Sometimes I get a tad resentful of all of the things I do for my family that they seemingly take completely for granted. Do you ever feel that way? Grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, planning, and on and on. It can really get me down. Yes the kids are responsible for their bedrooms and for a few other small chores around the house but the bulk of the work is really done by my husband and myself.

Instead of complaining and whining (tactics I’ve definitely tried in the past), I decided I would do something about it and thus “Kids Cook” night was born! We chatted about it as a family and the kids were actually quite excited to give it a try. The deal was that they come up with the menu (I would grocery shop for their items) and then they had to prepare it all and clean up the kitchen afterwards. We agreed that 1 night per week was their turn to be set loose in the kitchen.

Since my children are 11, 9 and 2, the older two are quite capable of reading recipes, prepping and chopping food and working around the stove- and the toddler is super helpful if you are looking for someone to taste test while sitting on the table and/or make a huge mess ; )

On night #1 their menu was as follows:

Nachos and Cheese
Guacamole
Spanish Rice
Edamame

Not too shabby and since most of the items would work on my cleanse I was quite excited to see it all come together. When their night rolled around my daughter got right to work on the Spanish Rice. She totally rocked at following the recipe and she even chopped the onion by herself- while sporting a snazzy pair of her dad’s safety goggles to protect her eyes. She enlisted the help of her little brother when it came time to make the guacamole because she knew he would be a good avocado musher and he was only too pleased to sample the dip as she adjusted the seasonings. My older son got busy steaming edamame and grating cheese for the nachos and was happy to learn how to work the broiler in the oven to get the cheese perfectly melted. They all set the table and were thrilled to bits to sit down to a meal of their own creation.

And guess what? It was really good! We gobbled it down and enjoyed every bite (I skipped the cheese because of the cleanse but everything else was yummy). I was quite sure I was going to get some serious push back when it came time to clean but they stepped right up and even swept the floor after the dishes were all washed. It was fantastic!

So Kids Cook night was a resounding success. I can hardly wait to see what they come up with next week! Now if I can just get them doing the laundry I’ll be all set…..

Nachos & Cheese

1 bag of tortilla chips (preferably an organic corn variety)
1 small block of medium cheddar (I like L’Ancetre brand)

Turn on the broiler in the oven. Dump the bag of chips onto a cookie sheet. Grate cheese and sprinkle over top. Pop in the oven and broil for 5 min or until cheese is melted.

Izzy’s Guacamole is posted here.

Steam frozen organic Edamame according to package directions.

Spanish Rice

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 cup long grain rice
1 3/4 cups water
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp sea salt
1/3 tsp black pepper

Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook approx. 3 minutes until soft and just starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and carrot and cook for 2 more minutes. Pour in rice and stir to coat. Add water, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, stir once and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for approx. 17 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve. Enjoy!

***Cleanse Update: Day # 10 and I’m almost halfway there! I feel clear-headed, strong and confident that I can see this cleanse through to the end. I have noticed a slight dip in my energy after dinner the last couple of days so I’m going to up my water consumption around that time and see if it makes a difference. I had a crazy sugar craving on Day 9 so I whipped up an impromptu “almond milk shake” that totally hit the spot. I just threw some homemade almond milk, a handful of strawberries, a frozen banana, a few dates and some ice in my vitamixer and slurped up the sweet creamy goodness. I’ll post the exact recipe soon.