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And Why I Built A Website Dedicated to Cooking For and With Kids
Hello, I’m Cara Hanley and I’ve added this page as people often ask who I am and how I came to build a website on cooking for and with kids.
They are also surprised to learn that although I give all of the information, recipes, hints and tips away for free, I earn my living from this website.
I’ll tell you more about that later, and more importantly how building this site has been truly rewarding.
First, let me share a little of my background with you.
From an early age I had a passion for cooking, I used to love to help my mom in the kitchen, especially when she was baking.
I followed my passion and upon leaving school, I trained as a chef.
I spent the next 16 years working in the hotel, hospitality and restaurant trade. I enjoyed every minute and although the hours were long, I had the opportunity to meet, work and learn from some wonderful people and for that I’m truly grateful.
Then in 2007, aged 35 I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. I was very fortunate, received treatment very quickly and was given the all clear shortly afterward.
The experience changed the way I viewed my life and I found myself wanting to spend more quality time with my kids and family.
I knew that finding a way to work from home would be the ideal solution, something that would give me the flexibility to choose the hours I worked and be around my family at the same time.
Well, for most of my working life, like most parents I have had to juggle the demands of a busy job with those of a young family.
Even though I was a Chef, in the early days with two young children I had struggled to cook them fresh, homemade, nutritious meals everyday and found that they were eating more and more processed and junk foods.
I hated this, but there never seemed to be enough hours in the day.
From my work experience I realised that in a restaurant, there are a number of simple systems, procedures and ways of organizing that make the kitchen run smoothly.
In fact, without them the whole operation would be a disaster.
So, I learned from this and created a simple to follow system for myself that I could use at home, with organized shopping lists, menu planners and a collection of tasty recipes that could be made super quick.
So that it didn’t matter how little time I had, I could ensure that my kids could enjoy healthy, tasty meals everyday.
The system was a great success and within a short time I had managed to change my kids eating habits, and get everything back on track, stress free.
I also learned as they were growing up, how valuable it was to get them in the kitchen and cooking themselves. It broadened their understanding of food and helped to improve their math and reading, and best of all it was great fun.
Over time, friends and family would ask for my advice on recipes, menu planning, how to improve their own cooking skills and encouraging their kids to cook.
My idea was to create a website where I could share these ideas with more people and also give others the opportunity to share their own tips and recipes.
I hope you enjoy the Get Your Kids Cooking website as much as I enjoy building it.
Best Wishes
Return From About Me and Back to Get Your Kids Cooking
