Today was a great chance for the class to sit down together and discuss what they want to get out of the class. We talked mainly about the recipes that the class wanted, although we also touched on some of the other skills they will be learning, like budgeting and planning. I hope all of them are as excited as I am to get learning.

Our first recipe for the class was an Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie. The recipe was pretty simple (milk, yogurt, a sprinkle of brown sugar, some spices, and oatmeal), but that just let us dive even more deeply into each ingredient. Most of the class decided they wanted to try each ingredient on its own first. Emma noticed that the pumpkin pie spice reminded her of gingerbread, while others thought of tea or cinnamon rolls. However, I encouraged everyone to try just a taste of the spice by itself, which was a bit of a shock. We discussed how some spices taste great but are incredibly bitter, which explains the sugar in the recipe. Amelia tried the oatmeal and thought it was tasty, if a little plain. Aarya decided she wanted to go lighter on the oatmeal, since she didn’t like the flavor very much. Antonella noticed that the oatmeal dried her mouth out, which led to a great discussion of how oats soak up liquids and give the smoothie a creamy texture. When it came time to write our names on our individual cups, Plout was quick to remind everyone to write on the outside, since the chemicals could be toxic. Once we started measuring out the ingredients, Maria, remembering how bitter the spices were, measured out the dash of spice in her hand first, just to make sure she didn’t put too much in. Emma did say, however, that since Maria’s smoothie was bigger, she could probably handle more spice. Then it was time to blend it up!

As we enjoyed our smoothies, the class began to talk about what they would do differently if they did it again. Plout thought he had gone too light on the spice and would step it up next time. Amelia wanted more milk in hers, just because it was a little hard to drink. Antonella realized that the yogurt was key to hers, since she wanted it thick but thought the oatmeal didn’t add any flavor. Maria agreed that she wanted less oatmeal, but wanted to step up the raisins instead of the yogurt. Emma wished she had used less sugar, as did Aarya, since they both thought it was a little too sweet. These are the exact kind of realizations and discussions I am looking for from this class.

We are not meeting next week, but the following week we are making our aprons. If you have an old shirt that could be cut up to make an apron, send it in and we’ll use it. If not, I’ll have some extra shirts your child can use. To be clear, these shirts will be cut up, so don’t send in anything you want back in one piece. Have a great night and happy eating!