As the holiday weekend begins, many of you will be either preparing for your barbecue or bringing a platter to a 4th of July barbecue.

We are always talking about the colors of the rainbow and the colors of fruits and vegetables.  How about having the kids create a red, white and blue platter made of fruits and vegetables.  I thought this would be a really fun way to get kids interested and interacting with these healthy foods!

With a little bit of creativity in layout, kids can create a very fun platter for this special event!  Almost like arts and crafts, healthy style!

Here is your quick list of foods you can choose from to create a festive and healthy 4th of July platter:

Red

White

• Bananas
• Brown pears
• Cauliflower
• Dates
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Jerusalem artickoke
• Jicama
• Kohlrabi
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Parsnips
• Potatoes
• Shallots
• Turnips
• White Corn
• White nectarines
• White peaches

Blue

• Black currants
• Black salsify
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Dried plums
• Eggplant
• Elderberries
• Grapes
• Plums
• Pomegranates
• Prunes
• Purple Belgian endive
• Purple Potatoes
• Purple asparagus
• Purple cabbage
• Purple carrots
• Purple figs
• Purple grapes
• Purple peppers
• Raisins

Happy 4th of July everyone.

If you don’t buy all your foods organic (and many of us can’t because it is so expensive) there are 12 fruits and vegetables that should always be purchased organic.  They are affectionately called the “dirty dozen”.

I have written about the Dirty Dozen before but just came across a very cute and free downloadable “cheat sheet” to help you remember.  Created by MyPaperCrane.

The dirty dozen are the fruits and vegetables that have a high amounts of pesticides.

I love this little hand guide! Print your own Dirty Dozen Visual Guide from My Paper Crane.

Resources:

Environmental Working Group (EWG) original Organic Food Shoppers Guide

Going Organic a little or all the way, here are some tips

Find out if your favorite fruits and vegetables are high in pesticides

I am happy to share with you some exciting news.  Nourish Interactive has teamed up with Fresh Choice Restaurants to promote healthy eating to kids.

To combat all the junk food marketing, we need to also provide fun “marketing” or education about healthy foods.  ie. “It is fun to eat healthy foods!”  That is our goal and by extending ourselves into this restaurant, we can work together to offer kids healthy foods while they are learning about healthy eating in a positive way.

We are very excited about this partnership because Fresh Choice is very much aligned with our goals to promote healthy eating in a fun and positive way.  Fresh Choice has their own farm and serves fresh produce as part of their daily menu.

I can honestly say, that when my children were young, we went to this restaurant because it was affordable, catered to families and their foods were nutritious.  You won’t find a 600 calorie burger at this restaurant.  But the selection is healthy and varied enough so that the kids and adults could all find dishes that were delicious.  That is not always easy to find as a parent.

And as part of our partnership,

• we will be promoting nutrition to kids in the restaurant through fun positive messaging.  For example, this month, kids will receive a free nutrition coloring page to enjoy as the family enjoys their meal
• offering a free kids meal coupon to kids that play the new Yummy Drops game (our new online game that promotes the fruit group. )

About our In-Restaurant Nutrition Education for Kids

We are starting with a farm to table education series.  It is surprising but many kids don’t really know where fruits and vegetables come from.  Our goal is to help them learn in a fun way where fruits and vegetables come from as they journey from the farm to the restaurant.  There is much research indicating that helping kids connect with fresh fruits and vegetables will peak their interest and taste buds to eat more of them.  We know that most kids do not get their adequate servings of fruits and vegetables and our mission is to change that.

And this is just the start.  We have lots of other ideas on how to reach out to kids during their restaurant experience to promote healthy food choices!

Look for Chef Solus and the produce bunch at the Fresh Choice Restaurant!

How to get your Free Kids Meal Coupon:

Just have your child play the Yummy Drops game (also available in Spanish) and then at the end of the game,  click on the link that says “Open your surprise”.   This will open a pdf that has a little maze game, certificate for being an Ace Pilot and delivering fresh fruits, and a free kids’ meal coupon for Fresh Choice Restaurants and Zoopa Restaurants.

Just print the kids meal coupon and bring it the nearest Fresh Choice or Zoopa Restaurant.

