Children of all ages can be brought into the kitchen to assist with making a meal. Even when they are barely old enough to talk, allowing them to get close enough to the cooking excitement, they enjoy the hustle and bustle of dinner preparation.

You can impress and delight you little ones by having them assist you prepare the family meals. We sometimes forget how vital time is with our little ones. They love hearing you tell them about the time you stuffed peas in your socks so you would not have to consume them.

Sharing funny stories and explaining nutritional values during dinner time will make an indelible impression on your little ones. While you dazzle them with your wit, give them bits of food to try. Allow them to wash and chop vegetables. The time spent making food at an early age will benefit the entire family.

1) If little ones are of the age to have developed their motor skills, they will be delighted to operate the vegetable chopper or cut the tops off the carrots for you.

2) Allow the kids mix together the dry ingredients for muffins, cupcakes, etc. Let the little ones stir the egg mixture and mix everything together. They can even spoon the batter into the pan.

After the meal is finished, they will eat it and rave to the other members of the family about their accomplishment.

Allowing children to assist in the kitchen, gives them a sense of accomplishment. In some ways they feel more in control over the foods they consume. Feeling more in control, little ones will eat what they help to make.

A favorite family dish is vegetables with pasta. The little ones can chop up the vegetables, cut up the sprigs of dill, and help mix the pot with your supervision.

Vegetables with Pasta

This dish is a favorite little one friendly yummy recipe. This provides some family time in the kitchen and gets kids to consume their vegetables.

Although this pasta recipe started as only pasta and carrots that cook at the same rate, you might want to test the cooking time for the other vegetables that we added. Some alternatives on the recipe may include different rates of cooking for other vegetables like broccoli, snow peas, sugar snaps, etc. separately, and then mix with pasta after both are cooked.

Ingredients:

* 8 ounces of pasta

* One 10- ounce package of pre-peeled baby carrots

* 2- small zucchinis cut up into bite sized pieces

* 1 cup of fresh broccoli tops

* 3 sprigs fresh dill

* 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Fill a large pot 2/3 full with water and set over high heat to boil.

2) Place the carrots, zucchini, and broccoli and pasta in a plastic pitcher.

3) When the water boils transfer the pasta carrots, zucchini and broccoli to the pot

4). Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, approximately 8 minutes.

5) Test the pasta - it should be slightly chewy but not hard or stiff, the vegetables & carrots will be done also.

6) Drain the combination into a colander--

While cooking let the little ones use scissors to snip the fresh dill and set in a bowl.

7) Place the pasta and vegetables back in the pot,

8) Melt the butter over the pasta and vegetables

9) Add the dill.

10) Add salt and pepper to taste.

11) Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings