Reuniting Kids w/ Nature - Squash & Tomato Bake

INGREDIENTS:
Tomatoes, squash or zucchini, potatoes, tofu (organic and optional), basil, olive oil, salt and pepper.  You will also need a pan (a lasagna pan works perfectly), and some foil.

TIME FRAME:
20 minutes prep + 60 minutes to bake


PROCEDURE:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil in the bottom of your pan.  
3. Then, slice your tomatoes, squash and potatoes into rounds about 1/4 –1/2 inch thick 
4. If you are adding tofu, slice that up now, too.
5. Lay all of your slices into your pan so they overlap but don’t cover each other completely.
6. Chop up your basil and add it the top of your slices.
7. Sprinkle some olive oil on top, and add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Cover the pan with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes (set your timer!).
9. After 30 minutes is up, carefully remove the foil and set your timer for another 30 minutes.
10. Carefully remove your pan from the oven and enjoy!

REFLECTION:
How often do you help in the kitchen?  How does it feel to cook your own food?  What’s your favorite thing to cook?  How often do you eat vegetarian meals?

CONNECTIONS:  

When you cook at home instead of eating out at a restaurant, you not only get to pick and choose your ingredients, but it’s a lot more cost effective!   Win, win!

TIDBITS:  

If you don’t already, consider eating vegetarian from time to time. Eating at least one vegetarian meal a week can help cut down on pollution and the harm done to the earth caused by fertilizers and the amount of resources needed to produce the large quantities of meat consumed in the United States every day.  Also, eating seasonally helps to cut down on the costs of transporting various fruits and veggies across the country (and world) and ensures that the food you're eating is at it's freshest and most nutrient rich!  Small changes (like one veggie meal a week or eating seasonally whenever possible) can add up and make a big difference for our environment! 

TIPS & IMAGININGS: 

Try using different vegetable in your “bake”!  What are your favorite veggies?  Could they be added to this dish easily?  Is there an item you don’t like in the dish and would like to trade out for another? Feel free to experiment!  Cooking should be fun AND tasty!

This activity is part of a series of low cost, hands on activities that can be used by anyone who has a passion for nature and who believes that a child's time spent in nature is not only important, but necessary.  Each activity was either created by me or gathered from a variety of sources.  You can find the complete list of all of the activities on my Nature Activities tab.

xoxo,

M

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