How can you turn mealtime into a family-friendly hour as opposed to an all-out war? Here are some suggestions:

* Be patient. Don’t try to force your children to eat if they refuse to finish their meal. By creating drama in the kitchen, you set a bad tone for the future. Kids will automatically think of mealtime as a negative experience and will only become more reluctant when it comes to eating. Be persistent by offering a variety of foods along with those you know they like. As new foods become familiar, your children will be more likely to try them.

* Remember, timing is everything. In the midst of a dinnertime showdown, children don’t want to hear all of the reasons why they should eat the food sitting on their plate. Try to incorporate nutrition education during other parts of the day. Bring up the issue during story time, play time or television time – not in the middle of a temper tantrum over broccoli.

* Look for “fun” foods. Scan the supermarket for foods that you know kids would enjoy. Want to get your kids to try seafood? Products like Gorton’s Popcorn Fish, bite-size fish coated in a crispy batter, appeal to children because of their fun shape and kid-friendly taste. Serving fish in this manner early on will encourage your children to keep an open mind about eating different kinds of seafood in the future.

* Set an example. While the focus may be on getting your kids to eat what is on their plate, it helps to look at your own eating habits as well. Children learn by example and often want to eat what they see grown-ups eating. Make a point to let them see you eating and enjoying the same foods you are serving them. – NU

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Kitchen chores are often among the least enjoyed and most daunting tasks. Whether you cook for one or 100, it seems the kitchen is almost always dishevelled and nearly impossible to keep clean. But by observing the following kitchen tips and tricks, you just may be able to put your woes on the back-burner and fire up some fun!

Refrigerator Basics: Out With the Old, In With the New
A sad fact that most people are loath to admit is that they have no idea what is lurking in the back of their refrigerators. Possibly the worst kitchen chore is cleaning out the leftovers and scraping the junk from the bottom of the produce trays, but it is a necessary task for a tidy kitchen, if not for a hygienic one. Set aside an hour (or a day, if need be) to purge, clean, and organize the refrigerator. Throw out all leftovers as well as any item that is past its expiration date or old enough that you can’t remember when it was purchased. Clean the trays and drawers thoroughly, then start replacing the items that were removed, but in a systematic way. Keep items with expiration dates in plain view and schedule a weekly purge.

A Well-Stocked Pantry is the Last Minute Cook’s Saving Grace
If your least favorite kitchen chore is finding meals to cook, the best course of action is to always make sure your pantry is stocked with staples. Make a list of the foods you eat most often, and keep that list with you when you do your grocery shopping. This will guarantee that you won’t accidentally forget to buy staples like peanut butter or green beans when you are out running errands.

Keep It Simple
Most kitchens have a utility drawer filled with such necessary tools as can openers, corkscrews, spatulas, and so on. However, nearly every kitchen also has a disorganized utility drawer that contains all of those items and more. It is okay to throw away pot holders with holes in them, and it is okay to get rid of a kitchen timer that doesn’t work anymore. Basically, if you have more than three of any gadget, if you have an item that you use less than twice per year, or if you have no idea what something is used for, it probably should go.

The Stove is On!
If you have decided to stop cooking with your oven because the fire alarm goes off every time you turn it on, it is probably time to clean it out. It is not fun and it is not easy, but if you do it well just once your kitchen will thank you by not making you clean the oven quite so hard for a very long time. There is no simple secret to cleaning a baked-on, caked-on oven, it just takes a lot of effort and, in some cases, a strong stomach. However, after the oven is cleaned (or thrown out and a new one purchased) it can be very simple to clean spills and keep the problem from recurring. Diligence is key. Oven liners can be purchased – these are simple sheets that are placed at the bottom of ovens and can be thrown out when covered with spills. Otherwise, you must remember to immediately clean a spill once the oven has cooled off, which is much easier than cleaning up six months worth of apple pie, lasagne, and meat loaf.

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