Teens Going to College Soon? Teach Them To Cook!

By Sarah Hunt, AZFB Communications Intern

I remember when I was 18 and went grocery shopping with my mom after she helped me move into my first apartment. We got a bunch of good things, but I thought, how am I going to put all these ingredients together every day to make delicious and nutritious meals?

Thankfully, my mom had already taught me a lot of good, easy tips for making meals and snacks. But cooking is definitely a skill we are all always improving, refining, and learning more about! Read my top tips for teaching your teen to cook below.

• Teach them about the USDA’s MyPlate! It’s important to know how much protein, vegetables, grains, dairy, and fruit they should have on their plate for each meal. This will help them have the energy they need to help them get through their busy day of classes and studying.
• Make sure they have all the right kitchen tools: pots, knifes, and pans of varying sizes, a crockpot, blender, microwave, cutting boards, silverware, various kitchen utensils, oven mitts, tea towels, cups, bowls, plates, and a colander.
• Once they know the right portions and have all their tools, teach them how to cook each of the 5 food groups on MyPlate.

• Cooking Proteins: check out these easy recipes!
  • Oven BBQ Chicken Breasts
  • How To Cook Salmon in the Oven (I usually cook half a pound of salmon from the Sprouts fresh fish counter in the oven at 400° for 15-20 minutes)
  • Café Rio Sweet Pork (in crockpot)
  • Baked Ranch Chicken

• Cooking Grains: check out these easy recipes!
  • How to Cook Brown Rice: Fast and Easy
  • Dave’s Killer Bread (with plenty of options that are whole grain AND tasty!)
  • Other examples: tortillas, pasta, oatmeal, cereal, popcorn (try Skinny Pop!)

• Cooking Vegetables: check out these easy recipes!
  • Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potatoes
  • Fill Your Plate Salad Recipes
  • Oven Baked Potatoes

• Using Fruit: check out these easy recipes!
  • Tropical Fruit Salad
  • Frozen Fruit Smoothies
  • Spinach Fruit Salad

• Using Dairy: check out these easy ways to incorporate dairy!
  • Add a moderate amount of butter to vegetables
  • Drink a glass of milk (or chocolate milk) with a meal
  • Make a charcuterie board with various cheese (see here)
  • Eat cottage cheese as a side or add cream cheese to a whole grain bagel

Find more delicious, easy recipes for your teen to make on Fill Your Plate’s recipe database!