Passover Activities For Kids

Passover Activities For Kids

/in , , , , , /by

Passover Activities For Kids

Passover is one of the most beloved religious holidays, celebrated by more than 70% of Jewish Americans. The story of Moses provides rich lessons about “standing up for equality, pursuing justice, and standing up for the rights of the marginalized… core Jewish commitments,” as Rabbi Rick Jacobs put it. Children are central to the Passover proceedings as a symbol of the continuity of the Jewish people, but the significance is likely to pass them by if we don’t go out of our way to include them in the family rituals. Incorporate some of these Passover activities to engage the youngest members of the faith.

Passover Pretend Play

  • The Big Clean – In preparation for Passover, families keeping Kosher kitchens remove all Chametz. Involve kids in the search party with a scavenger hunt to find hidden cookies under the bed, in pockets, closets, drawers, school bags, and toy chests.

 

  • Plagues – Scatter squishy green frogs or plastic locusts across the table to represent the plagues. Rite Lite Judaica sells Plague Masks that represent terrors like darkness, boils, wild animals, frogs, and cattle plague – or you could just as easily make your own out of construction paper.

 

  • Seder Set – Particularly from ages 3-5, children become fascinated with “playing adult.” KidKraft sells toy versions of the Seder plate, wine goblet, bottle of wine, matzo, afikomen and matzo covers, and a prayer book.

Passover Crafts

  • A Cup For Elijah – Families put out a cup of wine for the prophet Elijah at the Passover Seder. Toward the end of the dinner, they open the door to symbolically “let Elijah in.” For this craft, take a plastic Dollar Store wine goblet, paint a liberal strip of white craft glue around the top, and wrap a colorful piece of wool or jute string around the cup. Alternate with more glue and different colored strings for a rainbow look. Add sequins or gems.

 

  • Red Sea Diorama – The parting of the Red Sea makes for a great mini scene. Upcycle cardboard by cutting it into at least six curvy wave shapes in a variety of sizes, covering them in blue tissue paper. Affix the waves into slits cut into a cardboard base, using glue to secure them. Don’t forget to leave a path down the middle. You can make little people out of corks, dressing them in felt clothes, bottle cap hats, and yarn hair, and drawing faces with black marker.

 

  • Matzo Cover – Use a plain white handkerchief or cut a square out of a choice piece of fancy fabric. Just be sure it’s bigger than a piece of matzo. Decorate the cloth with oversized gems, embroidered grapes or spring flowers, and puffy paint border embellishments. Paint the Hebrew word for Passover to make it extra relevant.

Passover Cooking

  • Shine’s Favorite Jewish Recipes – We’ve rounded up five delicious, easy Jewish recipes to make with kids, including Potato kugel, Soup Dumplings with Minced Brisket, Kookoo-e Sabzi, Braised Short Ribs with Squash Puree and Roasted Corn Salad, Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate and Pistachio.

 

  • Passover Pizzas – What kid doesn’t love pizza? Pre-heat a baking stone at 500 degrees for a half hour. Mix 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose white wheat flour, ½ tsp. sea salt, and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Add ½ cup of water. Form into 12 dough balls and roll on a floured surface until cracker-thin. Prick holes with a fork to prevent bubbling. Cook for one minute per side. Reduce heat to 250 degrees. Top with pizza sauce, mozzarella, and your favorite toppings or seasonings, cooking for 15 minutes more.

 

  • Macaroons – Widely considered thee flourless dessert of Passover, macaroons come in many designs from almond to raspberry, but we like this basic chocolate-dipped coconut recipe. Whisk together 1 large egg white, 2 TBSP honey, ¼ tsp pure vanilla, the grated zest of one lemon, and 1/8 tsp of coarse salt. Stir in 1.5 cups of fine-shredded unsweetened coconut. Make 15 balls with a 1.5” ice cream scoop and bake them on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 12 minutes at 375 degrees, rotating halfway through. Before serving, drizzle with 2 ounces of melted dark chocolate and refrigerate 15 minutes to set.

If you’re looking for more ways to incorporate Jewish culture into the lives of your children, ask us about our Vitamin J Jewish art and cultural class for kids of all ages. We explore basic Judaica in a variety of fun, creative ways.

