Magazines: I know many of you love them as much as I do. There’s truly nothing like flipping through glossy pages and indulging in feature stories, cool products and advice columns. In my case, I’m always looking for inspiration, whether it’s for writing, design or to just shop.
On one of my recent trips to Target I found a new magazine called Yum Food & Fun for Kids. Always, in search of new ideas on how to improve my efforts in the kitchen and at the dinner table, especially where the kid is concerned, I think this new publication fills a void at the newstands.
Unlike other parenting magazines, Yum Food & Fun for Kids has an emphasis on food, feeding and recipes. There are tons of great kid-centric cookbooks out there, but it’s always nice to have a monthly rotation for new recipes and ideas. Some of the recipes could tilt more towards the healthier end of the scale, but I really do appreciate how this magazine encourages cooking and baking wholesome food.
Time is of the essence for all parents, so I love Yum Food & Fun’s Simple Suppers section. Since I picked up the September issue, which appears to be the very first issue, I’m not quite sure if this will be a regular feature or not. Simple Suppers, a section devoted to easy weekday meal ideas, includes a grocery list and pantry ideas. They provided a variety of easy-to-make recipes that are kid friendly, but can be “spiced” up for parents, too. Veggie quesadilla recipe, might not sound like something all kids might enjoy, but perhaps it could be a starting point. It calls for zucchinis, but I can see adding sauteed broccoli and carrots to appease my kid.
Naturally, because I review kid products, I’m also a fan of the magazine’s product section called Pretty Please. I’m positively in LOVE with that adorable Hello Kitty lunchbox. They even include a few products you might have seen on NKT before!
My biggest complaint about this new magazine is that they are promoting their website in the masthead and on the folio, BUT as of today, their site is still under construction. In general, most of us are social media savvy (it’s a fact that many of us get our news from the web FIRST nowadays) yet Yum Food & Fun for Kids doesn’t seem to have a presence in the social media space at all. As a former print editor who has transitioned to the web, I think they missed an opportunity to promote and enhance the print edition of this new publication. I’m a big believer that all publications should have strong websites and a social media presence to complement their print edition.
Otherwise, I’m a big fan of this magazine, and would love to see it flourish. And maybe even pitch a story or two?
At $5.99, I do think this publication is on the pricier side, but its definitely one that I’d keep in the kitchen as a resource. Yum Food & Fun for Kids can be found at Target.
