Letting kids cook.

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As part of our plot to get the kids interested in "stuff" over the
summer, we're letting them plan and cook a dinner once a week.

Their first choice (drum roll)...Mac & Cheese.

The recipe they chose calls for 15 slices of American cheese. I gag
just thinking about it.

My wife and I will insist on WW pasta, but still...15 slices of
American cheese.

We've been on WW Core Plan for 1 1/2 years (50 pounds, thank you), so
this is so gross to me. The fat free stuff doesn't melt right, but
there's no way I'm eating that cheese. :-)

Buy a package of "Kraft Deli Deluxe 2% Milk Sharp Cheddar Slices" for
them to use. It melts just fine, and it tastes good -- not just cheezy
fat and salt.

Bob

zxcvbob said:

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The recipe they chose calls for 15 slices of American cheese. I gag
just thinking about it.

Quoted message said:

Buy a package of "Kraft Deli Deluxe 2% Milk Sharp Cheddar Slices" for
them to use. It melts just fine, and it tastes good -- not just cheezy
fat and salt.

Good idea. There is also Tillamook sliced cheddar available.
(Although the slices are not plastic wrapped, just wax-paper
separated, so the children may object.)

Steve

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As part of our plot to get the kids interested in "stuff" over the
summer, we're letting them plan and cook a dinner once a week.

Their first choice (drum roll)...Mac & Cheese.

Congratulations on your decision - teaching your kids how to cook!!
Not enough parents these days include their kids in meal planning,
preparation, cooking... mores the pity.

But... if it's only once a week, wouldn't it do their morales good to
have total acceptance? Despite the WW regime... once a week eating
'kids choice meals' couldn't do that much damage surely?

My kids have been actively involved in meal prep, cooking etc since
they were about 6 and they both have an interest in foods and are quite
good cooks I'm pleased to say. At least they know how to follow a
recipe and know what most ingredients are - more than I can say for a
lot of their friends!!

And remember.... even if it is utterly foul tasting, you have to show
encouragement. Been there...done that... we're now over the worst thank
goodness! The meals they prepare (although nowhere near as often as I'd
like) are a delight and it's wonderful to see their enthusiasm for
menus & food in general!

Well done!!

LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny cook!"

Seems to be a good way to spend time with your kids, but if the kids
have total control of the menu my guess would be that there's plenty of
that high-fat-and-fast-carbs stuff in the horizon; pasta, pizza,
burgers, heavy desserts,... just because that's what most kids like.
Would be great if you succeeded in introducing also some nutritional
knowledge and preference for the healthier stuff along the way (I'm sure
most kinds couldn't care less, e.g. if the used fat is butter or
vegetable oil, if it doesn't affect the other qualities of the food,
etc.). I think also you should be vary of the event turning into an
all-unhealthy-you-can-eat marathon making up for what's going on during
the other days of the week (if the kids feel they're missing out on
something). That kind of thing may turn later on into a habit of
compensating for something with or seeking comfort from food.
I'm in no way trying to raise your kids (or anyone else's, for that
matter), just some thoughts.

Jarno Tuomainen said:

Seems to be a good way to spend time with your kids, but if the kids
have total control of the menu my guess would be that there's plenty of
that high-fat-and-fast-carbs stuff in the horizon; pasta, pizza,
burgers, heavy desserts,... just because that's what most kids like.

Kids like high-fat-and-fast-carbs because that's what they've been
taught to like. Parents who feed their children nutritious meals and
few sweets on a regular basis will not have to worry about it.

Quoted message said:

Would be great if you succeeded in introducing also some nutritional
knowledge and preference for the healthier stuff along the way (I'm sure
most kinds couldn't care less, e.g. if the used fat is butter or
vegetable oil, if it doesn't affect the other qualities of the food,
etc.). I think also you should be vary of the event turning into an
all-unhealthy-you-can-eat marathon making up for what's going on during
the other days of the week (if the kids feel they're missing out on
something). That kind of thing may turn later on into a habit of
compensating for something with or seeking comfort from food.

Mac and cheese can turn into a side dish instead of a main dish, but
give the kids a chance to do something ALONE for a change. Hovering
doesn't encourage independence.

Quoted message said:

I'm in no way trying to raise your kids (or anyone else's, for that
matter), just some thoughts.

