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2014 has been a fun and crazy year.  We can hardly believe we are already heading into the holiday season. It seems like we were just putting out Easter eggs. Still, we need to face the inevitable; the holidays are upon us. Facing this realization also means dealing with the dinners, parties and gift baskets of food. Thanksgiving alone can put you in a food coma through the next holiday.

With holiday cards to write, presents to buy and parties to attend, we all need to remember to try to eat healthy during the holidays or face the sluggish effects of our bad choices. I'm not kidding. Last year, I dove into the candy dish at a holiday party and just woke up to write this post.

So, to learn from my mistakes, I've compiled this list:

10 Healthy Eating Tips to Survive the Holidays

1. Trim Back The Trimmings - Unlike a Holiday Tree, you don't need to trim out your plate with everything. A little discretion here can save you pounds of guilt later. Avoid empty calories in cookies, chocolates and processed foods. 
2. Don't Be A Scrooge - At the same time, don't be afraid to indulge in your sweet treat, be it fruit, nuts or even a chocolate truffle, if that's your thing. Moderation is key. Food, like life, is meant to be enjoyed, especially around the holidays. Just remember that gluttony will not look pretty come summer.
3. Be A Food Snob - It's the one time it's okay to be a snob at a party.  If you don't love it, don't try it. Only fill your plate with food you love. If you don't see anything you like, grab a glass and raise a toast to your host. You don't need to bend your elbows at the buffet.
4. Fuel Up For The Festivities - Just like you don't go to the grocery store hungry, don't go to a holiday party that way. You'll find yourself better able to resist temptation if you aren't imagining the other guests as a crunchy treat.
5. Be Merry, Drink Then Eat - Before you head for the food, grab a drink, circle the room and mingle. You may find you won't even end up at the food trough.
6. Step Away From The Chocolates - If sweets are your trigger, then don't stand next to them. Out of sight, out of mind has been a winning mantra for years. If it's in front of you and you can reach it, you'll be eating it. Treat those sweets like an ex that owes you money. You don't even want to see it!
7. Walk Don't Skip - If you over-indulge in one meal, up your daily exercise and/or lessen the next, don't skip meals. Surviving the holidays is about making healthy choices. Don't fall into unhealthy practices. 
8. It Isn't All About The Cookies - There are lots of fun activities we can do with the family that don't involve baking cookies and pies. You can make wreaths and cards, but if you are going to make cookies, then check out some of our healthy recipes.
9. Fill Your Home With Good Goodies - Instead of having bowls of sugary treats out on display for the family and guests, keep healthy, nutritious alternatives around. Eating several meals a day can be healthy provided the options are healthy.
10. Enjoy What You're Eating - Nutritious food is meant to be shared, appreciated and celebrated. Savor it and enjoy the experience. Don't cram it down in between anecdotes. Treat your standing cocktail party the way you would a lovely sit down. Don't rush, stop to enjoy, savor and celebrate.

Have more tips to add to the list? Share them below!

Michael Pearce is one half of the amazing duo completed by husband Matt Burrus. They round out their happy home with daughter, Estelle, age three, and newest addition, baby Winston. Michael and Matt share more of their adventures in parenting over at the Gayby Boom blog.

This year health-conscious, sugar-avoiding Houston mama Becky Flechsig decided to test the trick-or-treating waters and see whether Halloween would sink or float without the focus on candy. See how it went...

I used my trick-or-treaters this year. I started to wonder what a non candy Halloween would look like and the next thing I knew I was on Amazon buying mini gliders, spider rings, glow in the dark bugs, glow stick  bracelets, and mini bubbles. And I was excited like a nerd about it.

I had a lot of apprehension about the possibility of an old fashioned egging or making small children cry, so on October 30th I went out and bought a mixed bag of mini M&Ms, Snickers and Skittles. The candy lived inside of the ghost (a decoration my grandmother made with paper mache, a balloon & a milk jug) and the toys were in an open bowl. 

At the end of the night the candy was gone, but I will have no problem with the possibility of not buying it next year. EVERYONE was nuts over the glow bracelets. I didn't make them into bracelets, just kept them straight like little sticks. Kids were running around with them and when we handed them out, the reactions were fantastic.

The runner up non candy giveaway was the mini bubbles. Everything else was kind of meh. The reason the candy was gone is because after they picked a toy, I was like "and take some candy, too" because I did not want that stuff lying around the house. But next year, we'll probably skip the candy without regret.

