DIT: Easy Weeknight Dinner

In a new series called it Do-It-Themselves, I'll suggest simple meal ideas that your kids can prepare (almost) entirely on their own.

The key to DIT dinners are healthy, pre-packaged (but as fresh as possible!) items that the under-10 crowd can unwrap and combine with minimal intervention. Okay, it's not rocket science, and anyone out there reading this can certainly complete the steps below without a recipe. But there's still an emphasis on creativity with dressings and spices that will give kids a sense of accomplishment, and most importantly, it lets you, the parent, see just how much they're capable of.

Here's an easy Monday night dinner that my 4-year-old pulled off in under 30 minutes--all I had to do was monitor the pots on the stove.

DIT #1: Butternut Squash Ravioli with Salad and Garlic Bread (serves 4)

• 2 packages refrigerated butternut squash ravioli (Trader Joe's or Cucina Fresca make delicious ones)
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 1 bag pre-washed mixed baby salad greens
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper
• 10-15 cherry tomatoes
• 1 baguette
• softened butter or margarine/spread
• olive oil
• rice vinegar or cider vinegar
• dried spices: dill, black pepper, salt, garlic powder

Parent Prep Tasks:

• Fill a large pot with water and set over high heat to boil
• Preheat oven to 375
• Slice baguette in half lengthwise
• Assemble all required ingredients in child's reach, including a non-slip cutting board, child-safe scissors and knife

Now you're ready to walk them through the list of instructions below.

Child Prep Tasks:

• Empty jar of sauce into a saucepan (Parent: place pot on stove and heat)
• Spread butter or margarine on both sides of sliced baguette
• Sprinkle buttered baguette with garlic powder, black pepper, and salt (optional)
• "Close" the baguette back up and wrap with aluminum foil (Parent: place in heated oven for 15-20 minutes)
• Cut open bag of salad greens and empty into a large bowl
• Sprinkle salad greens with dill and black pepper (salt optional)
• Wash bell pepper, slice into small pieces and add to salad
• Wash cherry tomatoes, slice in half and add to salad
• Measure 2 tbsp olive oil into a small bowl.
• Add 1 tbsp vinegar to olive oil. Combine with a whisk or small fork.
• Pour oil/vinegar over salad and toss using two large spoons.
• Set the table

Parent Wrap-Up Tasks:

• Add ravioli to boiling water and cook according to package directions.
• Drain ravioli and combine with sauce.
• Remove bread from oven, unwrap, and slice.

Aside from the extra help you'll get in the kitchen, you'll be amazed at how much your child can do on his own. I was completely impressed with my daughter's knife skills--her bell peppers were perfectly and uniformly diced--and not once the entire time did I hear, "I'M HUNGRY!" or "WHEN WILL DINNER BE READY??"

Recipe: Asian Lettuce Wraps

This recipe derives from the popular appetizer-version served at P.F. Chang's restaurants around the country. I've modified it for simplicity and kid-friendliness by adding more veggies and leaving the spicy elements out. With rice on the side, it makes a light but satisfying main dish.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 3-4

For the wraps:

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 cup sliced water chestnuts
• 2/3 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 3 tablespoons chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 6-8 leaves iceberg lettuce or napa cabbage
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

For the special sauce:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve. (DO AHEAD: prepare up to 48 hours in advance)
3. Mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
4. Heat oil to medium-high in a large frying pan.
5. Add ground turkey and saute, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Add carrots, garlic, ginger, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until mushrooms are done.
8. While turkey mixture is cooking, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl and pour into frying pan. Simmer until most of the stir-fry sauce is absorbed.
9. Serve family style: assembly turkey in lettuce cups and top with special sauce. Add hot chili-garlic paste or Sriracha if desired.
   

Here are a few timesaving tips, as well as suggestions on how your toddler can help.

