Wondering How to Teach Kids to Eat Better? Especially During the Holidays?

Wondering how to teach kids to eat better, especially during the holidays? Here are 25 books that will nourish creativity, teach about healthy eating, and inspire a generation of activists! https://foodtank.com/news/2017/12/childrens-books-growing-minds/

Can you imagine if every school in this world had a garden? Whether a raised bed, vertical, hydro, or container garden, it would inspire a new generation of healthy eaters and lovers of local food! 

We need to teach our kids where the food they eat comes from. We also need to encourage them to try growing food, harvesting food, and preparing food. This will get them thinking about access to healthy food and health holistically. Because when everyone in a community has easy access to healthy food, this not only helps to reduce health inequities but also can strengthen a community’s economy and foster a healthier environment.

Eating locally produced foods, shopping at the farmers or local market is important for our children's health, the economy and climate change. By supporting local foods you are enabling farmers to keep more money in their pocket with every purchase you make & in turn they reinvest your contribution into the shared economy. This empowers and builds a foundation of health, connection & community resiliency!

I especially love this! This new children's book teaches children how to love imperfect produce while helping to reduce food waste through education: https://foodtank.com/news/2017/12/the-perfectly-wonky-carrot/

Best wishes for the holidays, see you all in 2018!

Gingerbread House DayCare teachers

Farro with Confetti Vegetables - Video

Source: Harvard Public Health

Needing some inspiration for your kids' school lunches? Well this colorful combination of vegetables with whole-grain farro should fit the bill! It's adaptable for all seasons and substituting olive oil for canola oil is the only edit I suggest. 

The instructions and nutritional information follow, or click on the link to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=38&v=m5bIPn8H1nY

Serves 8, as a side

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup farro, uncooked
• Seasonal vegetables, diced (4 vegetables make about 8-10 cups)
  • (Summer: zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, eggplant)
  • (Winter: root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, beets; and winter squashes: butternut, acorn)
• ¼ cup canola, olive, or other healthy oil
• ¾ tablespoon pepper
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Fresh herbs as available, chopped

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Dice all vegetables into even pieces and set aside.
3. Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, then stir in the farro. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the farro is tender (Approximately 40 minutes. Check package for cooking instructions).
4. Meanwhile, toss the diced vegetables in canola oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on a baking pan, and roast until browned in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Check every 10 minutes, and toss the vegetables so that they brown evenly.
5. Once the vegetables are fully roasted, fold them into the farro. Add the lemon juice and taste to adjust for seasoning. Add additional salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, to taste.

Nutrition information per serving (1/8 of recipe):

Using summer vegetables and canola oil:

181 calories, 8 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 4 g sugar**, 0 g added sugar, 52 mg sodium, 365 mg potassium, 8 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono, 3 g poly, 0 g trans), 0 g cholesterol

Using winter vegetables and canola oil:

225 calories, 6 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 7 g sugar**, 0 g added sugar, 128 mg sodium, 298 mg potassium, 7 g fat (0 g sat, 4 g mono, 3 g poly, 0 g trans), 0 mg cholesterol

** Naturally occurring sugar