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In the Kitchen

The benefits of cooking together range from encouraging a healthy relationship with food to giving kids valuable life skills. While it might require a bit of extra time, patience, and clean-up, the payoff is worth it. Young toddlers can help pour and stir, older children can wash and chop, and teens can make the entire meal, so your kids can be in the kitchen with you for many years holding this lovely tradition. Make it fun with music, theme nights, and staples they can count on like Sunday morning pancakes.

Great Family Recipes to Try:

Chicken Noodle Casserole from All Recipes

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

6 ounces egg noodles

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 cup crumbled buttery round crackers cup butter

Directions:

1. Poach chicken in a large pot of simmering water. Cook until no longer pink in center, about 12 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside. Bring chicken cooking water to a boil and cook pasta in it. Drain. Cut chicken into small pieces, and mix with noodles.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together mushroom soup, chicken soup, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir together cream soup mixture with the chicken mixture. Place in a 2 quart baking dish.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan, and remove from heat. Stir in crumbled crackers. Top casserole with the buttery crackers.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes, until heated through and browned on top.

Butterfinger Cookies by Popsugar

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
­­3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 (2.1 oz.) Butterfinger candy bars, chopped

Directions:

1. In bowl, cream butter & sugars.
2. Add egg whites; beat well.
3. Blend in peanut butter and vanilla.
4. Combine flour, soda & salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
5. Stir in candy bar pieces.
6. Shape into 1 inch balls & place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until brown.
7. Cool on wire rack. 

Game Night

Family game night is fun for the whole family and can start with simple matching games with toddlers and evolve to Chutes and Ladders, then to Clue, on to Ticket to Ride, and then to Dominion. There are so many board games and card games to choose from that you’ll never run out of options! As your children grow, the games can become more complex and strategic, and this is a great way to build positive skills in children such as emotional intelligence, perseverance, and problem-solving. 

Games to Try:

Blokus

Ravenburger Labyrinth

Dragonwood

Race to the Treasure

The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game

Rebecca Eanes is the bestselling author of multiple books including Positive Parenting: An Essential Guide, The Positive Parenting Workbook, and The Gift of a Happy Mother. She is the grateful mom of two boys.