Get kids into the kitchen with these quick and easy to prepare quinoa recipes. They’ll love the versatile little super-grain as it teaches them some handy cooking skills!

1. Confetti Quinoa – Thanks to fellow blogger Roxann McCann (the Nursing School Blog) for sharing this easy snack or side dish from KidsHealth.org with us. 
2. Quinoa, Corn, and Tomato Salad – A taste of summer in this quick recipe from Cooking Light.
3. Orange Quinoa Salad – An especially colorful, nutrient-rich recipe also from Cooking Light. This salad can easily go from snack to side dish to main dish with the suggestions provided.
4. Quinoa, Spinach, and Walnut Stir-Fry – Simple and fresh ingredients and easy too; thanks to our friends at Relish.
5. Mexiquinoa Salad - Another from Relish, and fun for kids to make too.
6. Pecan-Quinoa Breakfast Bowl - Yes, quinoa for breakfast!
7. Summer Salad of Quinoa and Raisin-stuffed Tomatoes - A yummy California Raisin Board recipe.
8. Quookies – Quinoa cookies, that is. Enjoy these when you want a sweet treat with a little extra nutrition. Thanks to the Super Healthy Kids blog for their creativity in cooking for (and with) kids!
9. Breakfast Quinoa - Simple, filling and easy for kids to help make!
10. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad - A tasty side dish, which can easily be made into a main dish if you wish.

Enjoy! Let us know if you like these!

I don’t know about you, but I always need a little mid-winter nudge to get my water intake back on track. When it’s not hot outside, I find it harder to reach for my water bottle during the day. No wonder why I’m feeling a little “off”. So here’s to all of us who need a little reminder once in a while to kick our water drinking habit back into high gear.

1. Watch for water. When at school, the office, shopping or out in the community, get yourself and your kids in a routine of always drinking water when you pass a drinking fountain whether thirsty or not!
2. Take it to go! Carry bottled water with you everywhere – in your lunch, backpack, car, shopping – everywhere.
3. Swap it out! For every sugared soda you drink each day, swap a bottle or glass of water instead. An amazing savings in calories and sugar!

These tips and more can be downloaded at http://www.healthykidschallenge.com/pdf/drink think tap into H6 110803F.pdf

“Fantastic!” Just one of the many praises overheard as people couldn’t wait to bring their family and grandchildren through a live walking tour of MyPlate. Many kids came by twice wanting to talk more and touch the food and ask more questions.

If you weren’t able to attend but want a glimpse of what the Explore MyPlate experience is all about, hear it from other participants first:

What was your favorite part of Explore MyPlate?

“It’s so fun and brightly colored and you learn what foods make you healthy.”

“The bracelet and the activity table were fun. It was fun to roll the dice and play the game.”

“The interactive nature of the event, made nutrition education fun and exciting.”

“The staff really spoke to each child on their level to help them learn all about MyPlate.”

Of the different Explore MyPlate stations, which was the most interesting?

“The Explore More table. They had sugar cubes and fat that showed how much was in snacks, candy and soda.”

Did you learn anything new?

“What surprised me the most was that all foods are okay. It’s about making better choices.”

“I really like the visual of the butter and sugar cubes – showing how much fat is in chips and how much sugar is in candy and soda.”

“I learned there is so much sugar in pop and a bag of Skittles. I can choose other sweet foods like blueberries or an apple for a snack.”

What would you like to share with others about your Explore MyPlate experience?

“Excellent–very organized and everybody was nice and helpful.”

“I would love to see this at my kid’s school!”

“I would recommend this because it was an easy and straight forward way to present My Plate. The way the set-up was made the message clear about what foods are in what food groups. The interactive nature allowed children to touch and feel food and make a bracelet -a physical reminder of the messages from the event. The staff was very informative and not judgmental when talking about children’s diets.”

Want to know more? Click here: Explore MyPlate.

