When we were grocery shopping this weekend Hannah picked up a Radicchio and declared that we just had to try it!! It really is a cute little thing and when we peeled the leaves it felt just like deflated balloons! Hannah ate some raw, I added some leaves to my morning juice and the rest we added to our baby spinach salad.

How do you eat Radicchio? Looking forward to hearing if you have any great radicchio recipes!

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 eating doesn’t have to be expensive! The truth is it can actually save you money!

Here are 7 ideas to eat healthy while sticking to your budget:

1. Make A Plan! Come up with some meal ideas for the week. Make a shopping list based on those meals and then stick to the list! If you don’t buy junk food and bring it into the house it will be easier to make healthy choices when it’s time to eat!

2. Shop around the perimeter of the store! This is where you’ll find all your important basics (fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and breads) the middle aisles are where they keep the “convenient” processed food products that aren’t necessarily healthy and can wreck your budget if you’re not careful.

3. Make meatless meals at least once day a week. On those days you can easily get your protein from beans, nuts,veggies, seeds and grains.

4. Eat A Rainbow! Focus on buying and serving a rainbow of produce. Whether fresh or frozen, including colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet is a great healthy habit for the whole family!

5. Coupons! Watch for fliers and cut out coupons from your favorite grocery store…every penny you save makes a difference!

6. Shop on a Full Stomach! If you are hungry while you are shopping you are far more likely to buy more food so make sure you go on a full stomach.

7. Cook!! This has been the number one way we have reduced our monthly food bill. It is worth it to make the time to plan and prepare home cooked meals as often as you can, it is also healthier because you are in charge of the ingredients and you don’t have to worry about any unnecessary chemicals and preservatives and it’s better for the environment because you are preparing food that didn’t need to be packaged and shipped. So it’s a win win situation.  Besides the best way for your kids to learn the importance of healthy food choices is by your example so get the family together in the kitchen and have some fun!

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!

In our ongoing quest to be food adventurers we decided to try Longans.  They are a cousin to the more popular Lychee. Their light brown skin encloses a delicious translucent, juicy soft flesh that is similar to a peeled grape.  They have a large black inedible seed in the middle so you just eat the flesh around the seed.  It has a very nice sweet taste that we all enjoyed!

If you’re going to give these a try, buy longans that are still attached to the branches if possible. The fruit should be plump and having a slightly pliable shell. You can store longans in a breathable container or bag in the fridge for around 5-7 days.

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!

I must admit that I bought these little eggplants because they were so darn cute!!!

I wasn’t sure what to do with them so I decided to keep it simple.  I just tossed them in a pan along with some zucchini, white onions, olive oil, sea salt, and a little bit of pepper for about 10 mins and served them with some rice and Spanakopita.  It was pretty tasty!

So if you’re at the farmer’s market or grocery store and happen to come across these little gems I suggest buying some and giving them a try.  If you happen to have a picky eater they might be up for giving these mini eggplants a try just based on their cuteness!

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!

We were really curious to try this orange fruit that looks like a cross between a tomato and an apple!

We each had a slice…it was pretty good!  The inside was soft and the skin is kind of tough…almost a bit crunchy!  I didn’t find that it had a lot of flavor but it was still enjoyable.

I’m sure there are plenty of recipes using this fruit…but the easiest way is just to cut it up and eat it!  You could add persimmon slices to salads or puree them to make smoothies,  a topping for pancakes, or use it as a flavoring for plain yogurt.

They are in season from October through December so if you find some at your local grocer or market give one a try! Going on a fruit and veggie adventure, trying something new makes it fun for 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!