Freezing bananas for later (Photos: Carl Tremblay, courtesy of ChopChop)

I ran into Sally Sampson, founder and president of the family cooking magazine ChopChop last week and she handed me the Winter issue (she also handed me a jump rope, but I’m guessing that’s for use when the weather gets warmer, and definitely not by me!).

Later, back at my desk, I got really inspired as I thumbed through the magazine. Sure, the magazine is geared towards kids but a) that’s the point and b) just as with any successful toy, children’s book, board game, CD, TV show or you-name-it gadget, ChopChop readily engages the older set. How? 

Smart writing, beautiful food photographs, easy hands-on cooking tips and versatility. By “versatility” I mean there are recipes galore, nutritional facts, activities (mazes, word searches, ‘I spy’ challenges) and healthy living ideas that make the issue a resource to come back to many more times than once.

Eating white bean dip

I do happen to have a four-year-old who is currently being super fussy at meal-time. Fresh ideas on smoothies and roasted vegetables are therefore great. More broadly appealing, though, is the philosophy in evidence here. Every page of this magazine is geared towards engaging young people with what they eat by teaching them what good food is, how to deal with kitchen utensils and encouraging them to explore all kinds of food. The edible ingredients themselves are basic enough and accessible. The philosophical ingredients are, too: participate, learn, taste something new, repeat.

Not every reader of this blog is a parent, of course. But who isn’t an aunt/uncle, mentor, cousin, friend or babysitter to some younger kid? And there’s very little not to like about crusty cornbread, maple pecans, roasted chicken with oranges or minestrone soup–just a few of the recipes laid out in the Winter issue with clear instructions. Watching and helping a cook who loves to be in the kitchen is contagious. I bet each one of us is thus a great example for a child or teen. But what cook among us couldn’t use an ounce of inspiration and practical advice every now and again?

Details :
ChopChop is published by Kid2Kid. Inc., a 501(c)(3) Corporation.
Subscriptions cost$14.95 for four issues.
In 2010 ChopChop offered its first holiday promotion, “Buy 1 Give 1,” designed to get the magazine “into the hands of families who need it most.”
Copies of ChopChop–600,000 printed by the third issue–went to families, docs, local and regional governments, school systems and hospitals.
Board members are big, small and from various walks of life.
The Spring 2011 issue will be printed in Spanish as well!

How can you get your hands on a copy? Subscribe, buy one at Whole Foods, look for a copy at your local YMCA or Boys and Girl Club, check your pediatrician’s office, your local hospital or health care center.

Sipping hot chocolate