Posted: January 19, 2016
Cooking is a great way to spend some one-on-one time with your child, especially since we know how hectic parenthood can be. We also can’t forget sensory. Cooking creates textures, smells, and different tastes that can enhance your child’s learning experience (cooking can create great ways to learn). We realize parents don’t have a lot of time to spare on cooking so we found 3 quick recipes that children can help with. Note: as with all of our other cooking suggestions, be sure that your child’s diet can handle any of the ingredients included; please speak with a doctor before trying ‘anything new’ that we may suggest.
- No-Bake Almond Joy Energy Balls. These almond joy balls will take only 10 minutes to make. They are also gluten-free! There are many opportunities where your child can help in this recipe. They can help pour the needed ingredients into the food processor and they may be able to help roll the mixture into balls. After the balls are formed, your child can help roll (or cover) them in coconut flakes. These end up looking like doughnut holes, but are super healthy. A couple of the ingredients are dates, almonds, and almond milk. Almond joy balls are quick and can be fun for your child to make. They might even encourage them to eat healthier.
- Frozen Yogurt Fruit Bites. These yogurt bites are another healthy, quick recipe and you probably already have the ingredients at home. All you need is yogurt, berries, and cupcake holders (paper or silicone). Your child can help lay out the cupcake holders onto a cooking tray. If possible, have them put a spoonful of yogurt into the cupcake holders. The next step is to simply put the berries into the yogurt. Your child can help press them down into the yogurt. After, they have to be placed into the freezer for 2 hours or until solid. Let your child be in charge of the timer or let them periodically check to see the progress. This can be a great snack for your child and it’ll be so quick to make.
- No-Bake Honey Nut Cheerios Snack Bars. What kid doesn’t like cheerios? Especially now that they are gluten-free. These need 2 – 3 hours to chill, but only takes about 10 minutes to make. Your child can help combine ingredients into a bowl. The mixture will be microwaved and hot, so until it is cool, it might be better for an adult to pour the other ingredients in the mixture. After the mixture is done, you can have your child help flatten it out with a spatula (or hands if it is completely cooled) onto a pan. It needs to be refrigerated for 2 – 3 hours before eating so let your child set a timer and find another activity to do to wait out the time. These bars will make a great snack and your child will love being apart of the process.
Cooking can be so much fun, especially for children. They want to be included and the sensory along with the learning is an added bonus. These 3 recipes do not require a lot of time or energy which makes it perfect to add in during the day. Your child will enjoy being apart of the cooking process and the amount of pride they will feel is priceless. We hope that at least one of these recipes will work for your child and family. Happy cooking!
If you have any questions about Cerebral Palsy or cooking with special needs children, don’t hesitate to call us at (800) 692-4453 or fill out our contact form on Facebook or our website.
