New Year's Resolution: Getting Kids into the Kitchen

Happy New Year from the Garden2Table team!

We hope that this year will bring lots of sunshine and great harvests in the gardens. We hope that the new year will also bring more opportunity for us to involve more children in our program and for them to bring home what they have learned and share it with their families.

It's never to early to get children involved in the kitchen and here are a few tested recipes that we have used that are easy, fun and delicious (as rated by the kids)!

Yummy Kale Salad (from Chef Jennifer)
1. Wash kale and pat completely dry with paper towel.
2. Remove kale leaves from stems; tear into large bite-sized pieces.
3. In a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and a dash of salt then mix well.
4. Refrigerate the kale over night. This will remove some of the bitterness.
5. Add your favourite toppings such as; raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, quinoa or couscous... whatever you fancy!
6. Add any dressing, mix well and enjoy!

Tip for any homemade salad dressing- Remember the rule! 3 parts oil: 1 part vinegar

Banana Cereal Pops (great for snacks!)

All you need is:
- 2 bananas
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 1/2 cup of cereals
- 4 popsicle sticks

Peel the bananas and cut them in half. Insert the popsicle sticks in the bananas and dip the bananas in honey. Roll the bananas on your kid’s favourite cereal until they are fully coated (if the cereal is in big piece then we suggest crushing it up a little to help it stick better!).

Hopefully 2014 will be a year full of fond memories in the kitchen and the gardens!

Healthy Kids = Better Learners = Healthier Life = Stronger Communities

This week Garden2Table made an amazing connection with a group who's values about food, kids, and education align perfectly with ours! 

ActiveChefs is a non-profit organization committed to promoting and sustaining healthy living for school-aged children. They have developed a program that incorporates multicultural cooking, physical activity and community partnerships. 

After looking through their website, ActiveChefs is an inspiring group. The programs that they develop are set at an affordable price, even free. Cooking demonstrations, recipe creation, and grocery store trips are just a few of the educational activities these kids can experience. 

Some exciting highlights for ActiveChefs are:

ActiveChefs by the Numbers:
2011    Founded
2,875   Participants
 116     Programs
  31      Locations
 92%    Spending on Program Activities
  39      Volunteers & Instructors

After starting in 2011, ActiveChefs has made a huge impact all throughout Southern Ontario. Working with their sponsors and through grant funding, they have been able to support youth education on food and healthy lifestyles. After all, food is what sustains us. Why not set up future generations with the right tools and information to make healthy decisions? 

Check them out in the news here: http://www.insidehalton.com/photozone/1371588

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with ActiveChefs on three extremely successful school events focused on increasing parent involvement in our school while promoting healthy lifestyles for children.” -- Catholic School Council, St. Joseph School, Oakville, ON