Mommy, why is spinach good for me?

I am a firm believer that it is our responsibility as parents to educate our kids on nutrition. They should not only know what a potato and broccoli looks like, they also have to know why it is important for them to eat it. My oldest 2 daughters are 4 and 3 years old and we talk about "nutrition" almost during every meal time.
Mainly, since I am trying to get my kids to eat "the Healthy stuff" which they still refuse to do in most cases. My girls can tell you that broccoli has a lot of folic acid (which makes you smart) and milk has a lot of calcium (which makes your bones grow). Potatoes and pasta give you the energy to run and meat the needed protein for your body to build strong muscles. This still does not mean that they eat any of it.

Out of frustration that my kids refused to eat everything green on their plates again, I decided to do some research online. I wanted to find something that helps me make healthy food and nutrition a little more fun. I found a webpage which provides a lot of helpful informations and games to teachers to educate their students on nutrition. I am so going to use these games at home... check it out!

 tp://www.nourishinteractive.com/

 

 These game teach children about a healthy balanced meal. We use the MyPlate to help children see what a healthy plate looks like and how it is comprised of foods from all the food groups. To win these games, children will need to put healthy foods on their plate, dodge fatty, sugary foods and cook a delicious healthy meal.

Summer fun snacks

Looking for some fun summer party snacks...I was looking for some fun ideas for my daughters 3rd birthday party and look what I found. Isn't that cute! I love it! And it is so easy to make!


Replace ho-hum snacks with fun to eat (and make) treats like this one from "Bean Appetit: Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun With Food," by Shannon Payette Seip and Kelly Parthen. Ingredients Green grapes Red grapes Cheddar cheese slice Mini-pretzel sticks Carrot pieces (thinly sliced) Instructions To make your own edible campfire, arrange several grape halves in a circle. Tear or snip a slice of Cheddar into fl ame shapes, then stand them, along with a few thinly sliced carrot pieces, inside the grape circle. Surround the flames with broken mini pretzel-stick logs.

Ingredients Fresh strawberries Mini chocolate chips Black decorators' icing Almond slivers Toothpick Red lace licorice Wedge of Cheese (Your choice) Instructions For each mouse, slice a small section from the side of a strawberry so it sits flat. Press a mini chocolate chip into the tip for a nose, using a small dab of icing to secure it in place, if needed. Add icing eyes and stick 2 almond slivers into the top of the berry for ears. For a tail, use a toothpick to carve a small hole in the back of the berry and push the end of a piece of licorice lace into the hole. Serve these berry cute treats with small triangles of cheese.

Ingredients 1 cup strawberry sorbet 2 teaspoons mini chocolate chips 3 tablespoons water 1/2 cup lemon sorbet 2 drops green food coloring wedge-shaped popsicle molds popsicle sticks Instructions To make a batch, mash together 1 cup strawberry sorbet, 2 teaspoons mini chocolate chips, and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Put the the mixture into wedge-shaped popsicle molds (we used six 2-ounce molds), filling each about two-thirds full.* Spoon a thin, even layer of lemon sorbet on top. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup lemon sorbet, 2 drops green food coloring, and 1 tablespoon water. Spoon a layer into each mold and insert a popsicle stick. Freeze the pops for at least four hours. Tips: * Here's an easy way to fill the molds: mix these ingredients in a ziplock bag, snip a corner of the bag, then pipe in the mixture.
Instructions: Use a sharp knife (an adult's job) to trim the wax covering from a mini cheese round, then add facial features with small pieces of red bell pepper, scallions, carrot, and olives*. Serve with a short stack of whole wheat crackers.