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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Modeling Healthy Habits

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon cooking with my daughter. We had the best time! We made a Braised Tilapia with Julienne Vegetables and a Béchamel Sauce, Wild Rice with Spring Vegetables, and Lemon Mousse with a Mixed Berry Medley. It turned out fantastic!

We started the afternoon at Whole Foods; she helped me with the shopping. I taught her how to select produce, read labels, look for fresh ingredients and compare prices. We had so much fun! There were several items we weren't sure where to find, but rather than ask, we played a game of trying to think where it could be. For example, we had to find whole cloves. At first, we thought it would be with the fresh herbs and spices, but then she remembered from a unit she did at school that it would be with the dry spices. Ha ha ha! We felt silly after we thought about a few items, but it really made us think about the food and where it comes from!

Once we got home, she really helped a lot. We laughed ourselves silly as we whisked egg whites to make the mousse (note: use a very large bowl...otherwise you're going to have foam EVERYWHERE!) I learned that her tiny fingers are perfect for slicing very very small julienne vegetables. I also learned that she shares my eye for food; good food tastes even better when it is well presented. She chose fancy plates, set the table, decorated it with flowers, etc. I was quite impressed!

For me, I felt that this was true quality time in that I got to 1. Spend time with my daughter 2. Teach her about choosing quality foods 3. Pass down my minimal culinary skills 4. Impress upon her the importance of food presentation and 5. share my love for all food with the second biggest foodie I know!

I can't wait until our next big cooking project! Cooking with her is so much fun and I feel like this is something that will not only stick with her in her memories, but will instill in her the importance of eating healthy and enjoying preparing foods the way they are meant to be eaten!

 
Our Finished Meal...YUMMY


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