Cooking with Teens and Making No Bake Cheesecake with Trix Too!
This post is sponsored by General Mills. All opinions are my own.
As moms it’s hard to watch our little ones grow, it becomes even more challenging when they enter their teen years and are much busier – driving, after-school activities, jobs, homework, dates, etc. It often becomes harder to connect with them and create moments that will become memories for years to come.
Cooking with Teens and Creating Memories in the Kitchen
One thing that always brings people together across generations, political lines, ethnicities, and ages is food. Food is one of our great mediators; we can bond while we prepare and while we eat it as well. From ice cream sundaes to popcorn for the movie to a five-course meal – getting in the kitchen with your teen gives you both a chance to decompress and share. Before they head off to college, careers, and families of their own you definitely want to create and share some memories, and in the kitchen is a great place to start.
So how do you entice a busy teen into the kitchen with you? Sometimes all it takes is an invitation, a big steaming bowl of pasta, or a no-bake dessert that’s colorful and tasty to catch their interest. Other times you will have to put in a little more effort. Here are five ideas to start cooking with teens that will help you get your child into the kitchen making memories.
Tips for Cooking with Teens
Let them be the boss –Once a week turn head chef duties over to your teen. Let them choose the menu and take the lead on preparing the meal while you slip into your assistant role as sous chef.
Pick a theme – Have theme nights where you prepare dinner together to serve to the family. Choose a country to highlight, family favorite dishes, or something to go along with the movie for family movie night.
Put your signature on it – While you are cooking with teens, come up with a family signature dish together. Use your favorite ingredients, make something that is in line with your heritage, or something wild pulled totally out of random ideas.
Make a Family Cookbook – Create a cookbook of old family recipes or new ones, like a No-Bake Trix Cheesecake you create together, scrapbook style, for them as a keepsake. You can either make it with them or surprise them with the end result, what a great keepsake for them to take with them to college and when setting up their first home.
Cooking Lessons – Take a cooking class or two together. Learn some new culinary techniques then bring them home to practice in your own kitchen. Look around in your area and you will likely find a cooking class of one sort or another, even if it is more along the lines of meals to prep and take home.
Invite their friends – Make your home and kitchen open, fun, and inviting. While this suggestion may bring eye rolls your teen might enjoy making homemade pizza with you and their friends, maybe homemade ice cream, or egg rolls. Let teens take the lead and only lend a hand when needed. Bonding and building a relationship with their friends will also bring you closer to your child.
Getting my boys in the kitchen doesn’t take a ton of effort when I mention dessert or an afternoon snack! They are all about delicious treats and sweets. The other day we had a rare opportunity where there was nothing on the calendar. After getting some inspiration from the Quericavida website, we decided to head over to Walmart and pick up some General Mills Trix cereal to create a fun new dessert idea for dinner. The end result was this delicious No-Bake Trix Cheesecake. Y’all have to try it!
No Bake Cheesecake with Trix Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 4 cups finely crushed Trix cereal (equals approximately 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/3 cup butter (melted)
- 1 8 oz block of cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup lite cool whip
Instructions
- Place General Mills Trix cereal into a food processor and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl or measuring cup and set it aside.
- Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar into a mixer. Mix together well and slowly fold in the lite cool whip.
- Add finely crushed Trix cereal into a pie plate with the melted butter. Mix together with a fork until all of the cereal is coated in the butter.
- Use a cup to compact the Trix and butter mixture into the pie plate.
- Add the cheesecake mixture and spread it evenly over the pie crust.
- Top with a sprinkle of Trix cereal.
Get the printable version of this No Bake Trix Cheesecake recipe below.
No Bake Trix Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups finely crushed Trix cereal equals approximately 1 1/2 cups
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 1 8 ounce block of cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup lite cool whip
Instructions
- Place General Mills Trix cereal into a food processor and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl or measuring cup and set it aside.
- Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar into a mixer. Mix together well and slowly fold in the lite cool whip.
- Add finely crushed Trix cereal into a pie plate with the melted butter. Mix together with a fork until all of the cereal is coated in butter.
- Use a cup to compact the Trix and butter mixture into the pie plate.
- Add the cheesecake mixture and spread it evenly over the pie crust.
- Top with a sprinkle of Trix cereal.
