Photo: Vegan a Go-Go

It’s the Year of the Ox. A year marked by prosperity through fortitude and hard work. And I say it’s about time! In this economy, we could all use a little more prosperity for our hard work. So in honor of Monday’s Chinese New Year, my one-quarter Chinese 2-year-old, one-half Chinese husband, and I are doing all things Chinese all week. Including eating every dish (from stir fry to spinach pancakes to raisins) with chopsticks.

Now before you say “I can’t” or “I won’t” or even “Why use chopsticks when I can use a fork”—I’m going to tell you my latest parenting secret. A secret that makes feeding a toddler who’d rather be running around with dragons and monsters a million times easier.

Chopsticks are fun. And kids like to have fun, right? So eating with chopsticks is very very fun! Fun enough that Atticus is happily telling his dragons and monsters to “wait right there” while he sits down to eat. Fun enough that even a lack of chopstick expertise doesn’t make my little man reach for that fork. Fun enough that I was inspired to learn how to make kiddie chopsticks myself. Here are super easy instructions from Lunch in a Box. And if DIY isn’t your style, you can buy some Chopstick Kids by Fred—a cool food-grade silicone chopstick gadget.

Still having doubts? Here’s proof that any kid (even us big kids!) can do it: A 6-year-old teaches us how to use chopsticks

And here’s a yummy chopstick friendly recipe.

Coconut Apricot Sticky Rice
(can be adapted for kids 8+ mos)

2 cups organic short-grain brown rice (white, basmati, and jasmine work, too)
1 14 oz can low-fat organic coconut milk (I don’t usually opt for low-fat but I find the full-fat version too heavy here)
2 cups plus 2 oz water
1 tsp orangic canola oil
1/2 tsp organic sucanat (you could also use agave, cane sugar, or brown sugar)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp organic alcohol-free vanilla extract
1/2 tsp organic cinnamon
1/4 tsp organic nutmeg
1/4 tsp organic cardamom
1/4 cup finely diced dried organic apricots (raisins, prunes, or mango works, too)
1/4 cup crushed, sliced, or finely chopped organic almonds (skip for children not able to safely eat nuts)

1. Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker and give it a quick stir.

2. Set the rice cooker to cook. (My rice cooker only has one setting but some people (like Stacie) have those fuzzy logic ones—I’d use the regular setting with those (ahem) fancy ones.

3. When done, fluff/mix with a fork (especially since a lot of the add-ins float to the top during cooking).

Serving tips: This dish is great alone, for breakfast, as a healthy after-school snack, or as a side dish for things like mild chicken curry. It’s also great cooled and rolled into little rice balls (your kids will love to help with this!) for yummy hand-held treats.