Today I Ate A Rainbow

 

About a month ago, I purchased a chart for children I found online from a family company called, "Today I Ate A Rainbow".  The whole website is very cute with a little girl named Hannah singing a rainbow song, which is related to her accomplishment of eating foods from all the colors of the rainbow.  Hannah and her mother do videos together about different foods they prepare such as my new favorite, eggplant chips, and other items.

I bought the rainbow chart so that my daughter would be motivated to try new veggies and fruits as well as chart her daily eating activity.  Well, so far, with a few bumps in the road, it's been an awesome tool.  This magnetic calendar has five columns from the colors of the rainbow - red, orange, yellow, green and blue/purple.  Within each column are food options and then once they eat a serving (size of the palm of their hand), they can put a colorful shape on the color they just ate.  Once they reach all the colors, they place the rainbow magnet hovering above and sing the rainbow song.

For our family, it took a couple of weeks to adjust to this new routine, but now it's second nature.  Whenever my daughter asks for a snack we always consult the chart and she always chooses a fruit or veggie now based on the colors.  It's awesome! 

The kit also includes a story book about children making a switch from unhealthy foods to more fruits and veggies.  It's cute and colorful.  One thing I will mention is there's enough magnets for a family of 5!  Each child can have their own shape.  No need to buy more than one chart.

Overall, I've been very happy with the kit, especially since this helps my daughter to be accountable and responsible for her own intake of food.  Who doesn't want that?  Does she still ask for junk food from time to time....you bet.  But I have to say that issue is increasingly disappearing.  She used to ask for candy and ice cream all day every day, but now...I get a request for that about once every 3 or 4 days.  HUGE difference!

On a side note, our family also does Juice Plus, which has been scientifically proven to create a desire for more fruits and veggies.  We've been taking Juice Plus for 2 months now.  I'm sure that has something to do with it as well.  And in case you were interested in ordering, I happen to be a distributor.  You can visit my website at hgeigerjuiceplus.com.  Awesome stuff!

Here's the website!  Watch the videos with your kiddos.  They're entertaining and provide an excellent model for young children.   http://www.todayiatearainbow.com/

Lentil Burgers

So tonight I decided to try my first raw burgers.  This recipe called for sprouted lentils, which was a new venture for me.  I've sprouted many other things and I would have to say that lentils were among the easiest.  I followed a recipe from Rawlicious and put it together within 15 minutes.  It made about 12 patties in all.  You can top these delicious burgers with a tomato, homemade guacamole and fresh alfalfa sprouts. 

What you will need to do for preparation is....soak your nuts and sprout your lentils. 

2 cups walnuts, soaked for 2 hours (after soaking, drain, rinse and place in a sealed container in fridge)
2 cups sprouted lentils
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos (or nama shoyu)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 tsp. sea salt

Combine all ingredients together in a food processor.  Shape into patties and place in the dehydrator at 110 degrees for 12-14 hours.  My dinner is ready for tomorrow with plenty of leftovers.