Additional Children’s Passover Resources:

USA Today – Passover Holiday Explained, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/22/passover-jewish-holiday-explained/83387514/

Amazon – KidKraft Passover Set, http://amzn.to/2HBNsce

Tori Avey – Elijah’s Cup Craft, https://toriavey.com/home-garden/family-fun-elijahs-cup-passover-craft

Creative Jewish Mom – Splitting of the Red Sea Diorama, http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2010/03/kids-crafts-for-pesach-krias-yam-suf-the-splitting-of-the-red-sea-diorama.html

Cooking with my Kid – Mighty No-Sew Matzah Cover, http://cookingwithmykid.com/2011/04/12/mighty-matzah-cover

Martha Stewart – Coconut Chocolate Macaroons, https://www.marthastewart.com/1098219/coconut-chocolate-macaroons

Disgustingly Good – Matzo Pizza, http://disgustinglygood.com/2012/03/31/matzo-pizza/

 

Top 5 Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

/in , , , , , /by

International Kid-Friendly Food:

Top 5 Irish Recipes For St. Patrick’s Day

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held, not in Ireland, but here in New York City in 1762. Corned beef and cabbage is a culinary tradition started by Irish-American immigrants who were able to purchase expensive kosher meats from their Jewish neighbors. They threw the flavorful salted meat into a pot with beloved potatoes and affordable cabbage – and the rest is history. Contemporary St. Patrick’s Day menus in the homeland include dishes like fried lamb belly fingers, slow-poached organic chicken with tarragon, colcannon (mashed potatoes with kale), roasted carrots, and herbed Irish cheddar croquette.

Whether you’re in New York or Ireland, cooking a meal together as a family is a beautiful tradition. Your menu doesn’t have to be fancy. We’ve dug up five good old-fashioned Irish recipes to enjoy cooking and eating with your children this St. Paddy’s Day. Before you get started in the kitchen, take the kids down to The Butcher Block in Sunnyside, Queens for authentic Irish provisions, including back bacon, rashers, black pudding, Irish teas, Kerrygold cheese, sweets, sauces, spreads, and breads.

Irish Soda Bread

From Chef Darina Allen, courtesy of National Geographic

Homemade soda bread is a staple in any Irish pantry. White soda bread is made with white flour, while brown soda bread is made with buttermilk and whole-wheat flour. It’s traditionally fashioned into a round loaf with a cross etched in the middle – to keep out the fairies, naturally! Allen’s basic recipe takes just two minutes to put together and 40 minutes to bake. “Your soda bread is not a soda bread we would recognize,” she explains. Americans “gussy up” their soda breads with raisins and caraway seeds – which appeals to our youngsters, no doubt — but over in Ireland, they call that type of bread a “spotted dog.”

Get Chef Allen’s recipe or, if you prefer adding goodies, try this third-generation recipe from NYC Chef John Mooney.

The Full Irish Breakfast

From Chef Joe Mallol from the Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog in Manhattan

Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog won countless awards for their cocktails and was ranked “The World’s Best Bar” in 2016. Drinks aside, the restaurant’s weekend brunch became so popular, they offer it all week long to keep up with demand. The Irish Breakfast is designed to be comforting and filling. Chef Mallol’s take on the classic formula involves a few extra herbs and spices, but remains pretty true to what you would find in Ireland. Even the pickiest of eaters will find something to devour on this plate of eggs, Irish sausages (Bangers), back bacon (Rashers), blood and oatmeal sausages (Black and White Pudding), toast, sautéed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and baked beans. Adults can pair this meal equally well with Guinness or Irish coffee, while kids can enjoy a craft apple juice blended with strawberry, raspberry, or black currant.

Get the recipe.

A Proper Stew for St. Patrick’s Day

By David Tanis, NY food writer, former Chez Panisse chef, current chef at the Monkey Bar in Midtown

Rich, hearty Irish stew contains a handful of ingredients like mutton or young lamb, onions, and potatoes. The further south you go, the more vegetables you’ll see – like carrots or even turnips. Irish stews can be a broth served in a bowl or thickened with flour and served over mashed potatoes. Adorned with just a sprig of thyme, the natural food flavors take center stage in this recipe that is simple enough to cook with kids.

Get the recipe.

Smoky Cheese & Potato Soup with Pesto Shamrock Toast

From Better Homes and Gardens

You’ll need a shamrock-shaped cookie cutter for this fun-looking dish that combines the smokiness of gouda cheese and paprika with the creaminess of mashed potatoes and carrots. It’s an easy 25-minute dish that warms the heart in less than 400 calories. We’ve seen similar recipes with the addition of four ounces of finely chopped ham for added protein. The floating green pesto-topped shamrock toast will be the showstopper for the kids who may get a little messy figuring out how to best eat it. You can try Orwasher’s Bakery or Amy’s Bread for a great artisanal Irish sourdough worthy of your soup.

Get the recipe.

Irish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce

From Irish American Mom, Adapted by Kailey at The Kitchen McCabe

Finding an Irish dessert that doesn’t use Guinness, Bailey’s, or Irish whiskey can be a challenge, but the crunchy sugary crust and Grandma’s creamy custard sauce provide plenty of sweetness to this apple cake recipe — without the booze. You’ll need a round 8″ or 9″ pan, ideally a springform. You can use Golden Delicious apples if you find Granny Smiths too tart. While most cakes are spiced with cinnamon, this version borrows cloves and nutmeg for a European twist.

Get the recipe.

Additional Irish Recipe Resources:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-st-patricks-day-parade

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/is-corned-beef-really-irish-2839144/

http://www.thebutchersblock.com/

http://dish.allrecipes.com/irish-recipes-for-st-patricks-day/

https://www.deadrabbitnyc.com/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-06/the-dead-rabbit-grocery-grog-is-named-the-world-s-best-bar

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/ireland-food-and-drink/

http://www.grubstreet.com/2018/02/david-tanis-new-monkey-bar-chef.html

https://www.orwashers.com/

http://www.amysbread.com

 

International Kid-Friendly Food: Top 5 Recipes For Chinese New Year

/in , , , /by

With traditional lion dancers, festive floats, firecrackers, shopping discounts, arts and craft vendors, and Chinese folk music symphonies, New York City is a great place to be for Chinese New Year. Chinatown is a bustle of activity for the Lunar New Year. Behind all the pomp and circumstance, local Chinese families celebrate privately with their relatives, sharing the most important meal of the year. Whether near or far, reunions are a symbolic gesture to be thankful for the past year and hopeful in the new.

New Year’s Eve dinners vary by region, but typically include chicken, fish, or pork in the south of China and homemade dumplings in the north. Every Chinese New Year dish signifies something, whether it’s to wish for a year of completeness with a whole chicken, abundance with two whole fish, happiness and longevity with noodles, family togetherness with sweet rice balls, or wealth with dumplings.

Steamed Fish

A family recipe from Long Island Food Blogger Jessica Lee Binder, courtesy of NY Daily News

Fish represents an increase in prosperity and good luck. This recipe uses white fish like striped bass, which has a lighter flavor likely to appease kids. The sauce – made from seasoned soy sauce, thin-sliced fresh ginger, scallions, vegetable oil, and a pinch of sugar (the only other ingredients you’ll need) – is savory enough to make kids forget they’re eating from the sea. The food is ready in just 15 minutes, and goes great with sticky rice. You can get additional tips for steaming a whole fish from The Woks of Life if you’ve never done it before.

Get the recipe.

Rice Chicken Casserole

From Kei Lum Chan, co-author of China: The Cookbook, courtesy of MyDomaine.com

We can all appreciate the simplicity of a one-pot main course. Chicken is the heart of this dish, which signifies prosperity. Until recent times, the Chinese people only served chicken on festival days or birthdays. Chicken thighs – considered the best part of the bird – were reserved for the elders. This quick recipe requires 20 minutes of marinating and 20 minutes of cooking in a dutch oven. Chinese sausage is the one tricky ingredient that may require a separate trip to a Chinatown butcher shop. Trust us, it’s worth it! Lap Cheong is made from pork or liver, marinated, and smoked for a smoky, sweet, salty taste as sumptuous as candied bacon. Like many Asian dishes, additional flavors in this dish come from ginger, soy, garlic, and scallions.

Get the recipe.

