What's Cool: Tristin + Tyler Rock the Kids Food Festival!

This past weekend the boys cooked a fruit-topped, healthy snack for kids during their live (yes, live!) demonstration at the Kids Food Festival called SNACK ATTACK: Fun Snacks for Kids, By Kids. You know those times when your kid is SO hungry after school that you have to have a snack prepared, or you send them to an afterschool program with an extra snack? Well that's what their demo was all about -- teaching kids how to make a healthy snack right after school with little to no help from parents!  It was so great to watch the boys have fun on stage, teach kids about cooking and eating healthy and actually see festival-goers love what the boys made!

Tristin + Tyler made mini waffle bites topped with fruit and a drizzle of honey. What I love most about this recipe is that it's super easy, and kids can add whatever fruit they want! Want to try it? Here's the recipe:

Ingridients:  Frozen mini waffle bites + Fruit of Choice + Honey

Instructions:

Toast the mini waffles in a toaster

Use kid-friendly knife to chop fruit (we used: mangos, bananas and strawberries)

Top toasted waffle with chopped fruit

Drizzle honey on top!

Will you try this easy recipe? It's a great intro to cooking recipe! Do your kids cook? Check out the rest of the photos from the event below.

Cooking w/ Tristin + Tyler: Freshmade NYC

It can be a bit difficult to get kids to eat their veggies. Actually, it's not too hard for Tristin, but Tyler tries to avoid veggies whenever he can, so I loved shooting a fun cooking video with Cara and Thomas of Freshmade NYC. Cara and Thomas have tons of ideas on how to make eating healthy fun! We headed to their gorgeous kitchen and learned how to make Korean pancakes called Pajeons. The boys LOVE pancakes, so adding the veggie twist was a great way to make pancakes healthy. Want to learn more? Watch our video, and make sure your kiddies take our fun quiz at the end to see if they were paying attention! Make sure to visit Freshmade NYC here, they cater events, have workshops AND do birthday parties. Awesome, huh? 

How do you get your kiddos to eat healthy? Do you have a way of sneaking it in, or do they eat it voluntarily? Enjoy (and please share) the video!!! xx

PAJEON RECIPE

Ingredients:

I teaspoon of sea salt

1 teaspoon of white pepper

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

2 cups flour

1 egg

1 teaspon of Tamari

1 teaspoon of Sesame oil

Add your chopped vegetables (carrot, bell pepper, scallions, etc)

 

Directions: 

In a medium bowl, mix the ingridients above until a smooth batter is formed. 

Stir in veggies.  Heat a little olive oil over medium heat, cook pancakes in batches.

Tyler on the FOOD NETWORK!

Tristin and Tyler can definitely get cooking, but a kids cooking challenge with Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri on the Food Network? How cool is that??  Tyler was cast in a fun commercial to promote a special Food Network Event called Rachael vs. Guy Kids Cookoff.  8 kids, with some serious cooking skills, battle it out in the kitchen for a chance to have their very own webseries on the Food Network's website. Awesome, huh?  Check out Tyler dressed up as chef and Food Network personality Guy Fieri!  Don't you love the hair!??  Watch the commercial and check out behind-the-scenes photos below and make sure to tune into the show on September 8th at 8pm! It's a great way to show kids that if they pursue what they love, they can do anything.

Earth Day 2013: Green Festival

This Earth Day, and really for the entire month of April, Tristin and Tyler were all about town, from donating to those in need, heading to Green Festival and having a Picnic for Earth, these boys celebrated Earth Day like nevah before!

Green Festival happens in New York City every year. From great demonstrations from the eco-conscious community, activities for kids and a green fashion show, Green Festival was the place to be to join a community of folks who care about the health of individuals, and the planet. We spent a ton of time on Instagram sharing our day, did you follow us yet???

I loved the Green Kids Zone, great place for kids to chill out, make recycled crafts and even get a little exercise.

