SIMPLE STEPS TO
HEALTHIER KIDS
KITCHEN GUIDE
Before you get to work on a recipe:
DO THIS
FIRST!
• WASH your hands with soap and water and dry them.
• CLEAN the countertop.
• GATHER all your kitchen gear and ingredients and put
them on the counter.
• SCRUB all the fruits and vegetables and lay them out on a
clean dish towel to dry.
• PREPARE your ingredients by chopping, measuring, or doing whatever else is needed.
Glossary
Here are some of the
cooking terms you might
see when you’re following
a recipe.
Beat means to stir rapidly to
make a mixture smooth, using
a whisk, spoon, or mixer.
Core means to remove the
stem and hard center part from
a fruit or vegetable.
Cream means to beat
ingredients, usually sugar and a
fat, until smooth and fluffy.
Diced means cut up into small
cubes or squares the size
of dice.
Minced means finely chopped.
A pinch is the small amount
you can pinch between your
finger and thumb.
Pitted or seeded means with
the pits or seeds removed.
Room temperature often
refers to refrigerated
ingredient like butter and eggs,
which work better in a recipe
if you let them sit outside the
refrigerator for an hour first.
Sauté means to fry something
gently in a little oil.
A serving is the amount of
something one person will eat.
Simmer means to cook at a
very gentle boil.
To taste means taste what
you have made and then add
more of something, often salt
or pepper.
Toss means to mix together
lightly.
Ingredient Substitutions
When you’re baking, it’s often easy to swap in healthier ingredients
(or to swap in ingredients you have for ones you don’t).
Instead of
Use
1 cup sugar
¾ cup honey or maple syrup (and reduce liquid in
recipe by ¼ cup)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk mixed with 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon
juice; let stand 5 minutes before using.
1 cup sour cream
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup white flour
7
½ cup oil
¼ cup oil plus ½ cup applesauce OR
¼ cup mashed banana
⁄8 cup whole-wheat flour
Measurement
Equivalents
When you need to know how
much of an ingredient you have or
need, it can help to know what the
different ways of measuring are.
1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons =
½ fluid ounce
¼ cup = 4 tablespoons =
2 fluid ounces
½ cup = 8 tablespoons =
4 fluid ounces
1 cup = 16 tablespoons =
8 fluid ounces = ½ pint
1 pint = 2 cups = 16 fluid
ounces = 1 pound
1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups =
32 fluid ounces
1 gallon = 4 quarts = 16 cups =
128 fluid ounces
SIMPLE STEPS TO
HEALTHIER KIDS
Stocking a Pantry.
As your budget allows, add to the non-perishable items you keep on hand. Cooking
supplies like olive oil, soy sauce, and spices might seem expensive at first, but their
flavor goes a long way. Vinegar is inexpensive and very versatile. And if you have
whole-grain pasta on hand, along with onions, garlic, and some canned basics—beans,
tuna, sardines, tomatoes—an inexpensive nutritious meal is never far away.
Keep it Fresh.
Try This!
Where should you store your
ingredients to keep them
fresh-tasting for longer?
A slow cooker can be a worthwhile
investment, since it allows you to
assemble a simple meal in the morning—
soup, stew, casserole—which cooks by
itself while you go to work or go about
your day.
Nut or seed butter: refrigerator
Nuts or seeds: freezer
Onions and garlic: dark cabinet
Spices and dried herbs: dark cabinet
or drawer
Vegetable oil: refrigerator
Whole-grain flour: refrigerator
or freezer
Did You Know?
Grapes have lots of water in them—
that’s why they’re so juicy! Because
raisins are grapes without the water,
a serving of dried fruit is half of what
a serving of the fresh fruit would be.
(This is true for all dried fruits.)
Everyone needs plenty of fruits
and vegetables! 1½ cups a day
for kids ages 4-8; and 2-3 cups
a day for older kids, teens, and
grown-ups.
WHAT IS A ½ CUP FRUIT
OR VEGETABLES?
Apples: 1 small
Carrots: 1 medium or 6 baby
Celery: 1 large stalk
Greens (raw leafy): 1 cup
Oranges: ½ large
Peppers: 1 small
Raisins: ¼ cup
Potatoes: ½ large
Tomatoes: 1 medium
MyPlate
FRUITS: oranges, grapefruit, apples,
grapes, berries, bananas, melons, tomatoes
To help us keep an eye on healthy eating,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
MyPlate illustrates the different food groups
as they might appear on a plate. Keep this
picture in mind when you’re serving yourself
food, so you end up with a balanced meal.
(It’s okay to think about nutrition over the
course of a day, and not just a single meal.)
Don’t forget: avoid huge portions, skip
sugary drinks, make half your plate fruits
and vegetables, and get some exercise!
VEGETABLES: lettuce, broccoli, kale, carrots,
green beans, peas, plantains, squash
GRAINS: pasta, rice, breads, tortillas, cereals, oatmeal, bulgur, cornmeal
DAIRY: milk, cheese, yogurt
PROTEIN: meat, chicken, fish, tofu, eggs,
beans, nuts, seeds
For more information,
go to www.choosemyplate.gov
Content provided by ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families, a nonprofit quarterly magazine
with a mission to inspire and teach kids to cook real food with their families. www.chopchopmag.org.
All Photos ©Thinkstock 141449 02/15