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Cooking healthy meals is one of the top priorities in our house. We get better and better at it all the time!

I love bringing in the kids to help. We’ve actually done a few things to help them get involved.

1) Each week as I’m planning the meal I ask each member of our family what they would like me to make. They like being able to have a say in what goes into our nightly meals. We discuss until we agree!

2) Helping cook. They love love this! O’Bear has become an expert at cracking eggs. C’Man likes preparing the salad. They both think it’s awesome to pour and mix! I am thrilled to have little helpers!

3) Choosing a veggie and fruit. We always make sure there is at least one vegetable and one kind of fruit with our meal. I really try and mix things up so nobody ever gets bored.

4) Trying new foods. I have to admit that when I was a kid, I hated trying new foods and vowed I would never make my kids. This makes me smile as I think about this. I always make my boys try new things and they are pretty good at doing so! They sometimes find that they actually do LIKE it!

5) Hidden veggies. Last week I made turkey meatballs with hidden carrots, green peppers, and onions. They love meatballs and did not know all that healthy stuff was in there!

Overall, I am happy with our healthy cooking habits. We do have junk nights, especially when we are on the go and use some frozen foods too. Buying as much fresh and organic as I can is my weekly goal and I am doing better at it all the time.

My kids like rice a lot. I find I do use it as chicken sides, stir-frys, and of course Chinese. We have tried to go to all Brown Rice and/or whole grain rice too! Uncle Ben’s brand we use the most. Here is a fun contest they are having right now!

To empower and encouage parents to connect with their kids, one meal at a time, Uncle Ben’s has launched an exciting national contest called Ben’s Beginners! By entering the contest, you could win $20,000, along with a $50,000 grant towards a cafeteria makeover for your child’s school. In addition, you will have a chance to appear onThe Rachael Ray show! Uncle Ben’s is calling for parents with children ages 5-12 to submit a 2-3 minute video of you cooking a rice-based dish with your children.

Fun! Will you submit an entry?

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Uncle Ben’s blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here