR consultant in Memphis. He lives in the Vollintine Evergreen neighborhood with his wife Annie, two girls Ella and Beatrice, and dog Chalupa.