Fast Pot Stickers

From Mark Bittman, NY Times Food Columnist

Pot stickers are sometimes called “Little Purses.” Fittingly, they symbolize prosperity and riches in the year to come. You can do them with homemade dough, but it can be tedious even with a food processor, as you’re kneading and rolling out dozens of two-inch circles before filling and cooking. One easy alternative is to use pre-made wrappers widely available in any supermarket. Folding is intuitive and sealing requires a little beaten egg. The dumplings are browned in oil, simmered in water, and browned again. You can fill the dumplings with whatever you prefer – ground pork, beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, shrimp, even shiitake mushrooms and tofu for a vegetarian twist. You can also freeze uncooked dumplings on a baking sheet, seal in a plastic bag, and keep them for up to two weeks to save time.

Get the recipe.

Niángāo

From Chef Mireille, Courtesy of The Schizo Chef

Niángāo is a steamed rice cake with a history dating back at least 1,000 years ago to the Liao Dynasty. The word loosely translates to “year rise,” symbolizing increased prosperity and higher status for adults, physical growth and better academic success for children. The round shape symbolizes family togetherness and completeness. If you love someone, you give them niángāo to wish them the best. This popular New Year dessert is popular at NYC bakeries like Wok Wok, Lung Moon Bakery, Shanghai Café, Tygershark, and Fay Da Bakery – but why not make it yourself in just 10 minutes? Traditionally, the cake — made of rice flour, brown sugar, coconut milk, almond extract and chopped nuts — is steamed in banana leaves, and then later cut up, coated in raw egg, and fried. This simplified recipe comes from Chef Florence Lin, the author of five Chinese cookbooks who is in her nineties, but still spry and cooking with her niece.

Get the recipe.

We hope you enjoy cooking with your children to celebrate Chinese New Year in 2018. Other fun activities include: making DIY Chinese drums, giving red envelopes containing money, creating DIY paper lanterns, and crafting soda bottle cherry blossoms to symbolize the beginning of spring. Be sure to check out the big parade and other local festivities. Also, don’t forget Shine offers additional party entertainment, workshops, classes, and cultural experiences to inspire young minds. Contact us to learn more!

Additional Reading:

By Jenn Fusion for Shine

Jenn Fusion is a Buffalo, NY based wordsmith with more than a decade of experience researching, writing, and editing informative and insightful articles for business clients. Her work has been featured online and in print editions of USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Houston Chronicle, as well as niche publications for vice presidents, celebrities, music, and beer. You may have seen on Huffington Post Live TV or heard her on Minnesota Public Radio. Best of all, she’s the mother of busybody toddlers Josephine and Henri.

International Kid-Friendly Food: Top 5 Native American Recipes We Love

/in , , /by

Native American cuisine is poised to become “the next big culinary phenomenon” in the 50 states, and it’s long overdue. As a melting pot for European settlers, we’ve overlooked the fact that there is a longstanding history of agriculture, living off the land, and cooking that pre-dates 1621.

A number of celebrity chefs are working on bringing Native American flavors to the forefront of their restaurants in places like Washington DC, Minneapolis, and Phoenix, Arizona. The Native American food truck never did arrive in Bowling Green, but we can still enjoy the taste of America’s indigenous peoples right here in our own kitchens.

Since November is “National Native American Heritage Month,” we figured what better time to introduce your palate to authentic Native American recipes and flavors? These pre-colonial bites will make the perfect addition to your feast day table.

Wild Gitigan Salad

From Dream of Wild Health Executive Director Diane Wilson

This recipe was designed by six youth leaders who promoted this salad at the Minnesota Twins baseball games in a healthy food initiative called “Roots for the Home Team.” The group wanted to showcase ingredients that were important to Indian Country like wild rice and black beans, while also using vegetables like tomato and kale grown at their farm in Hugo, Minnesota, as sovereignty and sustainability are very important principals in Native American cultures.

Get the recipe.

Seminole Baconed Hominy

From Genius Kitchen

Hominy was one of the first gifts the Native Americans gave to European colonists in Cape Cod. The word “hominy” is likely derived from the Algonquin word “rockahominie,” referring to a corn that has been soaked in lime or lye water. As a result of this ancient practice, the corn becomes more digestible and nutrient-soluble. The softened maize is then easily cooked into grit, ground into meal, or fashioned into everything from cornbread to tamales. This super simple side dish uses just four ingredients and cooks in less than 15 minutes.

