Cooking with Kids and Blue Apron

Disclaimer – This is a sponsored post brought to you by Blue Apron.  All opinions are 100% my own. 

Mom guilt has been so real this last month.  I felt like I wasn’t spending enough time with the big boys and it was eating away at me.  We can all say “Oh but Katie you just had a baby!” but in reality….I simply missed them.  I missed doing special little things with them.  I missed seeing them experiencing new things and trying out new skills.  It is hands-down my favorite part of being a mom….watching the kids literally grow right before my eyes.  Also it makes me cry and scream STOP GROWING! but you fellow moms understand that bittersweet moment.  We can feel torn.  It’s part of the job.

So when our Blue Apron box arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted to do….I wanted to cook with my kids!  So many friends and family have been generous after Ella arrived and brought us such delicious meals that I feel like I haven’t cooked at all….so this was sort of our way of getting back into the swing of things in the kitchen. (PS, I have a special discount at the bottom of the post for you guys to enjoy cooking with the family too!)

If you are new to the world of delivery meals, Blue Apron is the gold standard.  Blue Apron is a service that allows you to choose meals for 2 people or for a family and can be prepared at home in 40 minutes or less.  Each of their meals is designed by a chef and all of the fresh artisan chosen ingredients are sent right to your house. Each week there are 8 delicious recipes to choose from, and you can mix and match any combination to choose your favorites!

The items arrive in a refrigerated box and everything is measured out so there is no waste.  And speaking of no waste….all of Blue Apron packaging can be recycled!  If you don’t already have a recycling option in your community, you can return your packaging for free to Blue Apron via USPS.  Click here to learn more.

The key to cooking with kids is to have lots of tasks that aren’t dangerous.  This Chicken Sandwich meal with buttermilk dressing and roasted carrot fries is one that had super easy prep and was appropriate for my 7 and 4 year old.  Plus…I was craving some ciabatta 🙂

First, we got out all the ingredients.  Since Will can read now, he was eager to double check all the instructions 🙂

I started them on alternating tasks….hello teamwork!  Weston got to wash the carrots, Will got to peel them.  I sliced the bread and Weston got to put the rolls on the pan.

Can we just talk about Ciabatta bread for a second!?  I know it’s not my hormones speaking….ciabatta is what dreams are made of!  I bet my bottom dollar that it will be in heaven.  And I’m fairly certain that it will be gluten free, sugar free and calorie free there 🙂  I love me some fresh Ciabatta.

When time came for the cutting, it is always a little nerve wracking.  I always say that it’s best to teach those kind of things first by showing….then by guiding….then by letting.  And Will did awesome.  Still has all nine of his fingers 🙂  I kid I kid….but seriously, he is learning to be a chef and is doing a mighty fine job!  He said that he is gonna cook for us all the time when he gets older and I was like OH HECK YES.

Weston really liked lining up the carrot fries…..he is my lining-up-kid.  Everything is always lined up in rows.

Oh and here is a tip for you guys if you are cooking with kids…..save an empty olive oil bottle.  You can measure out exactly how much you need for a particular dish and pour it in the empty one….that way the kids aren’t dumping seventeen dollars worth of oil on your dish.  It also teaches them how to properly ‘drizzle’ 🙂

One of the things I was very excited about was to see the boys take so much time appreciating the fresh vegetables.  They look serious because they were making sure that each leaf was super clean!

Weston also got to have a chance to cut…this time it was the lettuce.  I was able to help guide the lettuce knife (if you don’t have one of these, it’s a great tool for teaching kids how to cut!) and my Munch has never been more proud 🙂

I mean…look at that focus getting all that lettuce in the bowl.  I hope he is like that when it comes to the SATs one day!

Next came mixing up the buttermilk dressing.  Yum.  Ciabatta and homemade buttermilk dressing.  Guys this is making me hungry again!

Since everything is remeasured, it is really easy for kids.  And if kids can do it, anyone can!

Stealing smooches….note that he doesn’t stop stirring because #priorities

Since the boys were stirring the dressing, I was able to pop the chicken on the stove top and get it cooking….

Then as the chicken cooked, we did the final steps…..drizzling more olive oil on the bread….

Popping that in the oven…

Just in time to get that pan seared chicken off the heat….YUM.

Once everything was ready, it was time for assembly.  The boys were so into this part.  They made it a competition….of course….who will make the best sandwich.  Will announced that he was going to make mine….

  

And Weston made his very first EVER sandwich and served it up to his Daddy 🙂  Jeremy appreciated the extra sauce I am sure!

GUYS.  My kids made this meal.  It is like Top Chef Kids in my kitchen and I got to squeeze in so many kisses and hugs and it was the best thing ever!!!  Plus, I got to eat….which is like a bonus on top of a bonus.

I had completely forgotten how that feels….the moment when you serve up a special meal to your parents…how it makes you feel so big and capable and proud of yourself.  That is how food works….serving others is really such a special thing!

  

And then the boys were quick to make their own meals and scarf them down.  It’s amazing how you can get a kid to eat a vegetable if they cook it!

And yes, my big kid over here….the one that inhales Little Debbies like air….he said that it was actually one of the best sandwiches he has had!  So we are gonna definitely save that recipe card and use it in the future.  And remember that they have lots of recipes online for you to use!  Future ciabatta guys!

Every week the folks at Blue Apron are coming out with new and delicious meals and they wanted to give you guys a discount!  Maybe this will help with holiday food prep….one less meal to plan!  Or maybe you want to send it to that family member who loves to cook but hates the crowds.  You could even enter to win and use it to bless a family in need!  Here you go….

• First 50 Bower Power readers will get three (3) free meals on their first Blue Apron order!  CLICK HERE!

And I’d love to hear how you guys rid yourself of mom guilt!  Is it that you do a fun activity?  Have you tried cooking with your kids?  Was it a complete success or utter disaster?  I definitely felt like I could handle two kids in the kitchen but any more and it would have been too tricky.  I have to admit – it was great to have as a distraction on a Sunday afternoon when the three little ones were napping!  It made dinner easy and ready to go!  Plus to hear Will say that he would cook for me all the time was like music to my ears!  Now if only one of these kids would offer to do the dishes 🙂

Happy cooking!