This post was originally published on Becky's blog over at Raising Texas.

How do YOU handle the trick-or-treating debacle? Any successful ideas you've tried or seen? Share in the comments!

We welcome the cooler breezes that autumn brings, but with the reprieve from the sweltering summer heat comes the frenzy of back-to-school, holidays and an inevitably overflowing schedule. Ensuring your family stays fueled means packing a few nutritious, energizing recipes in your back pocket. This one, you'll love.

If you've never made granola at home, you'll be  surprised at how simple it is, not to mention cheaper than storebought varieties. Granola from scratch also means you control what goes in; skip the refined sugar, corn syrup and preservatives and customize flavor combos to the whims of you and your favorite snackers, who will love helping make this snack.

Granola, of course, is good on the go as a pick-me-up snack, but it's also a filling way to start the day - simply add your favorite milk or top with yogurt and fresh seasonal fruit. 

Easy-peasy Homemade Granola
Yield - 3 ½ cup (Approximately 14 ¼-cup servings)

Ingredients
2 cup rolled oats
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup raw sunflower seeds
3 tablespoon canola oil
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line 2 quarter sheet pans or 1 half sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Place oil, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
• Chop the pecans with a knife and place in a medium bowl.
• Place oats, almonds, and sunflower seeds into the bowl with the pecans and mix until combined.
• Pour the honey mixture onto granola mixture and mix with a spatula until well coated.
• Turn out granola onto the prepared cookie sheet(s).  Spread the mixture evenly on the cookie sheet in a thin layer.
• Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Stir the granola. Return the pan to the oven. Cook for 10 more minutes or until golden and crunchy.
• Remove from the oven. Let cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container.

Have your own favorite granola flavor combinations? Share in the comments!

Recipe Gardens Coordinator Justin Myers and Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ students at MacGregor Elementary built a vermiculture bin, or worm composter, to create nutritious compost to nourish the plants in their edible garden. Once the bin is built and worms are added, simply feed them food scraps to produce sustainable compost.

Watch how simple this project is, and then grab supplies and do it with your own kids for!

Trouble viewing? Watch this In Our Garden video and others on our YouTube channel.

Then you pulse it, and this happens:

BOOM! HUMMUS! And it was SO GOOD. I'm never buying hummus again. 

This March, Recipe for Success Foundation will host its second-annual VegOut! 30 Ways in 30 Days Challenge, motivating folks to eat 30 different vegetables in 30 days during National Nutrition Month. Bustling schedules and picky palettes can make the task of nourishing a family an uphill battle, so how do you get your brood to eat 30 different vegetables period, much less within one month?

Houston mom Amy Anton has a plan.

30 Ways in 30 what!?! There is no way I can do it again this year. I have three boys who will eat some veggies, but certainly not thirty, and we have school, and homework, and lacrosse... and busy lives!

But this is important.

OK, breathe, and make a plan of attack.

March is busy with sports and we have a whole week off at spring break, during which we will be eating out a lot. I think I will frontload to get as many veggies as I can in during the first two weeks. That way, I can relax and we can have fun with the Challenge in the second half of the month. After all, it's "an easy, delicious food adventure", it's supposed to be fun!

So, what to start with? Salads. Remember, salad dressing can be a friend, and if I make a yummy dressing or grate in some parmesan, they will usually eat it all. Possibilities are endless there. If I am really in a pinch, I can run to the salad bar and load up on already chopped goodies.

Then, I can alternate with a huge pan of roasted veggies - squash, zucchini, cauliflower and bell peppers. Just toss with some olive oil and a roast in a 375 degree oven, and there's four more to add to the Veggie Log.

Add my oldest child's favorite, Kale Caesar, to the list, maybe even with sliced radishes, and we're on our way! Stay tuned for Ashton's recipe for Kale Caesar. It's a keeper!

How will YOU tackle the 2014 VegOut! Challenge? Tell us in the comments!

Our Culinary Education Coordinator and S2P Instructor Susie Mullen is mom to three active kids. It's super important to her that between homework, baseball and soccer practices and everything in between that they get wholesome, nutritious foods to sustain them on busy days and nourish their growing bodies and minds. Enter an all-star: this Sweet Potato Smoothie is chock full of nutrients and protein to provide energy and keep everyone going. It's perfect for a sippable breakfast, after-school or post-practice snack or as a guilt-free dessert.