Get the recipe.

Ginger, Carrot, and Turnip Casserole with Candied Chestnuts

From Chefs at the Mitsitam Native Foods Café in Washington DC, via The Washington Post

This dish can easily replace the usual sweet potato casserole at your Thanksgiving table. Conveniently, you can make and refrigerate for up to three days in advance. Kids will like the familiar roasted carrots and sweet potatoes they know and love, while adults can appreciate the mild zing of ginger and festive allspice. The honey chestnut topping shines with a sweet, rustic, appealing “crunch” to the uppermost layer of the casserole. Finding chestnuts is easy enough at your local Whole Foods, but the one challenge may be the texture. Some people opt for the fast, easy food processor, but you may want to put in the work with an old-fashioned food mill to get the perfect consistency for your topping.

Get the recipe.

Pasilla Chile-Rubbed Turkey

From Jerome Grant, Executive Chef of Mitsitam Café in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian via The Washington Post

We’re all looking for a way to impress guests with an atypical turkey, right? The dried chilies in this recipe are more smoky than spicy, so they’re still kid-friendly. The use of sweet agave nectar, savory roast garlic, and fresh cilantro combine into a paste that turns the skin a wonderful shade of brown. Start a few days in advance to brine the turkey in the refrigerator. It’s not a difficult recipe, but you’ll need about 20 ingredients – sugar, spice, and everything nice! The effort is worthwhile. You’ll want to reuse the pan juices as gravy, it’s so delectable! (If you love these recipes, you can find more in the Mitsitam Café Cookbook.)

Get the recipe.

Wóžapi

From “The Sioux Chef” Sean Sherman

The Sioux Chef’s favorite recipe in his Indigenous Kitchen cookbook brings back memories of early childhood. “Our family relied on the local chokecherries I gathered as a kid,” he recalled. “We’d spread a blanket under the tree and gather buckets full. There’s no need to pit them because the pits drop to the bottom of the pot as the sauce becomes thick and lush.” This mix of chokecherries or blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, elderberries, cranberries, and blackberries can be sweetened with maple syrup or honey into a dessert, or used as a tangy dressing for wild game and vegetables.

Get the recipe.

Enjoy preparing these easy Native American recipes with the kids. Remember, Shine offers additional experiences for the aspiring chef, from cooking classes and Health Nuts workshops, to farm tours and outdoor gardening parties. Contact us to learn more!

Additional Reading:

By Jenn Fusion for Shine

Jenn Fusion is a Buffalo, NY based wordsmith with more than a decade of experience researching, writing, and editing informative and insightful articles for business clients. Her work has been featured online and in print editions of USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Houston Chronicle, as well as niche publications for vice presidents, celebrities, music, and beer. You may have seen on Huffington Post Live TV or heard her on Minnesota Public Radio. Best of all, she’s the mother of busybody toddlers Josephine and Henri.

International Kid-Friendly Food: Top 5 Jewish Recipes We Love

/in , , , , /by

There are more than 1.5 million Jewish people living in New York City, bringing with them fantastic foods like old-fashioned bagels topped with lox, pastrami deli sandwiches, matzo ball soup, hand-rolled knish, hummus platters, and chocolate-hazelnut filled babka. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins the evening of September 20th so what better time to try something new?

We recommend taking one of the Lower East Side Jewish Food Tours, or checking out the best places for Jewish food in NYC, if you haven’t already. But, by far, the most meaningful way to explore new cuisine with your kids is right at home in your kitchen. Rather than shooing your littles out of the kitchen, invite them in! Roll up your sleeves and get a little messy with these five kid-friendly Jewish recipes.

Potato Kugel

From the NY Times

Itta Werdinger Roth grew up in an Orthodox Jewish community in Australia, but married an American and quickly became a New York City sensation, known just as much for her traditional home-cooking as for her all-woman Hasidic rockband. Jewish food differs vastly around the world, but “everyone knows potato kugel,” she told the NY Times, adding: “There are two kinds: good and bad. It’s like a savory cake; you bake shredded potatoes with eggs and onions, and the inside comes out so creamy you eat it almost like mashed potatoes.” Cooking with kids doesn’t get much easier than this recipe consisting of just potatoes, onion, eggs, salt, pepper, oil, flour, and baking powder. This version is rooted in Lubavitch Women’s Cookbook Publications’ “Spice and Spirit,” which is thee cookbook for traditional Jewish cooking. From there, the recipe has been tweaked with subtle variations to get the perfect crispy-creamy textures.

