Monday, September 17, 2012
Today I Ate A Rainbow - Interview & Giveaway!
As a Mom, my most important job is making sure my child is healthy and happy. Something that has been very important to me from the beginning of Little One's existence has been feeding her nutritious foods. From day one, I knew I wanted her to eat lots of veggies and fruits, foods like Quinoa, etc.
A few years ago, when Little One was starting to eat solid foods, I somehow crossed paths (online) with Kia Robertson and her amazing Today I Ate a Rainbow kit!
When Little One was old enough to understand that she needed to "eat a rainbow" every meal, we tried the kit. She was (and still is) so excited to chart which colours of the rainbow she's eaten from and she reminds everyone to do the same.
I was so impressed with Kia and her Eating a Rainbow movement, that I couldn't help but spread the Eating a Rainbow love. It really is a "movement", as Kia's goal is to help parents get children excited about eating their fruits and vegetables. Her dedication to helping families eat healthy is amazing and inspiring.
Since "meeting" Kia online a few years ago, she's become a great friend. I love all the wealth of advice she has to offer about feeding kids healthy food and getting them interested in making healthy food choices.
Because I believe so much in what Kia is doing for kids all over the country, I wanted to help spread the word. Here's my interview with Kia:
A few years ago, when Little One was starting to eat solid foods, I somehow crossed paths (online) with Kia Robertson and her amazing Today I Ate a Rainbow kit!
When Little One was old enough to understand that she needed to "eat a rainbow" every meal, we tried the kit. She was (and still is) so excited to chart which colours of the rainbow she's eaten from and she reminds everyone to do the same.
(Above: Kia's lovely daughter, Hannah. The reason Today I Ate a Rainbow came to be)
I was so impressed with Kia and her Eating a Rainbow movement, that I couldn't help but spread the Eating a Rainbow love. It really is a "movement", as Kia's goal is to help parents get children excited about eating their fruits and vegetables. Her dedication to helping families eat healthy is amazing and inspiring.
Because I believe so much in what Kia is doing for kids all over the country, I wanted to help spread the word. Here's my interview with Kia:
1. Tell us briefly about yourself and about Today I Ate A Rainbow. How did the "Eating a Rainbow Movement" all come to fruition?
My name is Kia, I'm a mom of an amazing 9 year old daughter, Hannah, a children's book author and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit. When Hannah was a toddler I can across a paragraph of text saying kids need to eat a variety of colourful fruits and veggies everyday so I combined this info with our love of charts and turned it into a fun game for Hannah! It worked so well for our family that we wanted to make it into a product that other families could use to help them set healthy eating habits. There is a real gap between parents "knowing" their kids should be eating fruits and vegetables and them actually achieving this with their children on a daily basis. We are passionate about creating tools to help parents!
2. With this being the beginning of the school year, moms and dads all over the nation are thinking of what to put in their children's lunch boxes. What are some of your suggestions?
I've been making school lunches for 4 years now so I've got lots of ideas! My first piece of advice is to get some great lunch gear. My personal favorites are bento lunch boxes by PlanetBox and EasyLunchBoxes, Funkins cloth napkins, and reusable water bottles. Having the right tools like those take away half the stress of making lunches. Next I would suggest incorporating a good variety of proteins, grains, and produce for every lunch. Keep things interesting by switching between sandwiches, pita pockets, wraps, rolls…that way you won’t get stuck in the same old rut day after day! And of course I would suggest thinking RAINBOWS when it comes to putting together lunches. Fruits and veggies are a must have for healthy lunches! Aim for at least two colours in every lunch.
3. Some days, we all hit a lunch rut and don't know what to give our kids. What are some of your stand-by lunch ideas for something really quick and handy?
Using leftovers is a really quick way to put together lunches! Some other ideas would be to always have on hand: dried fruit, granola bars (especially homemade ones) washed fruit and veggies ready to be sliced up, healthy crackers...things that are quick to put into a lunch kit. Hannah loves lunches that she can put together during lunch time such as Greek yogurt, berries and granola...take the Lunchables idea and make up your own healthy combinations.
4. For parents who have picky eaters, what kinds of food would you recommend? How could parents make lunches more appealing for kids who don't like veggies or fruits?
School lunch time might not be the best time to send something new for your picky eater so still with things you know they will enjoy. Make fruits and veggies a must but let them help you decide which ones go in their lunch. Giving picky eaters an option is helpful. If your kids don't like fruits and veggies you can spruce them up by using mini cookie cutters to turn them into cute shapes, you can send along a favorite dip, and change things up make some kale chips or send some frozen blueberries. Junk food companies spend a lot energy marketing to kids - parents can learn from them and do the same with fruits and veggies :)
5. You know we love your Rainbow Kit. Little One is less than 4 years old and knows she needs to eat a rainbow every day. Why do you think Rainbow Kits are a must in every household.
Thank you so much Christine! You have done such an amazing job with setting your little one up with fantastic eating habits from a very early age! I think that parents benefit from knowledge AND tools to act on that knowledge and that is what our rainbow kit is all about. I know how busy parents are these days which is why our rainbow kit is so effective because it's easy to understand, quick to implement and fun for the kids!
