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Cooking With Kids

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Our family loves to cook together. From intense top chef-like competitions to making Saturday morning pancakes – we spend a LOT of time in our kitchen.

The kids enjoy cooking so much that this summer we gave them the chance to start planning and fully cooking one meal a week for the family. It’s cute to see them think up new ways to make our favorite dishes. Cooking together is messy though and always ends up costing more money than if I were to just make it myself. But the joy and the life lessons they are learning makes it so worth it. I’m excited to partner with the BuyPower Card® from Capital One to share some of our family favorite tips for cooking together and how to make your own kitchen purchases impact the future.

When we originally moved in and renovated our kitchen, the process was scary and the most expensive part of the entire house renovation, but seeing how our kitchen has become the hub of the house makes every hour of effort and every dime seem incredibly important. From sitting at the counter barstools for breakfast and talking about our days, to baking cookies in the late afternoon our kitchen has become a gathering spot where everyone has a hand in what we are doing.

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We learned early on that teaching the kids to participate in cooking the everyday things and then also throwing in a bit of the fun stuff really encourages their desire to cook. We do eggs and toast in the morning, they know how to make pasta and a simple vegetable side. But also this summer my boy wanted to try cooking a whole lobster so we did it! One day they even collected enough crayfish from the lake that we brought home to cook. Allowing them to experiment is something that has really inspired their passion for cooking.

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Here are a few tips we’ve picked up for cooking with kids:

  • Help them measure out the ingredients before hand. We will often put just enough vanilla in a glass or a manageable amount of flour in a bowl just to make the mixing and dishing process easier for them.
  • Be available but not hovering – the definition of this will depend on the kids’ ages. At 8 years old, mine can easily work the stove and cut with knives under supervision, but the oven is still a bit of a reach for their shorter arms, so we help there. Just knowing what to encourage them to do alone and what to help with has allowed the cooking process to go much smoother.
  • Allow for a little mess and fun. This one is always hard for me, but I’m working on it! They’ll learn to do things neatly and in the right order eventually, but for now let them raise the batter up to see it’s texture or put their hands in the flour as they measure it out. The messy way is sometimes the best way they can learn.

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Over the last year or so, we’ve found a number of great resources for getting the kids excited about cooking together.

Cooking, like anything you do as a family, is better when it’s done for a bigger purpose. Using the BuyPower Card from Capital One to pay for big things like a kitchen renovation and small things like a new knife set can add up to Earnings towards the purchase or lease of a new GM vehicle for your family. So while your kids are busy learning to slip eggs, you could be saving behind the scenes for something they will really need. The BuyPower Card from Capital One lets you turn anything you buy into Earnings* toward a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle!

What I love about this is that there is no limit on the Earnings amount you can earn, the Earnings don’t expire – ever! So there’s not stress to get everything done today, and you’ll receive 5% Earnings on first $5,000 in purchases every year. Then unlimited 2% Earnings on purchases after that. So make a little mess, grab a few supplies and invest in your family’s future in all the ways possible! Your future daughters and son in laws will thank you. ☺

This post is done in partnership with the BuyPower Card® from Capital One.

*BuyPower Card Earnings may not be used with fleet vehicle incentive programs or with some other offers and discounted sale programs, such as the GM Employee Discount.

♦Capital One, N.A. is the issuer of the BuyPower Card. General Motors is responsible for the operation and administration of the Earnings Program. Capital One, N.A. is not responsible for the products and/or services offered herein.

(Photography ©A Subtle Revelry by Ashlyn Savannah Photo).

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