Get the recipe.

P.S. If your kids really love potatoes, consider taking them to the 9th Annual NYC Latke Festival at the Brooklyn Museum on December 18th!

Soup Dumplings with Minced Brisket

From Kosher Like Me

Liz Rueven is from Connecticut, but enjoys “probing the scene in NYC” for inspiration. Most of her recipes are kosher vegetarian, but this homemade kreplach recipe comes from the Ashkenazic Jewish cuisine her Nanny made. It’s a traditional dish enjoyed for Purim, the holiday commemorating the salvation of the Jewish people under Haman’s persecution in ancient Persia, but you can cook up this savory soup with the kids on any cool weather day for a satisfying treat. It’s a project, to be sure, but older kids enjoy the whole process of mixing and stuffing, so don’t shy away from this memorable experience.

Get the recipe.

Kookoo-e Sabzi

From The Sephardic Heritage Cookbook

The Sephardic Heritage Cookbook doesn’t necessarily have a New York connection, but it is one of the top-selling Jewish cookbooks, after all. The recipe itself just seemed to appeal to kids and adults alike. First, what kid isn’t going to love asking for “kookoo?” Parents will like this egg-based dish because it’s similar to an omelet or frittata, but gives you the chance to sneak in loads of healthy vegetables and herbs. And it’s versatile. You can serve it hot or cold, as an appetizer or a main dish. You can serve it with bread, feta cheese, or plain yogurt. It keeps well in the fridge for several days or you can freeze it in tin foil.

Get the recipe.

Braised Short Ribs with Squash Puree and Roasted Corn Salad

From Nir Mesika

Celebrity Chef Nir Mesika is the founder and executive chef of Timna, a modern Israeli restaurant in the East Village of NYC that was named “the best new restaurant” by USA Today in 2015. Braised short ribs was always his favorite Rosh Hashanah meal growing up, he says, because “the family was waiting for it all day long,” so dipping into the shared pot in the center of the table was so satisfying when the time came. Plan to spend some time on this recipe, but the melt-in-your-mouth textures and cozy flavors are bound to be a hit with everyone in your family.

Get the recipe.

Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate and Pistachio

From Einat Admony

Einat Admony is the chef and owner of Balaboosta in Manhattan, Bar Bolonat in the West Village, and Taim, as well as a regular consultant to the Jewish Food Society, an organization dedicated to preserving traditional cultural recipes. She recalls this favorite Rosh Hashanah recipe fondly. “When I was a child in Israel,” Admony said, “the high holidays meant peeling two whole cases of pomegranates for our family’s holiday meals. Out of the two cases and the resulting 20 pounds of seeds, we would get only a few small jars of pomegranate preserve. It was tiring, detailed work, and I used to hate it, but it would end up as part of our dinner, so I knew it was all for a good cause.” You can serve four main courses or eight side dishes with this recipe – which, thankfully, only calls for half a cup of pomegranate seeds.

Get the recipe.

We hope you enjoy preparing these healthy, international dishes for your family. Contact us to learn about fun enrichment activities for your child, including cooking classes, our Health Nuts workshops, City Adventures, and more!

By Jenn Fusion for Shine

Jenn Fusion is a Buffalo, NY based wordsmith with more than a decade of experience researching, writing, and editing informative and insightful articles for business clients. Her work has been featured online and in print editions of USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Houston Chronicle, as well as niche publications for vice presidents, celebrities, music, and beer. You may have seen on Huffington Post Live TV or heard her on Minnesota Public Radio. Best of all, she’s the mother of busybody toddlers Josephine and Henri.

International Kid-Friendly Food: Top 5 Asian Recipes We Love

/in , , /by

New York City is blessed with a bounty of home-cooked Asian cuisine. We love taking the kids to Chinatown, with its heavenly custard buns, deep-fried sesame balls, dim sum, and red bean ice cream! Yet, you needn’t leave home to experience a world of flavor. Asian food can be a tough sell for kids, with its crunchy raw vegetables and spicy ingredients, but these five recipes will introduce your children to new flavors they’ll enjoy, while satisfying your taste buds too!