6. Is there anything in particular you'd like to share with your fans/followers?
6. Is there anything in particular you'd like to share with your fans/followers?
There are some great changes coming up for Today I Ate A Rainbow that we will be able to share very soon! It's because of the support from moms like you Christine, that we are able to take this next step! In the mean time we hope your readers will check out our kids cooking series called In The Rainbow Kitchen for some fun and delicious recipes that will get your kids in the kitchen! We can also be found on Facebook Twitter and Pinterest thanks so much for the opportunity to share our rainbow eating message on your site Christine!!!!
{GIVEAWAY}
Not only has Kia been so wonderful in letting us interview her, but she's also giving away a Today I Ate a Rainbow Kit to one lucky reader of mine!
To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please make sure to complete all the tasks for each entry before you click "enter". The giveaway is open to residents of Canada & the U.S. and ends Oct. 1, 2012.
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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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33 comments:
Now that my oldest is in school and my youngest in daycare, my biggest challenge is knowing what they have eaten during the day, and ensuring that their lunch kits are filled with nutritious choices. My youngest won't eat a lot of vegetables, so I often blend them into other things so that he doesn't know he's eating them ;-)
It's hard to get her to eat healthy. It's a fight at least. She just wants to eat candy :(
jmbarata21@hotmail.com
I have trouble with the green ones, especially broccoli.
Thanks for making this open to Canadians.
Besos, Sarah
Zookeeper at Journeys of The Zoo
journeysofthezoo at hotmail dot com
my biggest challenge is that they are able to get into my cupboards alone. I try and keep the "treat" food hidden, but somehow they manage to find it and sneak off without me knowing. I am pretty lucky that the boys are both relatively healthy eaters most of the time
I remember finding Today I Ate a Rainbow a few years back too.
I think I blogged about them too and you as well. Great company and great set up for getting our kids to eat!
My biggest challenge is trying to get them to eat more variety. Once they find something they like, that's all they want!
This looks amazing Christine! As far as vegetables my kids will not eat, is there a character limit to your comments section??? We have all kinds of problems trying to get them to eat their fruits & veggies but we're getting there!
Loving the Q & A!!!
We have a huge garden and our LO's love to pick and eat! Raw veggies are a hit but cooked no way!
So far, the only way I can get H to eat any green veggies is in green monster smoothies. handful of spinach in a fruit and almond-milk smoothie. i'd love something like this, as we eat a lot of fruits and veg at home but H sticks to fruit and peanut butter :)
My son has Autism and Sensory Integration Disorder. He has problems with some textures and his sense of taste and smell is very sensitive so there are even more challenges to trying new foods. I want him to eat most/all fruits and vegetables and I've tried everything I can think of without much luck. I'm hoping this will be the solution I've been looking for. Thanks for having the giveaway!:)
Everything so far... but we are just starting. So far the only thing she really hates is carrots.
My daughter loves to try new veggies, but my son is so picky...corn is about all we can get him to eat some days lol
Way fun! Good example.
When my daughter gets home she is starving but if the fruit and veggies are not already cut up and in the fridge, she grabs a bag of chips instead. She doesn't want to take the time to wash, peel and cut up.
My son refuses to eat spinach. I like to use it in a lot of recipes but all I hear is "I'm not going to eat that green stuff."
I have a challenge making food fun to eat!
Tomatoes!
My biggest issue is getting variety into my DD's meals. She's very fixed as to what she likes. Aren't many fruits or veg she doesn't like. She does however love brussel sprouts.
I don't have children - but my niece and nephew would probably be certain vegetables
ontariohappychick at gmail dot com
Biggest challenge is eating veggies like tomatoes!
My funny girls eat the ones you wouldn't expect them to - baby cabbages (brussel sprouts), asparagus, lupinis...and yet I can't get them to eat red peppers or carrots.
My girls are funny and eat the ones you think kids wouldn't eat like baby cabbages (brussel sprouts), asparagus, lupinis and yet they won't eat carrots or red pepper.
My big challenge is getting my little one to eat veggies. I am glad she eats broccoli
My kid won't eat food. Real food. She won't eat her vegetables or meat or anything. She'll eat fruit. That's it.Cookies and candy, yes. But no actual food.
My middle child has a very select group of things he will eat. Most of these involve cheese pasta or bread or fruit. Fruit is healthy, but you need other stuff. Getting him to try ANYTHING new is like pulling teeth.
My nephew just doesn't like to eat a lot of food, but he does like healthy foods. Very small portions make him happy, and only when he's in the mood to eat.
Adina H.
My biggest challenge is getting my kids to try new foods. My son also does not like different textures mixed so this can be challenging
My son loves fruit but HATES most vegtables..especially cooked ones! With dinner I usually have fresh raw carrots and celery... he'll eat those but nothin else!
My daughter is just so darn picky. I have issues getting her to eat protein.
Would be great when my little one is ready to move to solids
would be great when my little one is ready to eat solids and maybe even get her big brother willing to eat more varity
When my daughter was first eating and up until she turned about 3 she would eat anything, it was great. For the last 9 months though she has been so picky, it is so frustrating. I try everything I can think of to get her to eat. I think for her it's all about control and trying to get her to try things that are her idea.