My favorite demonstration was by our pal, vegan chef, Leslie Durso. Remember the fun cooking episode we did with her here? Her demonstration reminded me that I could eliminate meat from my diet and substitute it with some delicious options. The boys LOVED her vegan "meat" balls (so did I). In addition to knowing her stuff about going vegan, Leslie is super funny and down to earth. Who else would jump with the boys in those heels and that awesome dress?  Definitely check out her website!

My two favorite products at Green Fest were our awesome Dhana Eco Kids and Sea Snax! Dhana gave T&T these awesome Earth Day tees. In the tree are words like responsible, sustainable - I love it. They are 100% and super soft!

Who knew about seaweed snacks? My Instagram and twitter pals seemed to know what they were and even Tristin was familiar. Where have I been? Anyway, delish! They are so light, airy and healthy. We tried the Sea Snax brand. Have you tried them?

Overall, we had a ball at Green Fest! What did you do? Even if you didn't run around the festival, did you make to take a green step?  We hope so!

Stay tuned for our post on our Picnic for Earth and ofcourse, more deets on the boys' outfits! :)

3 Ways to Have Fun Grocery Shopping with Kids

I was in the supermarket last week and saw a mom having so much trouble getting her child to listen to her. He threw groceries she didn't need  in the cart and ran around and bumped into people. He just refused to listen to her. I felt so bad.

I've been lucky that the boys are pretty well-mannered, but sometimes you need to get kids involved or focused on something so they feel needed.

Here are 3 ways to have fun grocery shopping with kids (yes, it can be enjoyable!):

1. Use the alphabet and ask your child to find food that starts with a particular letter all the while holding on to the shopping cart. If they let go of the cart, they lose the game. A is for apple, B is for blueberries and so on.

2. Ask your child to make up funny recipes (as they hold on to the cart). You pick a food and ask your child to add weird things that just wouldn't taste good. Like a banana split, with brussel sprouts and mac and cheese. Ick! Kids love when adults are grossed out!

3. For smaller kids, try matching shapes and colors. Pick one fruit or vegetable and ask your child to find similar colors and/or shapes in the supermarket! Again, they have to hold on to the cart!

The best part about this activity is that after you've done it once, the kids will always want to do it because they associate the supermarket with the games. At the end, give your child a prize. Maybe a little trinket they really wanted, or a cookie. But remember, they only get the reward if they hold on to the cart and complete the activity.

Cooking with Tristin & Tyler: How to Make Rainbow Fruit Sticks

Yup, it's official, we have saved the cutest guest on Cooking with Tristin & Tyler for last! Today, meet Hannah of Today I Ate A Rainbow.

Hannah is no stranger to being in the kitchen and making healthy snacks because her and her mom Kia have created the Rainbow Kit which helps remind kids to eat a rainbow of fruits and veggies everyday!  In this episode of Cooking with Tristin & Tyler, Hannah reports all the way from Canada and shares a fun snack that kids can make with adults, or with friends at a playdate! I love when kids get their hands messy (as long as they don't wipe their hands on their clothes, ha!).

Check out the video below and then tell Tristin and Tyler: What do you think of Hannah? Isn't she AWESOME!?? Do your kids eat a rainbow of fruits and veggies each day? I think my kids get about half a rainbow each day, I've gotta get to work! Please comment below and share the video!

Fun and Fit in the City with The Food Network!

This weekend was exceptionally awesome! Tristin and Tyler got a chance to attend the Fun and Fit in the City event hosted by Target which was part of the New York Food and Wine Festival. The goals of the event were to teach families healthy receipe tips for their children and to get kids active.  The boys had a ball engaging in all of the activities like a HUGE Twister game, bike races and obstacle courses.  They also had a chance to watch cooking demos by Food Network stars Guy Fieri, Rachel Ray, and Sunny Anderson and they got to meet Melissa d'Arabian, Reed Alexander and Giada De Laurentiis.  Check out the photos below and video to see what healthy and yummmy tips the boys learned at the event!