Rainbow Noodle Bowl

From Freshmade NYC

This recipe comes from our friends at Freshmade NYC, a group that hosts cooking classes and parties for kids.  Requiring very minimal cooking, this dish can be prepped ahead and thrown together in five minutes, making it the perfect weekday lunch or dinner. Built-in versatility allows you to tailor your ingredients based on your family’s preferences, but the Freshmade NYC chefs recommends cucumbers, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, scallions, baby spinach, zucchini, sliced mushrooms, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, basil, and mint combined with noodles, sesame seeds, citrus juice, honey, and a sauce like tamari, soy, or coconut aminos.

Get the recipe.

 

Chicken and Corn Soup

From RecipeTinEats.com

When you think of Chinese, chicken and corn soup may not immediately come to mind, but South Australian Blogger Nagi calls it a “Chinese restaurant classic.” Like her other “15-minute recipes,” it’s a fast soup to make — especially when you have bags of cooked, shredded chicken in the freezer. Best of all, it warms the soul and appeals to kids. (What little one doesn’t love a can of creamed corn?) This soup uses traditional Chinese ingredients like soy sauce, scallions, and ginger. Nagi usually throws leafy Chinese greens like bok choy, Chinese broccoli, carrot, and chopped zucchini to make it a complete meal.

Get the recipe.

 

Asian Beef Short Ribs for the Crockpot

From The Spruce

It’s hard to believe something so delicious has only five ingredients, but our palates are much easier to please than we imagine! The succulent meat from the ribs falls right off the bone, so you don’t have to worry about too much cutting with the little ones, and the slow-cooking mellows out the spice from the chili garlic sauce to a kid-friendly temperature. Serve with mashed or baked potatoes and asparagus for something truly spectacular.

Get the recipe.

 

Orange Beef

From Food Gal

Brooklyn Chef Dale Talde admits that he doesn’t always follow the rules with his cooking, as you’d guess from the title of his cookbook: Asian-American: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from the Philippines to Brooklyn. But it did land him an appearance on “Top Chef” and accolades from a number of bloggers, including the NY Times and San Francisco “Food Gal” Carolyn Jung, who says this orange beef recipe “raises the bar.” With ingredients like filet mignon, fresh orange juice, and fish sauce, you’re promised a dinner heaping with flavor that is far better than the “cheap, battered, fried, cornstarchy” swill served in modern take-out.

Get the recipe.

 

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

From Cookie and Kate

Here’s a healthy and quick, vegetarian dinner that sneaks in protein with the use of tasty Cashews or by adding Crispy Baked Tofu. The fresh pineapple screams out “summer,” while soy and chili garlic sauce add a splash of Asian flavor. Lime and cilantro awaken the senses further. The only veggies in this fried rice recipe are scallions, garlic, and red bell pepper, but you can add others listed in Kate’s Extra Vegetable Fried Rice recipe, such as snow peas, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, peas, carrots, kale, baby spinach, tatsoi, or white onion.

Get the recipe.

We hope you enjoy preparing these healthy, international dishes for your family. Contact us at Shine NYC to learn about fun enrichment activities for your child, including cooking classes, Health Nuts workshops, outdoor gardening, city adventures, and more!

By Jenn Fusion for Shine

Jenn Fusion is a Buffalo, NY based wordsmith with more than a decade of experience researching, writing, and editing informative and insightful articles for business clients. Her work has been featured online and in print editions of USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Houston Chronicle, as well as niche publications for vice presidents, celebrities, music, and beer. You may have seen on Huffington Post Live TV or heard her on Minnesota Public Radio. Best of all, she’s the mother of busybody toddlers Josephine and Henri.

Giving Thanks & Saving Room for Dessert

/in , , /by

November may not be the warmest of months, but the sensation that fills us is incandescent. The foliage is radiant in reds, glowing in oranges and electric in yellows. The sky is saturated in rich blues and soft clouds. Without even thinking of the times we are about to share with our family, November fills our hearts with its striking beauty.

Well, now it’s about to fill our belly. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we all know what that means: trying every dish that was brought to the table so your quirky aunt doesn’t get mad and listing to your loud uncles argue about who’s better, the Jets or the Giants. Since this day is known for overindulgence, have a plan before you start. Hamptons Wellness on Wheels is here to give you tips on how to make your day healthier and your appreciation stronger.