You sure had me fooled.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

On Mon, 29 May 2006 01:48:14 GMT,

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As part of our plot to get the kids interested in "stuff" over the
summer, we're letting them plan and cook a dinner once a week.

Their first choice (drum roll)...Mac & Cheese.

The recipe they chose calls for 15 slices of American cheese. I gag
just thinking about it.

My wife and I will insist on WW pasta, but still...15 slices of
American cheese.

We've been on WW Core Plan for 1 1/2 years (50 pounds, thank you), so
this is so gross to me. The fat free stuff doesn't melt right, but
there's no way I'm eating that cheese. :-)

I wouldn't eat 15 slices of American cheese at a sitting either... but
it's not all in one serving! Presumably it makes 6-8 servings of the
stuff, bringing it down to a much more reasonable 2-3 slices each!
Hardly the stuff of death.

Kids want to eat stuff that kids like... and probably that they're
feeling deprived of given your strict diet (unless you cook different
food for you and them every night). Mac and cheese is fine, but I'd
tell them that you can't JUST have it for a meal - you need a
vegetable or salad and preferably some kind of protein to go along
with it to make it a balanced meal. If I was going to let the kids
plan the meals, I'd make the rule that a 'meal' consisted of some kind
of protein (meat or eggs or beans), at least one vegetable, and a
starch. Then let them choose...

sf said:

Kids like high-fat-and-fast-carbs because that's what they've been
taught to like. Parents who feed their children nutritious meals and
few sweets on a regular basis will not have to worry about it.

It sounds good in theory, but it is not a hard and fast rule. My mother did a
pretty good job of making sure that we always had a nice dessert as part of a
meal, though it almost always including fruit in some form. We didn't have a
lot of fried foods, but they were not forbidden. Then there is my health food
fanatic sister in law who would not feed her family anything unless it was 100%
nutritious. When her daughter moved out of the house she binged for a while and
put on a lt of weight, but then lost it. Her oldest son will eat anything, but
in moderation and he is blessed with a good physique unhampered by dietary
bingeing and purging. And then there is her youngest son who was in good shape
as a kid, kept himself in good shape while he was in the armed forces, but who
then started eating rebelliously. He has gained a lot of weight in the last few
years, and I mean a lot. He went from a medium size, but muscular, to very
obese in a short period of time.

My brother in law blamed her for his own obesity. He felt deprived of flavour
and sweetness at home and got into the habit of eating chocolate bars as soon
as he left the house.

I had a similar reaction after spending a working weekend at their cottage. The
food was bland, mushy and overcooked. I found myself stopping at the first
store on way home and bought two chocolate bars and ate them right away, and I
never used to eat chocolate bars.

Dave Smith wrote:
Then there is my health food

Quoted message said:

fanatic sister in law who would not feed her family anything unless it was 100%
nutritious. When her daughter moved out of the house she binged for a while and
put on a lt of weight, but then lost it. Her oldest son will eat anything, but
in moderation and he is blessed with a good physique unhampered by dietary
bingeing and purging. And then there is her youngest son who was in good shape
as a kid, kept himself in good shape while he was in the armed forces, but who
then started eating rebelliously. He has gained a lot of weight in the last few
years, and I mean a lot. He went from a medium size, but muscular, to very
obese in a short period of time.

My brother in law blamed her for his own obesity. He felt deprived of flavour
and sweetness at home and got into the habit of eating chocolate bars as soon
as he left the house.

I had a similar reaction after spending a working weekend at their cottage. The
food was bland, mushy and overcooked. I found myself stopping at the first
store on way home and bought two chocolate bars and ate them right away, and I
never used to eat chocolate bars.

I'm surprised. Usually, healkth food fanatics don't serve a lot that is
mushy, bland, or overcooked. Usually people complain of too much
fiberous, crunchy granola earthy food, which is far from bland or
mushy. Not tp mention that overcooked and mushy ain't too nutritious.

Interesting picture....can you give me examples of what kind of health
foods she did serve? I just can't get my mental picture straight!!

Dave Smith said:

sf said:

Kids like high-fat-and-fast-carbs because that's what they've been
taught to like. Parents who feed their children nutritious meals and
few sweets on a regular basis will not have to worry about it.

