Buffy alum Sarah Michelle Gellar writes an article for The Liberty Project and opens up about her love of cooking and family life with husband Freddie Prinze, Jr. and their two kids: daughter Charlotte, 5, and son Rocky, 2.

On cooking with their kids: “My husband and I always knew we wanted our kids to love and enjoy food the way we did, but we kept hearing horror stories from other families: from “My kid won’t eat any vegetables” to “My child only eats white and yellow foods.” Determined to avoid these pitfalls, we learned early that the best way we could teach our kids to be passionate about food was to involve them in the process.”

On involving kids with the process: “Just last week, we attempted the impossible: brussel sprouts. We took our daughter to the store, let her pick the brussel sprouts out herself, and sat aside while she individually peeled each leaf, seasoned them and then flash fried them. Needless to say, she devoured them. (Now, the only brussel-sprout push back we get from her is when we try and explain why they are not an appropriate topping on cereal. I swear she would eat them at every meal if we gave her the option.)”

On being hands-on with kids: “Through experiences such as this, we realized the time we spent in the kitchen wasn’t just about making food. We were actually helping our kids develop important life skills: they had more self-confidence, were expanding their vocabularies, creative thinking and math skills, plus they were working on their fine and gross motor skills. More than anything, though, we were connecting as a family. We were unplugging and spending quality time together. I recently read a theory that the common link among Rhodes Scholars wasn’t socioeconomic, geographic or based on ethnicity — it was eating family dinners three or more times a week. I believe it.”

On teaching kids about food: “As a parent, there is so much I hope and wish for my children. I want to teach them as much as I can, so when they enter the world as adults I am confident they have the tools to succeed. Many of those tools are intrinsically tied to food — healthy, nutritious food. It is so important to keep our bodies healthy. Nutritious foods are crucial to not only our physical being, but our mental development as well.”

For more from SMG, go to The Liberty Project…