Chrissie cooking competition!

November 27, 2020

Enjoy the many benefits of cooking with your kids this Christmas for your chance to win.

Crunch&Sip and the WA School Canteen Association (WASCA) are encouraging canteens, teaching staff, parents, and children to get creative in the kitchen and enter our healthy Christmas snacks competition. Create healthy Christmas themed snacks for a chance to win some great prizes.

You can enter via one of the three methods listed below;

Post a photo or video of your Healthy Christmas themed snack as a ‘comment’ on one of the 3 competition posts promoted by the official Crunch&Sip^® Facebook page or the official WA School Canteen Associations Facebook page.
Private message (Messenger) your entry to the official Crunch&Sip^® Facebook page or the official WA School Canteen Association Facebook page
Email your entry to schools@cancerwa.asn.au with the subject line [Healthy Christmas snacks competition]

Food pictured in the photo must be classified as a green item under the Department of Education’s Healthy Food and Drink Policy. WASCA can provide advice on green items; email wasca@education.wa.edu.au or call 08 9264 4999.

See our competition T&Cs here.

Cooking together allows kids to practice their fine motor skills, improve their reading skills, and use maths and science concepts. It also allows you to promote healthy eating and start teaching your child important life skills around food preparation.

We know cooking with kids requires an extra spoonful of time and patience, and is often a little messy so don’t forget these top tips to guarantee success.

Allow plenty of time

Learning to cook is all about trial and error so give yourself lots of time to enjoy the process together, and remember to be patient when mistakes happen. Put on some Christmas carols and get busy making some special memories.

Prepare yourself

Be organised and get all of your equipment set up before you begin. Depending on the age of your child it may even be worth preparing all of your ingredients and quantities ahead of time. Kids over the age of 5 should be able to help weigh and measure ingredients and will enjoy putting their skills to the test.

Talk about food safety

Getting ready for cooking is a great opportunity to talk to kids about food safety. This includes using a clean surface, washing hands both before and after, tying back long hair, and keeping little fingers out of mouths (at least until they have finished helping!)

Expect mess

Mess is an important part of the process. It takes time to learn to whisk an egg or sift flour so that it actually ends up in the bowl. Just throw on some old clothes or wear an apron, and don’t worry about cleaning up until the end.

Let go of perfection

Remember the final product is going to be its own special creation, so let go of perfection and enjoy the process. Be sure to build your kids confidence by telling them they are doing a great job.

Take time to enjoy together

Make a lovely fuss and take time to enjoy what you’ve made. Why not invite family or friends over to share in the experience? When children feel pride in their kitchen creation this helps them develop independence and a positive experience of cooking.

Christmas Pitas

Ingredients:

4 pieces of pita bread or tortilla wraps
2 Avocados
A squeeze of lemon juice
16 Pretzel sticks
An assortment of raw vegetables (i.e. capsicum, cherry tomatoes, carrot, cucumber, frozen peas)

Method:

Cut Pitas into quarters so they create a triangle-like shape, then set aside.
In a small bowl, mash avocado flesh and a squeeze of lemon juice with a fork until combined and spreadable.
Cut raw vegetables into small shapes, you may like long thin strips to use as tinsel, and then some cut into small triangles or circles to use as baubles.
Decorate your pita tree! Spread avocado onto the triangle pitas. Then use the cut up vegetables to decorate your tree.
Plate your Christmas pitas, then add the final touch of the pretzel stick at the bottom of your triangle as the trunk.

Reindeer Pikelets