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Archive for August, 2011

Kids in the Kitchen!!

Monday, August 29th, 2011

This week I wanted to blog on the importance of getting kids in the kitchen at an early age!  Even toddlers can “help” out in the kitchen!!  They can help by doing easy things like washing fruits and veggies, tearing up lettuce, helping to stir ingredients etc… There are so many ways to involve little ones in the kitchen.  I know that sometimes having their “help” actually makes things slower and messier but it really is worthwhile on the days where you have the time.  Getting kids involved with their food helps them to build trust and interest in the food that they eat.  Studies have shown that children are more likely to try new foods if they have helped prepare it.

Spending time together in the kitchen gives you a wonderful opportunity to chat about food, the importance of eating healthy food, and will provide you with fond memories of your time together!  By teaching your children cooking skills and passing down secret family recipes you are providing them with gifts that will last a lifetime!!  They might soon forget the latest toy you bought them, but it’s likely they will remember spending time whipping up creations with you in the kitchen :)

So set aside some time and find ways to get your little ones in the kitchen with you!!! Try to take some pictures too…it’s always nice to be able to look back on those special times together!  I can’t believe my little helper Hannah was only 2 yrs old in this picture…she’s now almost 8…time flies when you’re having fun in the kitchen :)

Happy Healthy Eating
Kia

 

Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!

Homemade Blueberry Parfait

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

Who says desserts can’t be healthy and delicious!  We are always looking for ways to incorporate fruits and veggies into every meal and snack so that we eat a rainbow of produce everyday.  One of our favorite desserts happens to feature one of our favorite fruits…blueberries!!!!  Blueberries have been called a superfood…in our house we call them brainfood!  So what better to include in a dessert?!  This is an quick and healthy dessert to whip up!

Blueberry Parfait

 

We like to use frozen blueberries and layer up a glass with homemade granola and Greek yogurt!  You can add a little bit of vanilla to plain Greek yogurt to give it a little sweetness.  Making your own granola is really easy and a great recipe to make with your kids!

Happy Healthy Eating,
Kia

 

Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!

Healthy Snacks by Color – PURPLE

Monday, August 15th, 2011

This is our final week of our snacks by color series and it happens to be my daughters favorite color…PURPLE!!!!  It can be a challenging color group to eat everyday as there aren’t as many options as the other 4 color groups.

purple snacks

Hannah enjoyed snacking on olives, frozen blueberries and purple carrots!

Some other purple snack ideas:

Eggplant chips
Blackberries
Raisins
Grapes
Cabbage
Prunes
Dried Figs
Purple Pepper

Eating a Rainbow of fruits and veggies is a fun way to shop for and eat produce!  So when it’s time to serve up a meal or snack think of eating as many colors as you can!

Happy Healthy Eating,
Kia

 

Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!

How to Pack a Zero-Waste Lunch for Back to School

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

Packing a “zero waste” lunch (that’s healthier for your child and the planet)

School is back in swing and, for many parents, that means packing disposable lunches.

But did you know that according to www.wastefreelunches.org doing so creates an average of 67 pounds of waste per year? For the average elementary school, that’s 18,000 pounds a year. For the entire country of elementary schools? It equals  1.2 billion pounds.

Fear not, busy moms and dads, we’ve got six simple ways you can save the planet and your money, too.

1.      Do away with disposable paper bags and choose reusable lunch boxes, bags or baskets instead. Be sure they’re durable (so they’ll last) and PVC and lead-free. Bags or boxes made of recycled materials such as old soda bottles earn you bonus points.

2.      Pack food in reusable containers rather than disposable paper, wax, foil or plastic. This option is also the safest for your child when you choose organic cotton, stainless steel or glass instead. How to save money? Save small glass jars from other foods and reuse for lunches.

3.      Send beverages in reusable stainless steel containers. Skip the plastic and coated aluminum.

4.      Use cloth napkins. Buy or make yourself using pinking shears and squares cut from (sturdy) fabric scraps. Cotton and naturally anti-microbial hemp are ideal materials.

5.      Choose reusable utensils: stainless steel (find at a thrift store) or bamboo.

6.      Ask your child to bring all uneaten food and food scraps home. Compost. OR, talk to your child’s school about starting a composting program there.

Resources:

School activity: Our 4th annual ChicoBag & Green Halloween trick-or-treat design contest will soon be open for all children up to age 13! What a fun, fall activity for family or classroom. Last year’s contest was featured in Real Simple magazine and 10% of the sale of the bags support the national Green Halloween® initiative. If your student artist would like to enter, click here for details. BONUS: Here’s a free Green Halloween teacher’s toolkit with even more ways to celebrate the season sustainably!

And check out Green Halloween founder, Corey Colwell-Lipson‘s, ideas for an “Eco-Friendly Lunchbox” in ParentMap magazine!

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2011, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.


Healthy Snacks by Color – YELLOW

Monday, August 8th, 2011

This week’s snacks were a cheerful YELLOW color and oh so yummy!!!!  It’s usually pretty easy for everyone in my family to get their yellow for the day because we love so many fruits and veggies in this color group!

Yellow Snack

Hannah had a great time eating her mini corn, yellow pepper slivers and pineapple chunks!

Here are some other ideas for healthy YELLOW  day snacks:

Bananas
Pears
Squash
Starfruit
Apples
Wax Beans

Next week will be BLUE/PURPLE snacks!

Happy Healthy Eating,
Kia

 

Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!