Whenever we go grocery shopping my daughter is always drawn to anything that is her favorite color…PURPLE!!!  So it didn’t surprise me when she squealed with delight at these gorgeous purple peppers and asked if she could get it.  It is such a vibrant color and was the perfect topping to add to our homemade pizzas!  We also spent the rest of our shopping trip doing our best to recite the Peter Piper Picked A Peck of Purple Peppers tongue twister

Colorful peppers are generally more expensive than green ones because they have been left longer on the vine to ripen and gain their color.  This also results in less yield per plant so it’s more costly for farmers.  But we always think it’s worth the wait and the extra money to enjoy colorful peppers like this beautiful purple one!

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!

Imagine a place where you could buy the freshest produce, learn how it was grown, support your community and provide your children with a fun and educational shopping experience.  Look no further than your local Farmers Market!

Farmers markets have a magical quality that brings families and communities together; farm fresh produce, knowledgeable farmers, and a relaxed outdoor feeling are just some of the benefits you’ll enjoy!

Here are 4 reasons to take your family to the farmers market:

1. Aside from growing your own produce, you won’t find it any fresher than at a farmers market! The colorful produce is grown locally and picked when perfectly ripened and full of nutrients.  This means it will look, smell and taste fantastic…experiencing produce at its best is great when you are introducing them to your children!  No one likes soggy old produce!

2. You have an opportunity to talk to the people that grow your food!  Farmers are a fantastic source of information and some have a favorite recipe or two to share!  Your children can come up with a few questions for them such as: “what vegetable grows the fastest” or “how do you know when carrots are ready to be picked”? Connecting your children with the foods they eat and the people who grow it is an important step in teaching them how to make smart food choices for themselves.

3. You are making an earth friendly choice when purchasing produce grown in your area. Buying local produce reduces transportation pollution and costs.  Choosing to buy locally grown produce is healthier for you and the planet!  It’s also a great way to support the hard working farmers in your area.  Talk about a win-win situation for all!

4. It’s a wonderful hands-on learning adventure for your children.  Give them a bag and start them on a scavenger hunt to find a rainbow of colorful fruits and veggies! They’ll have fun tracking down a red fruit, an orange vegetable and so on! Let them help you select and purchase the produce.  The more you involve your children in selecting, preparing and cooking produce the more comfortable and willing they’ll be to eat it!

My family looks forward to our weekly trips to the farmers market where we see familiar friendly faces, sample new produce and come home with bags full of beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables!

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!

Making a smoothie with your kids is fun and a great way to get fruits and veggies into their diet!  One of our favorites is a tropical smoothie that gets its fabulous green from the baby spinach we put in it!  This smoothie is quick and easy with one cup of every ingredient!  We made this smoothie in our latest In The Rainbow Kitchen video In the Rainbow Kitchen

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!

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!

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!