Meal Plan Monday – kids in the kitchen

Welcome to Meal Plan Monday and some chat about kids in the kitchen, this week

Each week I share what we are eating, planning to eat or cooking and how we meal plan for a family of four with food allergies and Coeliac disease on a budget. We shop at Aldi and Asda mainly for convenience and also for food allergy product accessibility.

I feel quite strongly that kids should have the basics of cooking and chores around the house learned before they leave home and I have encouraged both my children to learn to cook, enjoy food (and both of them have food allergies so that has been challenging) and they both actively love to cook. The teenager does a course with Smart Raspberry every week that will give her a basic qualification in cooking skills at the end and she produces some amazing meals each week. Our Monday nights are wonderful for new foods and I don’t have to cook.

I think getting kids to help in the kitchen and then to become independent in the kitchen is really important. Being able to make basic meals, feed yourself well, know how to plan, shop and cook for yourself and possibly even your family at some point is a skill people are loosing. I have nothing against meal boxes, takeaway meals, ready made meals, but to me, loving food and being able to cook are important. When my kids leave home they will be able to feed themselves. My mum taught us how to cook and I am always grateful for that. I love showing my kids how to make dishes and do basic food prep and they are learning how to be really good cooks. It’s a pleasure of parenting I have enjoyed and am proud of.

This week they are both cooking and we are enjoying:

Monday – Sea bass and couscous (we use gluten free couscous) from the teen.

Tuesday – meatballs and gnocchi

Wednesday – toad in the hole

Thursday – egg fried rice

Friday – Chicken curry

Saturday – the husband and I are out for dinner so the kids will have pizza

Sunday – pad Thai, from the boy

It’s definitely nice to have someone else cook for you.

Thank you to Life as Kim, Bobbing Along, Mud, Cakes & Wine and MadHouse Family Reviews for joining use this week and for sharing all your lovely meals. I love seeing what other people eat and plan to eat. Nosy I know.

If you would like to add your meal plan, and join up, please click to join. I will comment on all posts and share them to Twitter and you might find some new blogs to follow and meals to be inspired by.

What are you eating this week and are do you get your kids in the kitchen?