We have had such great feedback on Claire’s Foodie rules that we published in Who’s Cooking Tonight? that we have put them together on a youTube. We think the foodie rules are where common sense and science collide – and they are certainly presented in ‘teen-speak’. Over the next few months we will also share other YouTube on topics like…

• what you need to know so your food won’t kill you
• shopping tips
• reading labels

Please let us know if you have suggestions for future topics…

It is exceptionally exciting to be named as a finalist in the highly prestigious NZ Post Children’s Book Award.  Who’s Cooking Tonight? is one of five  finalists in the non-fiction category. This award is for books which present well-authenticated data, with consideration given to imaginative presentation, interpretation and style.

This is an amazing honor for us. We don’t think there has been a food book to make this before so that makes it even more special.

From my perspective it feels awesome to be acknowleged by such a great group of judges in such a wonderful award. There is an additional category of Children’s Choice – so I would so appreciate if you could encourage our child to  vote on line (Thanks!!)

The full press release is available below.

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Girlfriend magazine has named the young NZ list  - Young, Awesome and Kiwi As!!! – and guess what …  Claire is on it! Along with big  names like Shannon Ryan, Gin Wigmore, Brooke Fraser and Maria Tutaia – they have identified these 21 New Zealanders as successful, inspiring young Kiwis who are remarkable and doing this country proud in their unique way!!! One thing they say all these New Zealanders have in common  - is that they are going to take on the world!!

As a parent I can only say I am incredibly proud of the role that Claire is playing in inspiring other kids her age to cook and take an interest in nutrition … go Claire!!

Target audience extending well beyond just teens...

We have been overwhelmed at the positive feedback we have been getting from everywhere  ( media,  teens, parents and teachers)  about the new book. Seems we have ‘hit the nerve’ on an issue that has been bothering many of us for a while – ‘how do I  ensure my children get basic food skills’??? I am delighted we are able to play a part in getting your child into the kitchen.

We have done so much research and testing for this project that we knew we were on target with teens  but an unexpected bonus of the book is the number of men who ‘like the basic food and instructions’  and huge following of younger kids who are using the book too…  I especially like this message…

“My 10yr old daughter loves the book and we have made two of the recipes so far, the 7yr son isn’t keen to cook yet but happy to eat it as it comes from the “cool” book” Jane, Christchurch

I love it – to me that sort of unexpected success and feedback is what it is all about!!

Thanks Glenda

I’ve asked a bit lately how this project has come about…

Mid way through 2009 Claire wanted all her favorite recipes together in one place before she left home. As she was doing that we decided it would be fun to develop a strategy to teach teenagers to cook. Since then it has been an incredible learning curve for both Claire and I  - Claire  learning from me about food and me learning from Claire about teens! My experience in food, nutrition and cooking combined with Claire’s ability to motivate and engage with kids her age is proving to be a great combination.

So many fantastic opportunities have come our way that is hard to believe it is only just over a year since we thought we would do this.

We have no doubt at all that there is a huge need to teach teenagers to cook. We acknowledge there are literally hundreds of  other fabulous food sites and recipe books that whilst being perfect for adults are not quite right for teenagers. Teens are different and need a different style ( as any parent will vouch ‘minimum effort maximum effect’ seems to be their motto on everything!).

With the launch of our  first hard copy book Who’s Cooking Tonight? just around the corner – it will be available at the end of this month – we are really excited about what the next year will bring!

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE OF OUR PROJECT!

An Australian Study has identified some of the barriers to vegetable consumption.  Coming as no surprise, this study adds weight to the argument that children need repeated exposure  to vegetables, and encouragement to learn to cook  in order  to develop eating habits that include vegetables.

Several suggestions, including trying a range of strategies, involving children in the kitchen  and the role parents and friends  to encourage  children to eat vegetables are included in the report.

“Research shows that by involving children in growing, preparing and cooking vegetables, they will also be encouraged to eat them. Almost 40 per cent of young families interviewed stated that their children were encouraging them to purchase more vegetables as a result of the strategies.”

Families battle against kids not eating their vegies

Almost 50 percent of families with children under the age of 15 find that their children’s eating habits are a key barrier against their household consuming more vegetables, a vegetable industry report has revealed.

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This is a really basic concept our kids (and a lot of adults!?!) need to grasp  - this graphic explains it really easily…

This is an excert from Claire’s book Who’s Cooking Tonight? – from the section which interprets nutrition messages into ‘teen’ speak’. We have put this in front of teams of teens to check that they understand clearly what we are communicating. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive –  ”you need to know if you eat too much your body will store excess as fat”  - and most teens know - that’s not good! They all related well to the ‘see-saw’ balance idea.