Why I Cook With My Kids {+ An Introduction to KidStir}

***Product received for consideration. Post contains affiliate links. All Thoughts are 100% my own. 

When I was first married at nineteen years old, I like so many in my generation, had no idea how to cook. I mean, I wasn't completely clueless, but well... My husband and I always tell the story of how we had rice nearly every day in that first year of marriage because it was one of the few things I knew how to prepare. It was only after he was deployed and across the globe that he finally told me he didn't like rice. 

Bless his heart.

But seriously, when it came to cooking, I was completely out of my element. And I'm certainly not the only one. So many never learned to cook before venturing out on their own, and with so many takeout options and convenience meals, many never bother to learn. After our little rice experience, I made the decision then and there that I was going to teach myself to cook, and when he arrived home from that deployment, I did just that. There were some failures along the way, but throughout the years I've gotten quite comfortable in the kitchen and have even gone from just knowing how to follow a recipe to being able to adapt and even create my own--- even if they are SIMPLE recipes.

As a mom, I decided that one thing I really wanted to accomplish was to teach my children at least the very basics of cooking and so over the last few years, I've done just that. I want my kids to know where their food comes from. I want them to appreciate the work that goes into it. I want them to develop healthy eating habits. I want them to be prepared to cook for themselves and their families when they venture out on their own. Teaching them to cook can be a great way to do all of these things. It's also a great way to have fun together too!

My daughter in particular has taken a liking to it. At just 4 years old, she insists on cooking anything and everything she can. She cracks eggs, mixes ingredients, deshells shrimp, snaps green beans... like I said, whatever she can get her hands on. She's got french toast 100% down and truly only needs me for the actual cooking. She has her own aprons and cookbooks and everything. She loves it.

When I learned about a subscription box for kids that's all about cooking, I knew it would be right up her alley.

Introducing KidStir.


Kidstir‘s mission is to educate, engage, and empower kids about good food and cooking while spending meaningful time with their families. They offer a subscription service for monthly, home-delivered cooking kits that provide hands-on food adventures for children. Their creations are tested with real families to ensure that everything is fun, learning-filled, easy to use, and absolutely delicious. Kidstir has been lauded by Food Network, Parents, FamilyFun, All Recipes, Better Homes & Gardens, Inc, NY Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Sirius XM, CoolMomPicks, SheKnows, BabyCenter, BeliefNet, Grandparents.com, Dr. Toy, AblePlay.org, Special Needs Magazine and more!

That sounds pretty amazing, right? When you subscribe, each month you will get a fun new kit to experience together. Each box includes the following:

•  A special cookbook binder to collect all your monthly recipes, foodie pages, games, activities with first order
• 3 step-by-step recipes covering all food groups
• 3 educational foodie pages
• 2 kid-sized cooking tools and themed activity materials
• A digital and printed shopping list
• 3 fun games and puzzles
•  An e-newsletter packed with recipes and printables
• Binders containing 12 chapter dividers: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, appetizers, salads, sides, soups, bakery, drinks, desserts, celebrations
• Two year subscription to FamilyFun, Parents, or EveryDay with Rachael Ray Magazine (with subscription). 

Take a look inside February's 'We Heart Dinner Kit'.



What I love about this kit is that it truly does TEACH. It's not just something designed to make kids feel like they're cooking, but they are actually more in depth recipes but in a fun package that kids are more than capable of picking up even at a young age. The recipes are easy to follow, and fun to prepare. And the tools are great quality kitchen tools for all ages.

It's also a great price! You can purchase kits for as low as $12.95 when you get the 12 month subscription (the best price) or $15.95 for a monthly subscription. For some fun learning with the kids? That's certainly worth it in my book! And it's certainly worth the smiles too!



Want to learn more? Visit here to get your subscription started now.



Do you cook with your kids? What inspired you to start? What are your favorite meals to prepare together? How can KidStir help? Stay tuned for more topics on cooking with kids and even more fun brought to you by KidStir.