Located in the California, Washington and Texas (Find a Fersh Choice or Zoopa Restaurant near you)

“Farm Fresh Food Coloring Page” for kids- Fresh Choice “Fun Pages”

More About Fresh Choice and Why We Feel They Are A Great Partner

These were the characteristics about this Restaurant that really impressed me:

Fresh Choice is committed to healthy foods (See their menu for yourself):

• all their fresh fruits and vegetables come from local farms, including their own Fresh Choice farm
• their dishes are designed to use the seasonal fruits and vegetables, everything is fresh (really just picked)
• all their foods are well labeled and every dish has the calories listed to help patrons make informed portion selections
• Fresh Choice offers a very impressive spread of healthy foods, mostly great salads, vegetables and fruits
• their dips, dressings and desserts are all available in the low calorie versions
• they also have healthy pizzas! that taste great and kids love

Cater to families:

• they are very affordable for families
• they have a casual environment which is great for kids
• they work with the community to promote reading through their “Lettuce Read” program
• they support fund raising for schools

Fresh Choice commitment to the environment:

• participates in the ClimateSmart program to reduce greenhouse gases.  Their changes are estimated to reduce 8.8 million pounds of greenhouse emissions (equivalent to taking 731 cars off the road each year.)

Quick Resources:

Free Kids Meal Coupon- Play Game – get your free kids meal coupon, while your child hears some positive messaging about fruits

Yummy Drops Game in Spanish

Fresh Choice Partnership page

Fresh Choice Restaurant locations

Fresh Choice Menu

Yesterday was Earth Day and a reminder of the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables.

In honor of Earth Day, we have put together some of our favorite coloring sheets that promote healthy fresh fruits and vegetables and farming coloring sheets.

Please hit the share button and help us spread the fun to kids – It’s fun to learn about fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, eating healthy fresh foods saves our planet!

You’ll reduce your carbon footprint by cutting back on meat just once a week. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the meat industry generates nearly 1/5 of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide. Our precious water resources are exhausted daily and the demand continues to grow. Approximately 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. This total far surpasses the amount of water needed for vegetables and grains.

Slideshow of our Healthy Fruits, Vegetables, Farming Coloring Pages

Visit our website to get full size version to print out and share with kids:

Eating Healthy Fruits and Vegetables-Fun Learn and Color Activities

Farm to Table- Fresh Foods Coloring Pages for Kids

Tips for Increasing daily vegetables and fruits - ‘Nourish Healthy Kids’ article for parents

Coloring, Activity Pages, Games, Tools and Articles are Available in English or Spanish

“What’s On Your Plate” is a film about two eleven year girls who explore the food system in New York city.

These two girls take us on a journey to learn about food politics and how food really gets on our plate.  They share their thoughts and experiences as they talk with food activists,  farmers, storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what’s on all of our plates.

This is a really down to earth film with a great deal of insight about health and nutrition that is a must for families and kids to see.  These kids inspire us to really look at “whats on our plates!”

You can catch the film on TV on the Discovery’s Planet Green  on:

• March 27th at 10 p.m.
• March 28th at 2 p.m.

This film is also traveling around the country and being shown by communities and local organizations.   Find out if the film will be seen near you,

See the trailer!

Michelle Obama has really helped promote a new trend and a very healthy one,  fresh farm foods.

I know many schools are trying to incorporate fresh grown fruits and vegetables into their cafeteria program and their nutrition education programs.  I ran across this fairly new organization and wanted to share it with you.

Farm to School brings healthy food from local farms to school children nationwide. The program teaches students about the path from farm to fork, and instills healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. At the same time, use of local produce in school meals and educational activities provides a new direct market for farmers in the area and mitigates environmental impacts of transporting food long distances.

They have created a network to help parents and teachers find this type of program into their local schools.   Meeting local farmers and learning about how foods are grown are all part of helping kids love nutrition!

Find a Farm to School Program by clicking on your state.

Related Resources- from our website Nourish Interactive:

Fruits and vegetables worksheets

Food pyramid food groups – fun coloring and learning sheets

I was contacted by Cool Cups to try their kids gel snack pack. What caught my eye was the fact that it was made with all natural ingredients. It is difficult to find healthy pre-packaged snacks that don’t have chemicals, preservatives and other unnatural ingredients.

I am not getting any kick back for sharing this snack with you. When I find a snack that I think might help moms and dads in their struggle to find healthy but fun and tasty foods for their kids, I want to share that.