USDA MyPlate
For Kids 6-11 (http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/index.html) – “Blast Off” Interactive online game and downloadable  posters, coloring pages and worksheets

Nourish Interactive
“Classroom Food and Nutrition Tools and Games” – includes free printouts, parent and kid versions too

Nutrition Education Store.com
MyPlate Resources (http://www.nutritioneducationstore.com/catalog/MyPlate-127-1.html) –downloadable handout, poster and game idea

• Visualize Your Plate – Think ahead about what a healthy meal plate looks like. Use the MyPlate icon and food groups to guide your choices.
• Scan and Plan – Scan the food options and make a plan to include your favorites while keeping health in mind, such as fruits and veggies. You don’t have to try every food served!
• Choose Less Fat and Sugar – As you scan and plan food choices, consider the fat and sugar content. Limit those foods.
• Hunger Cues – Holiday meals usually provide more food choices than our usual meals. We tend to heap our plates full! Start out with small or “moderate” portions and listen to your “feelings of fullness”. Stop eating when you’ve had enough and enjoy the company around you! You’ll be on your way to a healthy holiday season.

What tips help you and your family enjoy holiday eating without the guilt of overindulging? Share your ideas!

For more helpful Healthy6 Messages, visit the top left corner of our home page.

Healthy Balance

Despite what the media headlines may lead you to believe, Congress has not declared pizza a vegetable. The bottom line is the tomato paste on the pizza still counts as a vegetable serving according to federal regulations for school lunch programs. (If you want more explanation than that, read this article from the LA Times: ‘Pizza vegetable’ controversy is hot potato.)

But, honestly, the real bottom line? We all need to find some healthy balance when it comes to nutrition for kids. Childhood obesity did not start overnight, and it won’t get fixed overnight either. Don’t get caught up in the blame game. The true solution to this epidemic is that many solutions are needed, which must mesh into a new culture of health for all of us. While Congress may not have approved the changes many thought would be approved, it’s up to all of us to do the best we can, with what we have, where we are. Many schools are already making strides in offering appealing and tasty meals (see www.traytalk.org), without additional reimbursement, and we can learn from them.

Many individuals are taking action themselves to help their schools offer healthier foods and more active play, without pay or recognition, because they know it’s the right thing to do. The people who make these changes will often tell you the closer you get to healthy balance, the reward is in the health itself. In a culture of health, kids will be eating better, moving more, and enjoying a healthy balance – what can you do to help reach that goal where you are?

Emily Encourages Eating Fruits & Veggies the FUN Way

“We incorporate a lot of fruits and vegetables into smoothies. My kids eat one every day that usually has 3-5 different fruits and veggies. We also like to do stir-fry or roasted veggies with 3-5 different veggies mixed in so there is something each child likes, plus something new to try. We also love to add fruits and vegetables to ice pops! One of our favorite recipes includes a peeled zucchini, a peeled cucumber, cut up pineapple and fresh lemon juice. You don’t even taste the veggies and they are super refreshing on a hot day!” – Emily Barker, Idaho

Lisa’s Library Activities Include Health

“For the first three story times during June, we served cookies and juice. For the last one, we offered oranges and Sun Chips and they were very popular! One mother specifically thanked us for having healthy snacks. She said her kids don’t like sweets. As part of story times, we used plastic fruit and vegetables for a word game with the puppet play “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.” Children were asked to pick a fruit or vegetable and then come up with another word that started with the same letter. They could then put the fruit/vegetable “into” the old lady’s stomach. They loved it!” – Lisa Moreland, Kansas

Lori Starts the School Day with Activity for Everyone!

We started a month long exercise program to start our morning at school. Once a week, the whole school participates in the “Chicken Fat” exercise CD. At first, I think the kids thought this was a lame idea. Now they look forward to this activity. Some of the teachers commented that they would like to have this activity every day. The PTSO bought two Big Bird costumes for the staff and principal to wear and surprise the students when they are exercising. – Lori McNutt, Michigan

Find More Successes and Share Your Story!

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In honor of the 2011 Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week, we want to share some ideas for the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. At Healthy Kids Challenge we have a special connection to librarians through a generous grant project titled, “Reading-Smart Eating-Moving…Balance My Day”. It helped us reach Kansas kids with healthy messages, through their very enthusiastic, creative librarians. Now we have these ideas to share with you!

1. Coconut Bowl Activity Idea

• Items Needed: fake plastic coconuts, toy bowling pins or empty plastic bottles, cut out letters, masking tape

• Children can go bowling in your room! Tape random letters to the pins/bottles and set them up like a bowling alley in a room with a hard floor. Tape a line a few feet from the pins for children to stand behind. Let them roll the coconuts toward the pins to see how many they can knock over. Let them name the letters that they knocked down.

by Anne Harris, Outreach Librarian, Wichita Public Library. As a member of the Kansas Center for the Book’s Kansas Reads to Preschoolers state committee, Anne’s  been very busy helping to develop activity plans and promotional materials for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  Access other great activity ideas at www.kcfb.info/chicka

2. Coconut Bowl- Variation #2

• We will be using toilet paper rolls spray painted white, colorful duct tape for the lanes… and real coconuts for bowling balls!