Take a peek at Susie and her daughter Ann-Marie to see how simple it comes together!

See the printable recipe here. Encourage your kids to help you by:

• Peeling and chopping the banana
• Scooping and mashing the sweet potato flesh
• Measuring dry and liquid ingredients!

View our other videos here, and subscribe to Recipe for Success' YouTube channel to keep up with our cooking and gardening videos!

RFS Board Member Genevieve Patterson is passionate about ensuring her seven-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son get all the nutrients that healthy, growing kids need. And while she has a few tricks up her sleeve, sometimes, striking a balance is all about redirection. 

Halloween, for example, with its fixation on the sugary, processed rewards of trick-or-treating, can be challenging to navigate for parents who wish to avoid having their sweet Fairy Princess tranform into The Hulk because they won't let her eat the 5 pounds of candy she toted home in that punkin bucket. But the alternative - caving and allowing kids to gorge on sugary junk until they're sick to their stomach isn't appealing either.

So what to do? Boycott Halloween altogether? No need, says Genevieve.

"You absolutely have to celebrate Halloween," she says, "It's so much fun! No need to deny your kids the chance to dress up!"

Rather than stress about all the candy, Genevieve emphasizes the other fun aspects of the holiday, like fashioning a super cool costume and showing it off to friends, who are also dressed as favorite creatures and characters. Enjoying the silliness and spending time with friends is what Halloween is all about at the Pattersons.

"On Halloween we host a party for our friends with kids and adults, which includes a dinner spread with lots of greens and healthy things to fill everyone up," she says.

The party ends up cutting into trick-or-treat time, too--an added bonus. Before they hit the streets, a time limit is set on how long everyone will go door-to-door. This establishes clear expectations and cuts down on tantrums, not to mention the size of their sugary hauls.

When they get home, Genevieve lets each of her kids pick three pieces of candy to enjoy that evening. The rest goes into the family candy jar and is distributed according to family candy rules, such as a piece for dessert in lunchboxes. Whatever's left after a month gets tossed. (Tootsie Rolls quickly become fossilized, anyway.)

Have your own tactics for a happy, healthy Halloween? Tell us!

By Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD

Have you noticed that kids can't seem to do anything without being served a snack? Packaged cookies and gummy fruit snacks are doled out any time children gather in a group, whether it's a two-hour preschool class or a 45-minute pee-wee soccer game. Every sporting event is now a reason to celebrate with cupcakes. And instead of water, children are getting juice boxes, pouches and bottled punch.

Today's children get about 500 calories a day from snacks--and mostly from these kinds of processed foods. According to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the most common snacks for kids are chips, cookies, crackers and other junk food made with refined white flour, salt, sugar, and artificial flavors and colors.

What is "Snacktivism"?

It's a grassroots effort to rethink the emphasis on snacks--and reconsider what kinds of snacks we're serving--for the sake of our kids' health. Rates of childhood overweight and obesity are alarmingly high, and we owe it to our children to equip them with healthy eating habits. If we teach them that snacks are artificially-colored cookies out of a package, how do they ever stand a chance at maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding complications like diabetes and high blood pressure, and living a long, healthy life?
 
Snacktivism is about finding a better way. It's about thinking twice before serving snacks, about considering whether kids actually need a snack. And if they do, it's about making a better choice. It's about offering whole foods and about making fruits and vegetables the default. Snacktivism is not about giving up cookies and cupcakes. Instead, it's about putting them back in their place as special occasion foods, not every day choices.

What You Can Do

If you're fed up with the snack culture, here are five steps you can take now:

1. Mobilize other parents at your child's school, church and sports teams. Chances are, other parents feel the same way.
2. Volunteer to bring food for events to model healthy choices. Organize your child's classroom parties and sign up to donate healthy food to school functions, church potlucks, and other events.
3. Talk to your child's teachers, principals, and camp and preschool directors about the kinds of snacks served. Read my post, "Camp Snacks: The Sequel" about how just a few parents can help change snack policies for the better.
4. Ask your child's coaches if they can institute a fruit-and-water team snack policy, or eliminate snacks entirely. Check out my Sports Snacktivist Handbook for a sample team email, FAQ, and other resources.
5. Consider how your child snacks at home. Are your kids filling up on empty snacks like pretzels, granola bars, and fruit snacks all day? Kids who are perpetually grazing will have a harder time branching out to try new foods at mealtime--and knowing what both fullness and hunger feel like is a skill they'll need their whole lives.

