Simple Sides

Make cooking dinner a family affair. These 5 veggie side dishes are quick and simple recipes that kids of all ages can make. We’ve also included some lesson plans that parents can modify for at-home learning.

Green Beans

Green Beans

This fresh recipe takes just 2 minutes to cook and is a great way to introduce delicious new vegetable flavors and textures to your kids. Kids love snapping the ends off the beans and dissecting the different parts of the bean pods. Download Green Beans Recipe

Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Potatoes

Hands down a kid-favorite. These crispy and tender potatoes are creamy, salty and are a great breakfast, lunch, dinner, or whenever. Download Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Garlic Toast with Greens

Garlic Toast with Greens

This tasty open-faced garlic toast can be made with any seasonal greens you have on hand (swiss chard, kale, even greens from the tops of beets). Use the accompanying Lesson Plan to share the ways in which adding fat, salt, and can acids to a food changes the flavor. Download Garlic Toast with Greens Recipe

Download Garlic Toast with Greens Lesson Plan

Crispy Cauliflower Poppers

Cauliflower Poppers

You and your kids might want to make 2 batches of this recipe because it’s almost impossible not to snack on these treats when they come out of the oven. This recipe is great for older kids because it requires more advanced knife skills. Don’t forget to practice the claw and saw method! Download Cauliflower Poppers Recipe

Brussels Sprouts Chips

Brussels Sprouts

Crispy Brussels sprouts chips simple and quick pre-dinner project for younger kids (age 6 and up). Place a large bowl on the kitchen table and have kids gently peel back the Brussels sprout leaves before roasting them to perfection. Make it a learning activity by following the Lesson Plan below. Download Brussels Sprouts Chips Recipe

Download Brussels Sprouts Chips Lesson Plan

Stories and Snacks

Here are 5 simple snack recipes your kids can make on their own! You can pair snack time with a read-aloud story break or listen to an audio book. To access free story resources, check out digital books from your local library or visit audible’s free audio books for children and teens.

Peanut Butter Shake

Peanut Butter Shake

This super quick smoothie is a favorite treat for parents and kids alike, and young kids will feel really accomplished making this all by themselves. With no chopping involved, it’s a good springboard for your beginning chef. Substitute almond butter if peanuts are off the menu at your place. Download Peanut Butter Shake Recipe.

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potato fries are a sweet and yummy surprise! We like them dipped in pesto, but they are sublime all on their own. Download Sweet Potato Fries Recipe.

Zesty Mango and Cucumber

Zesty Mango and Cucumber

Refreshing, crunchy cucumber is the perfect snack for learning that fruit comes in all shapes and sizes. Paired with mango and just a touch of spice, it’s a perfect dipper, too. The recipe  calls for mangoes, but will be equally delicious with jicama, celery or carrots. Download Zesty Mango and Cucumber Recipe.

Thick and Creamy Hummus

Hummus

Hummus is one of the easiest spreads to make at home, and any dipping snack is a kid-friendly snack. Chop any fresh vegetables for dipping, or spread over pita or sliced bread for an open faced toast. Make a double batch and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Download Thick and Creamy Hummus Recipe.

Easy Egg Salad

Easy Egg Salad

This recipe is actually a 2-in-1. First you’ll learn how to cook a delicious hard boiled egg, and then you’ll turn it into super satisfying egg salad that is great for breakfast, lunch or snack on a thick slice of toast. Download Easy Egg Salad Recipe.

Breakfast Favorites with Built-In Learning

These 5 tasty breakfast recipes will anchor your child’s day – and make built in connections to math, science and literacy with our easy lesson plans. Chances are you have everything you need to get started right in your pantry!

Note: These recipes are designed for teaching a group of up to 10 students using the Charlie Cart tools and equipment. You might not have the exact same tools in your home kitchen, or you may want to skip over the sections in the recipe that are designed for group participation. Feel free to modify the directions in the recipe to fit your needs.

Homemade Applesauce

Great for: Any age
Academic Focus: Science

Transform your kitchen with the smell of cinnamon and apples, while learning how apples grow. Younger kids can measure and mix; older kids can practice knife skills. The recipe calls for several types of apples but use whatever you have  on hand. Kids of all ages will love the taste of fresh applesauce and you won’t believe how easy it is to make. Download the lesson plan and recipe.

Mini Herb Frittata

Great for: Any age
Academic Focus: Science

Watch a liquid turn into a solid while eggs, cheese and produce set and rise in these muffin-sized frittatas. This recipe calls for fresh herbs, but any vegetables, chopped and sautéed until soft, can be added to the egg mixture. Substitute any cheese you like, as well. Bonus: if you happen to have seeds on hand, young children will love to plant a mini herb garden in the egg carton, using the leftover eggshells as fertilizer. Details are in the lesson plan. Download the lesson plan and recipe.

Johnnycakes

 

Great for: Young kids, ages 3 – 8
Academic Focus: English Language Arts

These 3 ingredient cakes are a fun and super tactile activity for kids as young as three years old. The dough cannot be overworked, so kids can smash and smush as long as they like and the cakes will still taste good. Add a little jam or syrup for a sweet start to the day, and then hunker down to read about the history of corn-based cakes and their many different names. Download the lesson plan and recipe.

Honey Cinnamon Granola

 

Great for: The whole family 
Academic Focus: English Language Arts

Freshly made granola is a great pantry staple that will keep for up to ten days in a sealed container. Substitute any dried fruit and nuts you have on hand. Add the lesson, and learn how oat plants become rolled oats, and about agriculture’s changing technology. Download the lesson plan and recipe.

Spotted Puppies Railway Cakes

Great for: Ages 8 and up 
Academic Focus: English Language Arts

Build basic math skills while measuring ingredients for this simple Irish quickbread, brought to us by Darina Allen from Ballymaloe Cookery School In Ireland! Darina’s sweet story about the history of hat pins and sugar during the potato famine shares cultural connections about food from across the globe. Bonus: Use the story as a writing prompt about an object in your home that feels more important now than it did two weeks ago. Download the lesson plan and recipe.

Children can manage these simple recipes with supervision and encouragement. The lesson plans are most appropriate for grades K-5, as indicated on the lesson itself. 

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