I did think the sugar was a little high, but they are working on a version that has less sugar.

I contacted the company to see if I could get a coupon for you but they don’t have a system in place yet. However, they are participating in the Whole Foods “Back to School” program where parents can get 20% off during the first two weeks of September.

So here is the top ten features that make this a healthy and tasty snack

1. GELATIN FREE

2. ★VEGAN

3. ★LESS THAN 95 CALORIES

4. ★GLUTEN FREE

5. ★FAT FREE

6. ★DAIRY FREE

7. ★GMO FREE

8. ★HIGH IN VITAMIN C

9. ★NO ARTIFICIAL COLORS

10. ★ NO ARTIFICIAL PRESERVATIVES

Visit Cool Cups to learn more about their healthy and tasty snacks for kids!

‘Healthy snacking’ resources from Nourish Interactive- our healthy family nutrition website:

20 Healthy Snack Food Ideas for Kids -Printable pdf list to put on fridge ‘new healthy snack food ideas!’

Healthy Snack Foods for Kids – A healthy nutrition tips articles from our Nourish Healthy Kids library.

Healthy Snacks Ideas for Half Time

Kids’ Healthy Snacking Printable Goal Agreement- set healthy goals together as a family

Healthy Snacks Kid-Friendly Printable Food Tracking Sheet-Weekly snack food diary to encourage healthier food choices.

The Berry Health Benefits Symposium just convened and more and more wonderful health benefits are being discovered from our tasty fruit, the Berry family:

• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Cranberries
• Blackberries
• And other berries

Helps protect the body from chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. They block the inflammatory process that we are learning more and more about. Eating high fat foods can cause the body to have an inflammatory response.

Some components in berries fight off infections. Cranberries, for example, contain proanthocyanidins that help prevent urinary tract infections by keeping bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder.

Berries taste great and come in so many colors. The darker the better! (more health punch!)

Teach your kids at a young age about the fun of eating berries. A great family day could be going out to a local farm and letting the kids actually pick them!

Here are some Berry helpful tips (sorry, I couldn’t pass that one up)

• Look for colors. The darker the better! (more health punch!)
• Eat a variety
• Eat the whole fruit
• Eat them several times a week

Discover Nourish Interactive – The Fun Way to Learn About Nutrition. Our tools and interactive games teach kids about nutrition and healthy eating habits:
Healthy Eating- Online Food Games for Kids 

Kids Food Pyramid, Food Label and Nutrition Dictionary

Build a Healthy Meal Game 

Tools for Parents:
Learn about our games

Interactive nutrition tools and tips for parents

I was shopping at Whole Foods and found an aisle that had many grains, nuts and seeds but they were in big containers and unpackaged. They were much cheaper because these food items were not packaged. You grab a bag and buy only the amount that you need and it is cheaper per pound than if you bought the packaged food.

I was buying black beans (uncooked) on sale and was able to buy the unpackaged black beans for a $1 less (same amount!). I found the same with brown rice, flax seeds, oat bran and walnuts. I was not bothered at all by having to place the foods in the plastic baggies and add the twist tie. In fact, I was very happy that I could buy the quantity I needed instead of a larger amount.

I would have completely missed this aisle if one of the store assistants had not mentioned it to me. What a treat!

Other tips:

Also look for the store brands. I compared food labels and found foods that were comparable to what I needed but because they were the store brand, it was much cheaper!

I also stay away from the packaged to go items. Yes they are convenient, but they cost a heck of a lot more.

I share this story with you, because there are ways to save money and still shop healthy. We just have to take some time and explore the store a bit.

First Lady Michelle Obama invited children from the Bancroft Elementary School to harvest the vegetables they had planted in March at the White House’s vegetable garden.

The students helped pick the vegetables and then taking it another step further…kids worked with the White House chefs to prepare a meal using the freshly picked vegetables

What I love about Michelle Obama (among many of her inspirational acts) is that she does more than just put on a show for the kids. She is an example and role model for her own kids and those she reaches out to. She uses the vegetables from her garden for her family meals and for formal dinners.

Michelle Obama has really used the garden as a fun way to teach kids about nutrition and the fun of vegetables. By having them help plant and then harvest them, kids are more willing to try vegetables that helped grow.

She continues to remind us that kids need to be involved. It is the best way to help them learn first hand about healthy eating.

More healthy kid eating tips