One New Healthy Food a Week (52 New Foods) January 04 2013, 3 Comments

pick one new healthy food a week


52 weeks, 52 new foods. This simple challenge planted the seeds of change at our family table. Pick a new healthy food to try each week and join the adventure!

Whether your kids are the picky eaters, or you are the culprit, it can be challenging to break out of the rut of serving the same three vegetables each week. But the key to eating healthy is to make colorful and diverse healthy food choices, which is why kids earn points for eating servings of colorful fruits and vegetables, and bonus points for trying new foods, when they play Crunch a Color: The Healthy Eating Game.

Last January, as a way to earn more of those alluring bonus points, we took on one simple challenge, together as a family: 52 weeks, 52 new foods. The adventure inspired our family to welcome a cornucopia of new foods to our table and make healthy eating fun for our whole family.

Fifty-two weeks later, I am proud to say that we achieved our goal, but the journey was infinitely more important than the destination. Our 52 New Foods adventure challenged everyone in the family to try something new each week, it encouraged us to start a garden, it brought us together to cook and enjoy healthy food as a family, and it connected us with new friends and food lovers in our community. We learned about where our food comes from, the artisans who work tirelessly to grow it, and how the food choices we make impact our neighborhood and the bigger world around us. 52 New Foods planted the seeds of change at our family table.

We hope you’ll join us as we continue our 52 New Foods adventure in 2013. It's easy to get started! Here’s how:

Let your kids choose one new healthy food to try each week.

Head out to the farmers’ market together and encourage your kids to discover new, seasonal vegetables and fruits to try. Putting the kids in charge of the adventure is the key to making it fun.

Cook the recipes together as a family.

Tune into the Crunch a Color recipe blog each week for easy, healthy, family-friendly recipes. Set aside one night a week for “new food night” and enjoy cooking together as a family. Our recipes generally feature five ingredients or less, and are easy enough for a five year old to make!

Make it fun.

Whether you’re racking up points for trying new foods with Crunch a Color: The Healthy Eating Game, or inviting giggles to your family table with Crunch a Color: Conversation Starters for Kids, make mealtime fun! Reward your healthy eating each week with an active family adventure, like a bike ride together to a new park or a trip to a local farm.

Record your favorite recipes.

Snap a photo, jot your recipes in a journal, or mark your healthy food of the week on your calendar. This is a great way to keep on track. At the end of the year, you’ll have a treasured family cookbook of new healthy foods to enjoy together.

What new, healthy foods will you try in 2013? Get your healthy food list started with these easy, family-friendly recipes:


About the author: Jennifer Tyler Lee is a mom of two children and the creator of Crunch a Color® -- the award-winning nutrition games that make healthy eating fun. Like most parents, she struggled to get her kids to eat healthy, balanced meals, so she decided to make it into a healthy eating game and she’s giving back to support non-profit kids’ nutrition programs. Winner of the Dr. Toy and Parent Tested, Parent Approved awards, Crunch a Color® has been featured by Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, Laurie David’s Family Dinner, Kiwi Magazine, Dr. Greene, and Yum Food & Fun For Kids, among many others, as a simple, fun and playful way to get kids to eat healthy and try new foods. Jennifer’s passion is making mealtime fun, easy and healthy for busy families. Her easy recipes, quick tips, and new food adventures are regularly featured at Pottery Barn Kids, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, The Huffington Post, and on her weekly recipe blog at crunchacolor.com.