Sally Kuzemchak,MS, RD, is a registered dietitian,  blogger, freelance writer, and educator. Read her advice and recipes on Real Mom Nutrition, and follow her on Twitter and Pinterest.

by Lisa Wade

As mom to a second-grader and fourth-grader, the school break often poses challenges when it comes to satisfying the appetites of my two rapidly growing boys. As anyone with kids will understand, snacks between meals are constant requests, especially if they're playing in the yard and burning off energy. Despite every effort when they were younger, my two are particularly fussy eaters who, given the choice, would sooner reach for a bag of potato chips than an apple. However, I'm always on the hunt for new and exciting snack ideas that are easy to prepare (contrary to the coffee mug, I'm far from Super Mom!) and free of junk. Not only that, but they have to be delicious and just as appealing as the unhealthy alternatives.

Here are a few winners in my household:

PB Power-up Bars

My kids are particularly active during the summer months and rarely sit around indoors, preferring to run riot outside, have water fights and just be kids. Of course, they come inside every now and then to refuel. One snack they absolutely love are my peanut-butter bars. The best part is they're really simple to make, all-natural, and delicious (after my first attempt, I consumed half the tray myself).

To prepare, mix 1 Cup peanuts with 1/3 Cup whey protein (which gives them a natural energy boost) before adding 1/2 Cup creamy, all-natural peanut butter. Once combined, line an 8x8" oven-safe pan with wax paper, pour and spread mixture evenly into pan and allow it to set before cutting it into bars. That's all it takes. If your kids are chocoholics, then you could always add a bit of chocolate to sweeten the deal.

We scream for SORBET!

You might be thinking 'Sorbet... that sounds complicated' (and believe me, I did until I tried it), but it's actually a snap to prepare. Plus, the great thing about sorbet is that it's pretty much ice cream without the added calories from dairy and you can make it with a variety of fruits. If you don't have an ice cream maker, you will have to check on it during the freezing process , but that's no biggy. Serve in a cone, or let your kiddos enjoy a scoop in a bowl on its own or topped with fresh chopped fruit and mint or basil.

The Cherry Sorbet recipe I used can be found here.

Dip it good.

It's unsurprising how appealing carrots, celery and other vegetables and fruit become when your kids have a selection of dips to choose from. The first time I tried this was when they had friends over for a play date and it was an instant hit with the both of them. (I've noticed my kids are more inclined to try something new if their less fussy friends are eating it, too.) While it might seem an obvious choice for kids, there are so many possibilities that you can get really inventive. Favorites in our house include cold chicken pieces and veggie sticks with an onion-garlic dip and mini pita wraps with both barbecue and salsa dips.

That's a WRAP!

Wraps make such a great snack. Not only are they ridiculously quick to prepare, they're healthy, portable and can satisfy any kid's hunger in a single shot. What's more, with so much potential as to what you can fill them with, your kids won't get bored. I usually make a batch of snack-sized wraps with various fillings every couple of days (the majority of which my husband eats!), and they're definitely the first thing the kids reach for when they're feeling hungry. But one of my favorite things about them is how you can 'smuggle' vegetables inside them - the green stuff doesn't seem as intimidating to a fussy eater when it's rolled in amongst the ingredients they're more enthusiastic about.

The top fillings in our home include chicken, black bean and brown rice, tuna and sweetcorn, and salmon and salad. You can also create sweet wraps too, such as banana and cream cheese or mixed fruits with a little yogurt. It all works well and goes down a treat with everyone.

So there are my top kid-approved healthy summer snacks. I hope it's given you some food for thought!

Lisa Wade is a graduate of Nutritional Science and worked as a nutritionist prior to having her two boys. She currently writes articles to encourage readers to seek out healthier choices for their families to give their kids the best start in life. Lisa likes nothing better than experimenting with new recipes that she can pass on to other moms.

We're thrilled to announce that we've partnered with Houston's Motherhood Center to offer hands-on cooking classes for mothers with young children. We've carefully developed curriculum and recipes for new mothers to help ensure mom, baby and the whole family are eating well at any stage.