Happy November and happy Thanksgiving!

giving-thanks

By Sara Colletti, Hamptons Wellness on Wheels

Falling Into Healthy Habits

/in , /by

Autumn is a time of change and as the leaves begin to fall we start to change our palates from summer time barbeque and sweet to more savory and hearty.  Besides our changing tastes we also change our behaviors.  The summer brings spontaneity and passion while the fall keeps us grounded as we search for new concepts and paths. Grounded: being fully present and aware of the now while staying balanced, centered, and aligned.

When it comes to lifestyle patterns in the summer, often we tend to lose sight of what is important.  With the excitement of sunshine and warmth we start to forget about what our bodies need and we focus on what our minds want. The fall gives us the chance to find or reinvent ourselves and maintain a grounded inner peace.  When choosing our nourishment we need to reach for those grounding foods. A delicious and nutritious vegetable is the beloved pumpkin. This seasonal symbol gives us to many options: carving, painting, toasting seeds, making soup, and so much more – all creating moments that are fulfilling to the soul while benefiting from incredible nutrients. Loaded with vitamins, minerals and proteins, let’s welcome this grounding vegetable back into our lives and kitchens.

october-newsletter-wow

By Sara Colletti, Hamptons Wellness on Wheels

What’s in Your Lunchbox?

/in /by

Healthy eating habits are important to us at Shine and we believe it’s crucial to introduce them to children as early as possible. That isn’t to say we don’t love a home-baked cookie or piece of candy from Dylan’s here and there, but knowing how to make the right choices will set the foundation for a lifetime of good eating habits. There are a lot of methods we employ when teaching our students about making good choices. The number one: COOK WITH YOUR KIDS! Allowing children to work in the kitchen… mixing, measuring, tasting, and creating delicious and nutritious meals will give them a hands-on lesson and make eating something healthy more rewarding because they made it! Bari Snyder, a literacy coach and reading specialist is also an avid home cook. Here she provides another fun way to get children involved in making healthy eating choices.

Continue to shine your light –
Aaron Goldschmidt, founder & director

 

It’s that time of year again! Summer is almost over and school will be What's in Your Lunchboxback in session before you know it! The stresses of packing a lunch can take a toll on parent and child. However, representing the five food groups in a lunchbox can be easy and fun! Let your children be a part of the selection and packing process. Using the Food Guide Pyramid, create healthy lunches for your child(ren) with foods that they enjoy!

To add some excitement and surprise to your child’s lunch, put their favorite foods on an index card.

  1. Print pictures of food your child will eat from each food group or cut them out of a magazine.
  2. Glue pictures onto an index card.
  3. On the other side of the index card, write what food group that particular food is from.
  4. Your child will “Pick a card, any card” to determine what will be in their lunch box that day!

No complaints when the choices have been pre-approved by them!

By Bari Snyder, Literacy Coach and Reading Specialist

Creamsicle Cubes

/in , /by

August is halfway over and the school year is just around the corner. Before we all get back into the grind there are still a few more weeks left to enjoy the pleasures of summer. August 14 is National Creamsicle Day and what better pleasure than this American treat!? Here, chef and Shine nutrition specialist, Katie Letts, shares her recipe for creamsicle cubes.

Enjoy the remainder of the summer shine –
Aaron Goldschmidt, founder & director

In celebration of National Creamsicle Day, try making these tasty frozen treats with your little one.  They’re great in a cold glass of root beer, or simply enjoyed by themselves!

Creamsicle CubesIngredients:
(Makes 14 cubes)

  • 1 cup unsweetened orange juice
  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ cup sugar

You’ll also need:

  • Medium-sized metal mixing bowl, cold
  • Hand mixer (or hand whisk)
  • Rubber spatula
  • Ice cube tray

Read more

ServicesEventsAboutBlogContact
212-414-5427
info@shinenyc.net
For Media Inquiries, Contact media@shinenyc.net
Location New York, NY 10036
Location Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Follow Us
FacebookTwitterPinterestInstagramYoutube

Site Map | Copyright ©2021 Shine Creative, Inc.

Website and SEO by RazorRank