Timesavers:

• Buy water chestnuts and mushrooms already sliced, and carrots pre-shredded (typically available in organic varieties)
• Use jarred, minced garlic and ginger (found in the produce aisle)
  

Toddler Tasks:

• Pat lettuce leaves dry with a paper towel
• Fill measuring cup with shredded carrot
• Hold measuring spoon for liquid ingredients and add to bowl
• Stir special sauce with a whisk or fork
• Scoop minced garlic/ginger from jar

Finally, we'll cover food safety more in a future post, but a few quick reminders:

• Keep knives and other sharp implements well out of child's reach
• Do not allow child to add ingredients over a hot stove, or to a heated pan
• Avoid handling of raw poultry by child and follow steps to prevent cross-contamination

Have fun, and enjoy!

Product Review: Training Chopsticks

Being the sushiphiles that we are, my husband and I could hardly wait to get a pair of chopsticks into our daughter's hands. On her first birthday, she received the Combi Chopsticks Training Set and immediately set about trying to pick up everything from Cheerios to crayons.

What we liked about them: the thumb grip is reversible, to suit righties or lefties, and can be removed when the child has graduated to the next level. They're lightweight plastic but dishwasher safe, and grooved at the end to keep food from slipping out.

What we didn't like: they're confusing. Frankly, I'm still not sure which way the thumb grip should point for right-handed use. And in the long run, our little girl wanted to do exactly what Mommy & Daddy were doing, and that meant using 'grownup' chopsticks.

Our take: for under $10, they're cute, make a great gift, and won't break the bank. But it turns out that we've had the most success with cheap wooden chopsticks secured at the top with a rubber band and spaced with the folded-up paper wrapper (a trick we learned at our favorite sushi spot in Portland). Do-it-yourself instructions here.

Getting Started

Q: How old is old enough to lend a hand in the kitchen?

The answer varies based on your own child's abilities, but don't underestimate him. All that's really required is the capacity to follow basic instructions ("put this in there") and a lot of patience on your part. Accept that things will take longer with your child helping, and plan accordingly. And by all means, start small. Don't prepare Thanksgiving dinner on your first venture--try dropping berries into a measuring cup, stirring some granola into yogurt, and combining the three. Presto! Your little one has just made breakfast.

We first introduced our daughter to food prep at around eighteen months. I'd slice off a pat of butter and ask her to drop it into a pot of warm noodles, or hand her a wooden spoon and let her slosh it around a bowl of pancake batter. Though these actions seemed insignificant, the level of interest and participation she felt was clear. She wanted to eat everything she touched--be it an onion or a raw egg (note to self: raw eggs not ideal ingredients for toddlers)--and even though she didn't like it all, there was no denying her natural curiosity. Now, at almost four, she can measure a cup of flour, combine salad dressing with a whisk, and crack an egg--without trying to eat it. Culinary school is right around the corner!

Here are some simple tasks to get your toddler started:

• Add pre-measured dry ingredients to a large bowl or pot
  
• Rip lettuce leaves into small pieces for salad
• Stir sauces and combine ingredients with a spoon (never on the stove!)
• Fill a measuring cup with ingredients that can picked up (nuts, chocolate chips, berries)
• Sprinkle garnishes and toppings on finished dishes

You'll come up with many more on your own as you go. Discovery is half the fun!

Tools Of The Trade

It's not difficult to get kids interested in what you're doing in the kitchen. Assuming you've got a willing participant, the next thing you'll need is some simple equipment:

• Stepstool that brings your child to waist-height at the counter
• Small non-slip (rubber backed) cutting board
• Measuring spoons
• Plastic dry measure cups
• Unbreakable liquid measure cup
• Large, easy-to-grip mixing spoon or spatula
• Child's nylon serrated knife ( we like these )
• Plastic or metal mixing bowls (i.e., "unbreakable")

Curious Chef makes some wonderful kid-friendly kitchen tools, but it's not necessary to go out and buy a lot of new supplies. Even the novice home chef usually has most of the items in the above list. Once you've assembled them, gather up your little sous chef and get cookin'!

What's For Dinner?

We understand how difficult it can be to prepare a meal with little ones underfoot. After a long day at work, making dinner can seem an enormous chore when you'd rather be unwinding on the couch, reading a good book to your toddler. That's why there's no better way to spend time with your kids AND put food on the table than to let them help in the kitchen. You'll be surprised how much they can do--and learn--and how much more they'll eat when they've had a hand in the preparation. So grab a stepstool and those measuring cups, because Kids Can Cook!