Classes will be held at RecipeHouse in the Museum District and taught by Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ instructor and chef Emily Brown, RD, LD. Scheduled group classes ($99) and private classes ($250/person or couple) available. Current offerings include: 

Eat This, Baby! Homemade Baby Food Basics is designed especially for mothers of infants (0 - 6+ months) to get their children off to a healthy start from their very first food. The best nutrition for your baby comes straight from your healthy family meals. We demystify the process of scratch-made baby food and teach you how to easily incorporate baby's pureed foods into delicious dishes for everyone at the table-and vice versa.

Eat This, Baby! Baby's First Solid Foods & Transitioning into the Family Meal is designed especially for mothers of toddlers (6 months - 3 years old) to help ensure your children stay on a healthy path with the introduction of solid foods. When baby moves into finger foods and starts eating off of Mom's plate, don't create a separate kid's menu. It's time for them to participate fully in the family meal. Learn to prepare healthy meals that baby and parents will all like!

Find out more, including dates for upcoming classes, and register here.

Long-time Recipe for Success supporter Bettina Siegel has been making waves with her blog about transforming food in schools through her blog The Lunch Tray. But now, she's shared her message through an innovative new platform - a virtual children's book on YouTube! Mr. Z's Apple Factory serves as a tool to teach families through the familiar format of a children's picture book about marketing tactics and cost-cutting methods used by Big Food that often work against the health of our communities.

Way to go, Bettina! Love the creativity and the action you're taking to raise awareness about these important issues!

At Rodriguez Elementary, our Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ students aren't the only ones getting schooled in healthy cooking and gardening. Every other Wednesday, a group of enthusiastic moms attend a class with RFS instructors Chef Claire Olivo and Chef Ruth Riojas to learn how to provide nutritious meals to their families. Recently, the Spanish-speaking class took a field trip to the nearby Fiesta Mart (also a Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ sponsor!) to up their smart shopper savvy, including how to select fresh produce, lighten up favorite dishes, and analyze nutrition labels. Fiesta Mart team members welcomed the group, helped to advise our moms in navigating their offerings and even gave out goodie bags. Thank you, Fiesta, for hosting our successful field trip!

See more photos of the field trip here. Interested in putting together a parent class of your own with Recipe for Success? Email us at [email protected]!

Eat it! Food Adventures with Marco Polo Volume One: Leaving Home was named among the best in family-friendly media, products and services by Mom's Choice Awards. Our children's cookbook-meets-adventure-tale, written by Recipe for Success Founder Gracie Cavnar and illustrated by Anni Matsick, received Silver in the Books: Cooking & Food category for ages 9 to 12.

Read more about the book and purchase a copy for your family here.

RFS Board Member Genevieve Patterson is charged with making sure her six-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son get the nutrients they need. As any parent knows, this is often no easy task. However, Genevieve has a few tricks up her sleeve and shares some clever approaches, from sneaking the good stuff into things her kids already like (cauliflower in brownies!) to establishing family mantras and initiating dialogues that encourage open minds and healthy behaviors.

Over the past few weeks, Genevieve has also logged boo-coo hours helping us strategize and spread the word about VegOut!, our call to action for Houstonians to eat their veggies in March for National Nutrition Month. She took the lead to bring VegOut! to River Oaks Elementary, where the principal, faculty and staff are VeggingOut! and students are front and center in the veggie conversation.

When you're not busy being a super mom, board member and volunteer, what are you up to?

My husband and I love having dinner parties or Sunday dinners for friends and family, traveling, exercise of any kind, especially if it's outside, and I'm a soccer fanatic!

What kind of eaters are your kids?

My two children have varying food interests. My son loves just about everything except fruit (it's a textural thing), but my daughter is a bit more particular. Specific to veggies, he'll try them all, cooked any way, but she really only likes them raw.  So, I follow several common covert methods to ensure she is getting the right mix: smoothies and finely chopped veggies added to proteins (like in tacos) and baked goods (zucchini muffins). Fortunately, one of our all-around family favorites is kale. Kale, apples, banana, juice/water, agave and ice blended together make what we call the "Super Hero Smoothie" - it's a fun neon green color and tastes delicious!

What's your approach to guiding your kids' food habits?

Common conversations in our house center around two themes: balance and giving everything a chance. Often when my kids ask for a treat, my first question is, "What other treats have you had today?" If they have already had something sweet, we talk about keeping a good balance. This usually averages out to having only one sweet per day. And when they are given something they don't think they like, the golden rule is that you must try it! We have even added a bonus to their weekly allowance for trying new things (foods, experiences, attitudes, etc).

