Review of Simply in Season Children's Cookbook

My family recently reviewed Simply in Season Children’s Cookbook, courtesy of Herald Press.

Simply in Season Children’s Cookbook is aimed at actively involving kids in creating good, healthy foods from the fresh seasonal foods grown around them (or by them).  The 80 pages are organized into four chapters—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—and each chapter contains five easy, kid-friendly recipes inspired from the original Simply in Season Cookbook.

The recipes include yummy things like Orange Minty—a lemonade alternative; Secret Chocolate Cake—tastes like dessert, but with the added benefits of hidden beets, applesauce and yogurt;  Green Monster Soup—made from potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower; and Sweet Potato Quesadillas—filled with sweet potato puree, black beans, and cheese.

In addition to the recipes, each chapter describes how seasonal produce grows and shows photos of the fruits/veggies in their natural (in the ground) form.  This gives parents and kids a nice opportunity to dicuss where food comes from (potatoes grow underground, berries grow on bushes, peas grow in a pod). Each recipe page also has a trivia item that older kids and adults will enjoy.  For example—one pound of mint can flavor over 135,000 sticks of gum! At the close of each chapter is “Around the Table”, prayers thanking God for the food He provides for us.

My ten-year-old daughter and I enjoyed using this book together.  Several of the recipes she could have probably made herself without much guidance from me, but some of the skills like peeling and chopping are still difficult for her. I did those tasks while she got out ingredients we needed and measured, stirred, poured, mixed and sprinkled.

Most Moms I know (myself included) are frequently frustrated by the lack of fruits and veggies in our children’s diets. Simply in Season Children's Cookbook has some creative, yummy recipes that just might entice our children (and us parents), whether picky eaters or not, to try something new.