Rima Shore said in her book Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Development that children …“need exposure to warm and positive relationships with their world through their senses – touching, smelling, hearing, seeing, and tasting.”  It is these relationships which affect how the …” brain is wired thereby shaping subsequent learning and behaviors.”

Cooking experiences are one educational way to incorporate many math, science, nutrition, health and safety skills.  It’s sometimes difficult to get little ones to eat all the fruits and vegetables they need, but an easy way to do it is by serving them in a summer drink.  Making them with yogurt or almond milk can add calcium to the drink.  Children can help by washing, and cutting the fruits and vegetables with plastic knives. They can also help by putting ice or nuts in a plastic bag and crushing them with a block.

Infants: Banana Smoothie – 1 large frozen banana peeled and cut in chunks, ¼ C. nonfat dry milk powder   ½ C. plain yogurt   ¼ t. vanilla ½ C. crushed ice cubes.  Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Toddlers: Muscle Smoothie – The human body contains over 600 different muscles. Good nutrition is important for strengthening muscles.  The following drink helps build muscle strength.  ½ C. baby spinach ½ avocado 1 C. frozen blueberries 10 walnut halves crushed fine 1 T. flax seeds 1 C. almond milk ½ C. crushed ice cubes.  Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Preschoolers: Brain Smoothie – There are more nerve cells in the brain than there are stars in the Milky Way.  The following foods have been shown to support optimum brain function, which can make children sharper, faster and more functional in everyday life.

1 large frozen banana peeled and cut in chunks ½ C. baby spinach ½ avocado ½ C. cantaloupe cut into chunks 1 T. sunflower seeds 1 T. flax seeds 1 C. almond milk ½ C. crushed ice cubes.  Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Some of the above recipes were adapted from the Nutribullet Natural Healing Foods recipe book where the authors feel we all need to eat more whole foods, and drinking them makes it an easy way to supercharge health in just seconds a day.

Cooking experiences help to build self esteem for children and provides real satisfaction.  It develops concepts such as language and literacy skills, social/emotional abilities and builds manual dexterity, math skills, and science in the form of food chemistry.

We can make a commitment to promote vegetables and fruits and whole grains on every part of every menu.  We can make portion sizes smaller and emphasize quality over quantity.  And we can help create a culture – imagine this – where our kids ask for healthy options instead of resisting them.                   (Michelle Obama)