It sounds good in theory, but it is not a hard and fast rule. My mother did a
pretty good job of making sure that we always had a nice dessert as part of a
meal, though it almost always including fruit in some form. We didn't have a
lot of fried foods, but they were not forbidden. Then there is my health food
fanatic sister in law who would not feed her family anything unless it was 100%
nutritious. When her daughter moved out of the house she binged for a while and
put on a lt of weight, but then lost it. Her oldest son will eat anything, but
in moderation and he is blessed with a good physique unhampered by dietary
bingeing and purging. And then there is her youngest son who was in good shape
as a kid, kept himself in good shape while he was in the armed forces, but who
then started eating rebelliously. He has gained a lot of weight in the last few
years, and I mean a lot. He went from a medium size, but muscular, to very
obese in a short period of time.

My brother in law blamed her for his own obesity. He felt deprived of flavour
and sweetness at home and got into the habit of eating chocolate bars as soon
as he left the house.

It's always the mother's fault when things go wrong. And as a fall
back, blaming the mother for insisting on a healthy diet is a good
one!!! ;-) As a parent, you're damned if you do and you're damned if
you don't. Oh, and by the way...I'm one of those "health food
parents." My 28 year old has never had a weight issue and as an adult,
eats very healthily. Like ALL KIDS, he rebelled and ate plenty of
candy but went back to what he was taught. Your post reminds me of
that topic a few months ago how vegetarians seem to catch a lot of
flack for eating the way that we do. Heaven forbid if one is
vegan!!!!

Quoted message said:

I had a similar reaction after spending a working weekend at their cottage. The
food was bland, mushy and overcooked. I found myself stopping at the first
store on way home and bought two chocolate bars and ate them right away, and I
never used to eat chocolate bars.

Bland, mushy and overcooked is NOT the cornerstone of a health food
fanatic. It sounds like a crappy cook to me. Health food fanatics, as
I know them and am considered one, is characterized by undercooked
veggies (crunchy) so as not to lose the nutrition. Lots of crunchy,
fresh salads are also common for us health fanatics (how can that be
bland, mushy or overcooked???). Not sure what type of vegetarian., but
your description is incongruous with the foods that she serves...or
perhaps your perception of what she serves.

But then again....kids who blame mom for their weight issues....well,
that's an issue in of itself.

On Mon, 29 May 2006 08:41:27 -0700, sf <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Jarno Tuomainen said:

Seems to be a good way to spend time with your kids, but if the kids
have total control of the menu my guess would be that there's plenty of
that high-fat-and-fast-carbs stuff in the horizon; pasta, pizza,
burgers, heavy desserts,... just because that's what most kids like.

Kids like high-fat-and-fast-carbs because that's what they've been
taught to like. Parents who feed their children nutritious meals and
few sweets on a regular basis will not have to worry about it.

Michael Pollan and others argue that a taste for fats and sweets has
been evolutionarily selected for over the past million or so years of
the development of the human animal. So much of our species' history
was spent gathering and hunting food in fat times and lean that we
will choose the foods with the most calories as a matter of biological
necessity. Or rather as a necessity that once obtained in our
environment and no longer is the case for most Americans.

--
modom

Mitch@this_is_not_a_real_address.com said:

As part of our plot to get the kids interested in "stuff" over the
summer, we're letting them plan and cook a dinner once a week.

Their first choice (drum roll)...Mac & Cheese.

The recipe they chose calls for 15 slices of American cheese. I gag
just thinking about it.

My wife and I will insist on WW pasta, but still...15 slices of
American cheese.

We've been on WW Core Plan for 1 1/2 years (50 pounds, thank you), so
this is so gross to me. The fat free stuff doesn't melt right, but
there's no way I'm eating that cheese. :-)

15 slices of American cheese to how much mac? Makes a rather large
difference if it serves four or forty.

Perhaps find them a better recipe for a more traditional baked mac and
cheese. Something multi cheese, I like a version that includes cottage
cheese along with cheddar and American, keeps it nice and creamy.

Pete C.

Dave Smith said:

sf said:

Kids like high-fat-and-fast-carbs because that's what they've been
taught to like. Parents who feed their children nutritious meals and
few sweets on a regular basis will not have to worry about it.

It sounds good in theory, but it is not a hard and fast rule. My mother did a
pretty good job of making sure that we always had a nice dessert as part of a
meal, though it almost always including fruit in some form. We didn't have a
lot of fried foods, but they were not forbidden. Then there is my health food
fanatic sister in law who would not feed her family anything unless it was 100%
nutritious. When her daughter moved out of the house she binged for a while and
put on a lt of weight, but then lost it. Her oldest son will eat anything, but
in moderation and he is blessed with a good physique unhampered by dietary
bingeing and purging. And then there is her youngest son who was in good shape
as a kid, kept himself in good shape while he was in the armed forces, but who
then started eating rebelliously. He has gained a lot of weight in the last few
years, and I mean a lot. He went from a medium size, but muscular, to very
obese in a short period of time.