Do you involve your kids in shopping for or preparing meals?

They do love going to the farmers market and seeing what's available. Regular grocery shopping is not their favorite thing to do. And they are great helpers in the kitchen. My son can crack a mean egg and if there's a noodle involved, my daughter is happy to help.

What does VegOut! mean to you?

I love the idea of a whole community of people striving for such a delicious goal! And since I'm a competitive person, I like the added incentive of the contest. My family can't wait for it to start. We've even had a "prep" night making veggie soup for dinner.

Why do you think this initiative is important?

Challenging individuals to expand their palate is always a good thing in my mind. Life is so busy, and sometimes it's just easier to prep your "go-to" meal or just pick up your favorite take-out. Asking people to stop by the produce aisle or market veggie stall when they usually just walk past can only lead to good things!

How did you approach the principal of your children's school to get her to VegOut?

I barely had the words out of my mouth before the principal agreed to do it! It's easy to recognize that veggies + kids is a good combo. So, I really didn't have to do too much persuading. And when the students are motivated, it helps the faculty and staff stay involved too.

Tell me a little about what River Oaks Elementary is doing to VegOut!.

Three times a week the student council will highlight a veggie by reading a fun food fact during the daily announcements. We are also having two contests: Veggie Dress Up Day and Rock Your Veggies - a song writing competition.

What's your game plan for your family to VegOut!?

Well, I plan on digging through my cookbook collection for veggie-heavy recipes, as well as checking out the Veggies A-Z recipes on the VegOut! site. I'll also look for baked goods, new smoothie recipes and different ways for us to consume our 30 veggies. We'll definitely take a few trips to the farmers market in Houston and while traveling over spring break. Hitting the local veggie markets is a great way to get a feel for a new town you are traveling through.

Any tips for getting kids to eat their veggies?

You can put ANYTHING in a brownie, and they'll eat it! Puree 1/2 cup veggies, such as cauliflower, zucchini, or beets and add to the batter. After they eat every crumb, you can then decide whether to tell them what was in it! 

Check out our rockin' Beet Brownies recipe here.

Advice for other parents who want to create change in their schools?

Once you have the right person's attention, come well prepared with attainable ideas and enthusiasm. Listen to what the school really needs and be flexible in implementing a solution.

Although parents aren't usually in the cafeteria when little Johnny or Jill opens the lunchbox or goes through the line, we think it's a good idea for parent's to get into their heads.

Lunchbox prep is only one piece of the nutrition pie. As the kiddos head off to school, a parent's role expands to teacher, educator and nutritionist. Arm your children with dietary knowledge to go along with that fresh and healthy lunch you packed. You don't need a degree in nutrition to nudge your kids toward making healthier food choices and discourage their swapping your homemade kale chips for those tempting french fries.

Try a few of these simple ideas to get started:
·      Eat family meals together around the dinner table
·      Always include a favorite food on the plate along with new items
·      Invite your child to grocery shop and cook with you
·      Make it a point to avoid processed foods whenever possible
·      Set a good example with your own food choices
·      Discuss school lunch ideas in advance

We understand that your biggest challenges are time and money. By planning ahead--discussing recipes, grocery lists, school lunch options--both parents and children are more likely to engage in and enjoy healthier, happier meals.

Who knows? At some point your child may be the one leading the culinary adventure. "I cook a lot at home with my mom, so this program has helped me to be a better helper at home in the kitchen," says one of our 5th grade students in the Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ program at EA Jones Elementary.

What if your children are complaining about the changes new healthy guidelines have wrought in theschool cafeteria?  Try making school lunch a part of your dinner table conversation. Ask about your child's favorite flavors and dishes in the lunchroom, and explore what he doesn't like or won't try.  Then try to incorporate those dishes she is hesitant about into your own meals.  Sometimes it takes as many as 15 exposures before you break through that refusenik barrier! 

Support the healthier choices now available in school cafeterias and encourage your child to try new things--one taste isnt that hard to stomach.  And remember, whatever your own experience with school lunch "in the day," comiserating will not move the needle in the right direction!

So, this year, in addition to those extra servings of whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, add a few slices of healthy discussion and food knowledge into your child's lunch routine.