by admin | Apr 17, 2015 | Grown Up
Today we are excited to have Amanda Keefer of Produce for Kids share these healthy grab-n-go breakfast ideas. You will love having these go-to recipes on those busy mornings. Enjoy!
I can almost guarantee when you ask a parent what time of the day is most stressful, they will answer with a unanimous “morning!” It’s quite a feat to get kids up and moving, dressed and to school on time. For many of us, we are also attempting to get ourselves out the door and to the office on time as well. Add the pressure of fitting a healthy breakfast into the mix, and it all becomes too much.
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by admin | Apr 10, 2015 | Grown Up
It’s not only Spring, it’s time to celebrate National Garden Month! Gardening with kids is fun and it also can nurture habits of exercise and healthy eating with lessons about soil (food for plants), and water. Using recycled containers and pots, both indoors or outdoors, are good ways to get started. You don’t need the greenest thumb to start. Growing plants are almost fool-proof if you have seeds or plants, healthy soil or compost, sunshine, and water. Follow the directions on seed packages or get help from the store where you purchase your plants. When gardening with kids, it is best to choose plants that are easy to grow, have a short growing season, and are fun to eat and harvest.
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by admin | Mar 27, 2015 | Grown Up
We are excited to once again feature Produce for Kids on our blog today! Thank you to Produce for Kids for sharing these great tips for building a healthier Easter basket.
Easter is such a fun holiday for my kids. My four & two year olds love reading books about Easter, what the holiday is about, and of course, the Easter Bunny. Growing up, I remember the joy and excitement when opening my Easter basket. There was always a bag of jellybeans, a chocolate Easter Bunny, and other fun things like coloring books, crayons, or a fun bow for my hair. Then we would go to the backyard and hunt for Easter eggs. Some were eggshells that we dyed with fun colors and others were plastic eggs to open with usually more candy.
With so many holidays centered around candy, I like to focus more on activity and non-food focused treats. Our family likes to talkabout the holiday, dye hard-boiled eggs, and, I have so much fun putting together their Easter baskets. I don’t eliminate candy from their baskets or eggs; instead, I like to focus on moderation. We do something active together as a family, whether it’s going to the park, riding our bikes, or something as simple as chasing bubbles in the yard. Then there is the Easter egg hunt. They have so much fun running around the yard finding all the places Easter eggs may be hidden. As far as what’s inside the eggs and their baskets? I still include a little chocolate bunny and some jellybeans in each, but I also include a lot of non-food treats in their baskets and eggs.
Here’s a list of ideas for packing a healthy Easter basket:
- Matchbox cars
- Bubbles
- A new book they’ve been wanting
- Coloring books
- Fun crayons (like glitter or neon crayons)
- Sticker books
- Notepads
- Color wonder markers & paper
- Various parts of a fun Easter craft they can put together for another activity
- A small toy they have been asking for
For the Easter Eggs:
- Individually wrapped dark chocolate
- Dried fruit such as raisins, craisins, dried cherries, or other no-sugar added dried fruits
- Trail mix, like this Pistachio-Chip Trail Mix
- Grapes
- Coins (my kids love adding coins to their coin jar)
- Individual size stickers
- Seed packets (for starting their vegetable garden)
- Bouncy balls
- Lip gloss
- Erasers (stores have a lot of cute options)
- Party rings with a giant colorful gem (can be found at your local dollar or craft store)
- Pretty hair ties or clips for girls
To round out our healthy holiday, we love cooking this Slow Cooker Ham & Pineapple with Roasted Asparagus & Cherry Tomatoes. It’s a great way celebrate the holiday!
This post originally appeared on the Produce for Kids Blog.
Produce for Kids is a cause marketing company that helps families eat healthier through its promotion of fresh produce, bank of 200+ recipes and blog full of healthy family living tips and advice. Through our partnerships with grocery stores and produce companies, we’ve raised more than $5 million for children’s charities since 2002. Follow Produce for Kids on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram and
by admin | Mar 6, 2015 | Grown Up
Mealtime frown faces can be tough. The “picky eater” is the child with a short list of foods they will eat due to texture, taste, and visual preferences. Changing taste buds and appetites are a natural part of growing up, so don’t be alarmed when your child says every vegetable is “icky.” Not to be confused with more serious eating disorders, the picky eater will often eat enough but can fall into an unhealthy BMI for his/her age.
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by admin | Mar 3, 2015 | Educator
This week, March 2-6, is National School Breakfast Week, where we celebrate school breakfast with the ultimate goal of increasing student school breakfast participation. It’s really a simple idea, but one that can have a profound effect on a student’s academic performance.
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