My brother in law blamed her for his own obesity. He felt deprived of flavour
and sweetness at home and got into the habit of eating chocolate bars as soon
as he left the house.

I'm not getting why your BIL factors into this.

Quoted message said:

I had a similar reaction after spending a working weekend at their cottage. The
food was bland, mushy and overcooked. I found myself stopping at the first
store on way home and bought two chocolate bars and ate them right away, and I
never used to eat chocolate bars.

Your sister is such a bad cook that she drives you to eat that stuff?

I'm not understanding this scenario.

--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

On Mon 29 May 2006 10:17:08p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it sf?

Quoted message said:

Dave Smith said:

sf said:

Kids like high-fat-and-fast-carbs because that's what they've been
taught to like. Parents who feed their children nutritious meals
and few sweets on a regular basis will not have to worry about it.

It sounds good in theory, but it is not a hard and fast rule. My
mother did a pretty good job of making sure that we always had a nice
dessert as part of a meal, though it almost always including fruit in
some form. We didn't have a lot of fried foods, but they were not
forbidden. Then there is my health food fanatic sister in law who
would not feed her family anything unless it was 100% nutritious. When
her daughter moved out of the house she binged for a while and put on
a lt of weight, but then lost it. Her oldest son will eat anything,
but in moderation and he is blessed with a good physique unhampered by
dietary bingeing and purging. And then there is her youngest son who
was in good shape as a kid, kept himself in good shape while he was in
the armed forces, but who then started eating rebelliously. He has
gained a lot of weight in the last few years, and I mean a lot. He
went from a medium size, but muscular, to very obese in a short period
of time.

My brother in law blamed her for his own obesity. He felt deprived of
flavour and sweetness at home and got into the habit of eating
chocolate bars as soon as he left the house.

I'm not getting why your BIL factors into this.

Quoted message said:

I had a similar reaction after spending a working weekend at their
cottage. The food was bland, mushy and overcooked. I found myself
stopping at the first store on way home and bought two chocolate bars
and ate them right away, and I never used to eat chocolate bars.

Your sister is such a bad cook that she drives you to eat that stuff?

I'm not understanding this scenario.

Isn't this the same family whose niece eats them out of house and home on
each visit? They must all be dysfunctional.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

sf wrote on 30 May 2006 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

I'm not understanding this scenario.

err grey, bland, overcooked, sugar and salt free foods...White sugar is
adictive BTW...So you gotta get flavour somewhere. A diet like that would
scream cravings. And cravings scream chocolate or potato chips. And that's
what thats all about.

--
-Alan

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 29 May 2006 10:17:08p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it sf?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm not understanding this scenario.

Isn't this the same family whose niece eats them out of house and home on
each visit? They must all be dysfunctional.

Aha.... suddenly, it all became clear. Thanks for the reminder.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

Wayne Boatwright said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I had a similar reaction after spending a working weekend at their
cottage. The food was bland, mushy and overcooked. I found myself
stopping at the first store on way home and bought two chocolate bars
and ate them right away, and I never used to eat chocolate bars.

Your sister is such a bad cook that she drives you to eat that stuff?

I'm not understanding this scenario.

Isn't this the same family whose niece eats them out of house and home on
each visit? They must all be dysfunctional.

The big niece is their cousin. The big niece's mother has always been a a
good looking woman who watches what she eats, and big niece was given proper
food when she was young. Her brother, now in his early 40's has an excellent
physique, eats well, works out. One of three of the health food fanatic's
three kids has developed a weight problem, like his father, while the other
two are admirably fit and healthy.

On Tue 30 May 2006 08:59:41p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it sf?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Mon 29 May 2006 10:17:08p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it sf?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm not understanding this scenario.

Isn't this the same family whose niece eats them out of house and home
on each visit? They must all be dysfunctional.

Aha.... suddenly, it all became clear. Thanks for the reminder.

Aha, indeed.

--

Wayne Boatwright
_____________________________________________________________

"How can a nation be great if it's bread taste like Kleenex?"

Julia Child