Published: December 9, 2016 | Updated: May 9, 2019
For a lot of busy families, cooking a healthy dinner gets put on the back burner (and I’m not talking about the one on the stove). Who’s got time to think of a healthy recipe in the midst of the day-to-day of a modern working family?
Sitting down to a nightly meal as a family has many long-lasting benefits for kids, though. And when you can get your kids in on the cooking action, it is a win-win for family fun.
That’s where the ChopChop Cooking Club comes in. The free club can help you create healthy meals and memories with your family. Families are invited to participate in the program that teaches kids basic cooking skills and encourages healthy eating while spending quality time together. Kids also can earn prizes for participating in weekly cooking challenges.
How it works
After signing up for the club online, a new recipe will appear in your inbox each month. All ChopChop members make the same recipe while learning different essential cooking skills along the way. Each recipe is great for beginner cooks, and ChopChop is there to help every step of the way with tips, advice, food facts and activities.
Complete the recipe challenge and upload a picture of your finished product to your ChopChop profile. Once it is approved, you will earn a virtual badge for that recipe. Badges celebrate cooking skills, including whisking, roasting, mixing, measuring and grating.
The cherry on top
After finishing six challenges, you’ll be eligible to win prizes, including many essential cooking tools for your kitchen.
Becoming a Blender Boss
I signed up for the ChopChop Cooking Club with my 2-year-old son, Walker. As a nutritionist, I know the importance of getting the right nutrients in your daily diet through healthy meals. But, even I struggle with finding time to cook meals for my family. This program has challenged my family to carve out time to have fun in the kitchen together while teaching Walker that it is easy and fun to eat healthfully.
The first challenge was for the Blender Boss badge. To earn it, we made the Berry Bold Banana Smoothie. The recipe was easy to follow with minimal ingredients or cooking tools to fuss with. Making it with Walker was a lot of fun and a little bit messy, but the end result was a tasty smoothie that we both enjoyed. (You can see from the picture that Walker did not want to use a straw, but I promise he enjoyed his smoothie!)
We are looking forward to earning more badges as the weeks go on. Stay tuned for a recap of our experience earning new badges each week.
ChopChop Cooking Club is sponsored by Norton Children’s Prevention and Wellness