Won’t you join us in old-fashioned home cooking?

12 May Won’t you join us in old-fashioned home cooking?

The most common question that we at Beyond Green Partners get is, “How do you get kids to eat healthy food?”

With children’s palettes forming at a very young age, and with so many of them already conditioned to want nothing but processed food, we’re not surprised by this.

We always answer in the same way: Gradually tweak the foods that kids already like and slowly serve them healthier versions, until you are feeding them completely fresh, nutrient dense meals. Once you earn kids’ trust by making food they already like, they will be more open to trying something new. And, this next part is key: Make the cooking process collaborative. Get kids’ buy-in as often as possible.

Our approach has worked for thousands of students and has helped us to significantly reduce plate waste in numerous schools throughout the country. For more on this, read our blog, How to Start Over with Your Health, where we talk about this in-depth.

With kids now eating at home instead of in school cafeterias, the burden of getting them to eat healthy meals is now placed upon you, who, I assume, are already under considerable stress.

That’s why we’ve started posting instructional videos of collaborative, kid-approved recipes featuring fun and easy meals for school-aged kids.

Our very own Chef Josephine shows you how to make these approachable recipes from her home kitchen. Like many of us, she is sheltering in-place. She cooks with her three young kids, and keeps them engaged in the cooking (and taste-testing) process as she tests recipes that will ultimately end up on school lunch menus post-COVID.

We’d love for you to experiment along with us. Test out our homemade cinnamon rolls, breakfast pizza, and beef and broccoli — among other recipes — in your own kitchens, and let us know what your family thinks. This is a great way to stay safe and healthy at home, while teaching your children the art of cooking from scratch.

As I mentioned earlier, taste tests like these are a valuable part of our menu design processes in schools throughout the country. They help us reduce waste and keep everyone happy. With your help, we can make them even better, and find connection in these isolated times. Won’t you join us?