• Optional: Crack open a coconut to scoop out the insides and give everyone a taste!

by Danielle Dougherty, Youth Services Coordinator, Dodge City Public Library, Dodge City, KS.

3. Coconut Learning Lesson and Singing Fun

• For preschoolers, start out your story time with information about coconuts. Bring an actual coconut to let them see and feel. Have one cracked open to see the inside. Show them what shredded coconut for baking looks like. Then read the story. After the story, pass out shakers to each child and have them stand up. Sing the following song and have kids follow the words:

• Chicka, Chicka Dance (using shakers)

• Chicka, chicka, ABC. Do the chicka, chicka dance with me.

• Shake it to the left, now shake it to the right.

• Touch the floor, reach to the sky.

• Now, shake it to the left, shake it to the right.

• Turn around and clap 5 times!

• Optional: Use other rhyming, active songs with the alphabet. Offer no added sugar apple juice and alphabet cereal (if you can find it) for a snack. Decorate the story time room with alphabet letters. I also made a Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom transfer for a T-shirt that I wore for the group.

by Madella Williams, Library Specialist, Finney County Public Library, Garden City, KS.

Each year, the Kansas Reads to Preschoolers initiative encourages reading to children at a young age. It also provides a wonderful opportunity to connect reading with healthy eating and physical activity messages. For more like this, see Reading-Smart Eating-Moving…Balance My Day.

Healthy Kids Challenge (HKC)

zulily Thanks, Vickie! We’re excited to hear about the creative work you’re doing at Healthy Kids Challenge!

Jennifer I’m a health educator, and healthy eating can be a tough sell to young students. How do you get your students excited about eating healthy? How do you make that fun for kids?

HKC GREAT questions! First snacks – Can’t go wrong with fruits and veggies! I suggest snack time should be about half way between meals so it doesn’t interfer with being hungry for the next meal. Snacks are important for younger kids to meet nutrient needs. Try lowfat yogurt mixed with canned or fresh chopped fruit, or lowfat cheese and crackers, bit size! Get the little ones involved, let them help with making the choices AND, sit down and enjoy the snack together!

HKC Now, Jennifer, on to your tough sell with nutrition for students! First of all, role modeling is key. From parents to teachers, principals to school nutrition services staff, each adult in the lives of kids makes a difference. Let them see us eat healthy and be active! Next, engage the kids, make it fun and exciting! What makes them tick? Things like tasting, science experiments, getting to work together in teams, getting up and moving. HKC offers free tips and monthly action ideas on our website, check them out!

Lindsay My almost 3 year old gets up ready to play and not eat breakfast, any suggestions? Also, any healthy but fun snack ideas for 3 year olds?

HKC Now, to answer that question about getting up wanting to play instead of eat. Dietitian Ellen Satter has a great division of responsibility for feeding kids – The parent is responsible for what, when, and where foods are served, and the child is responsible for how much is eaten or whether food is eaten. Be consistent with when breakfast is served, let your toddler help pour the milk and cereal, or wash the fruit, then sit back and enjoy together!

Angie We don’t have a lot of money and often have trouble being able to afford healthy foods. What are some good ideas to help get healthy food for kids in families on a tight budget?

HKC Angie, budgets are tight for so many families these days, I understand your concern and your want to feed your kids healthy too! Plan and plan somemore is key! Look for store specials, use coupons, consider store brands, keep staples on hand such as dry pasta and dried beans, frozen and canned fruits and veggies, and I love to cook once, eat twice. I often purchase meats on sale, cook up a pot of chili or make double batch of lasagne and freeze for another day. Keeping things like sugared drinks and high fat, high sugar snacks as occasional foods only will help the pocket book too.

Learning ZoneXpress @Lindsay – maybe there are some fun healthy finger foods that would let your 3 year old eat and play. Fruits can be fun for breakfast!

HKC Our friends at Learning ZoneXpress are right, Lindsay! Toothpicking cubes of cheese and fruit bites is so much fun. Try pretzel sticks instead of toothpicks! Or, paint faces on toast with yogurt, cut and munch!

zulily Vickie, what are some common myths and misconceptions you’ve come across about kids and healthy eating habits, if any?

HKC Oh Zulily, glad you ask, there are plenty. Many think kids don’t need snacks, that snacking is bad when the opposite is true, kids really do need that between meal nourishment. It’s not the snack that is “bad”, it’s often the food choice or the portion size! We call it Snack Attack, you be in charge of the food choices and make it a healthy snack, mom and child together! I’m thinking dried fruit in a yogurt cup sprinkled with granola sounds pretty tasty here in a bit myself! Another myth is that kids don’t need milk or dairy beyond age 2. Those bones and teeth certainly need calcium all throughout the growing years! Low fat milk and dairy foods are key to a child’s healthy growth!

Lindsay What are fun activities to do at home to get us all moving as a family instead of just sitting in front of the TV together?

HKC Your youngsters will LOVE this idea to get up and move! Write down some simple activites on note cards, use different color note cards. The activities can be from some of your child’s favorite books……..so, things like fly like a bird, sway like a bear, etc. When it’s commercial or INSTEAD of watching more tv, play with your child the get up and move game! Have him/her call out a color, turn over a card that color and together do the fun activity! Trust me, your child will want to do this over and over and over, and heh, might even forget about that next tv show!

zulily We noticed that the Healthy Kids Challenge newsletter features something called a Monthly Action Idea. Can you explain what this is and why adopting some of these ideas would be beneficial for families with youngsters?

HKC Parents and educators alike will enjoy our free e-newsletter and our monthly action idea. Healthy Kids Challenge is a team of registered dietitians and we all have backgrounds in child and school nutrition. We have developed many nutrition education tools and curriculum. To get families and schools started thinking nutrition education in the home and at school, we offer one of those ideas free each month, available by clicking on Monthly Action Idea from our homepage at www.healthykidschallenge.com It’s all about wrapping healthy eating conversation and action into daily living. If you’re in the car, why not talk about how to “eat your colors” with different fruits and veggies, then draw pix of those when you get home, make a list for the grocery store and let your child help prepare and serve the “colors” of fruits and veggies they selected. Same sort of education can happen in the classroom.

Lindsay Any ideas on how to get kids to try new foods?

HKC Patience and consistency. It may take up to 15-20 times with a new food for a little one’s palate to really decide if he or she likes that food so serving broccoli once and giving up won’t get it, try again. Remember, mom and dad decide what is served, child decides whether or not to eat, food should not be reward or punishment. Try new foods in different ways, such as that broccoli with a small amount of cheese sauce, or raw with low-fat veggie dip, or finely chopped in meatloaf or lasagne. Offer a new food along with other more familiar and favorite foods too so it’s not overwhelming to the child to come to the table and not feel comfortable with any item offered. Last thought, role model, what mom and dad say and try is very important.

zulily Vickie, we want to thank you for sharing such great information, tips, and tricks for encouraging lifelong healthy eating habits, shopping on a budget with nutrition in mind, and letting us know we can be OK with the occasional snack.

HKC Before our time is up, I just want to encourage all of you that food jags and ups and downs with feeding kids is normal. Offer a variety of healthy options and involve your kids, enjoy meals, snacks, menu planning and grocery shopping together as part of normal family routine. If you have school age kids, get involved with your school’s PTA/PTO or wellness council and keep keep coming back to HKC for help and support, like us on facebook, share in our Cause and sign up for your newsletter. We want to make a difference for kids with you!

zulily Before you go, can you share with us a little about which Healthy Kids Challenge campaign your most excited about and why?

HKC Our campaign we’re most excited about is for sure our Ten for Ten Cause, Zulily! School budgets are so tight, and yet nutrition education for kids is needed now more than ever. If every person each of us knew helped out in a small way, we could help truly a million kids have the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy choices and live an active, healthy lifestyle. Thanks for helping us make that happen, Zulily. http://www.causes.com/causes/582738-support-healthy-kids-challenge

zulily Thank you to our awesome followers for asking such great questions and a special thanks to Healthy Kids Challenge for such in depth and informative responses.

This is the transcript of the healthy eating Facebook chat with Healthy Kids Challenge and zulily from 11-2-11. You may also like to visit the zulily blog: http://blog.zulily.com/2011/11/02/healthy-kids-challenge-and-zulily-discuss-healthy-eating-habits-for-kids/.

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