Healthy Eating: 52 weeks, 52 new foods (#52NewFoods) January 06 2012, 4 Comments

Healthy Eating will top countless New Year’s resolution lists this year. The Crunch a Color kids decided to take on this challenge in a new way: 52 weeks, 52 new foods (#52NewFoods). I hope you and your picky eaters will join us on this yearlong adventure of eating healthy and trying new, kid-friendly, easy recipes. Jamie Oliver will feature our culinary journey -- it’s a New Year’s food revolution!

This article was originally published on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, January 6, 2012.

Healthy Eating OnionsCrisp air and sunlight sparkling on the Golden Gate Bridge served as a perfect backdrop to our family outing. The fresh market was buzzing with curious customers sampling and savoring delicious treats from local artisans and farmers. It was New Year’s Day and a visit to the farmer’s market in San Francisco was top on my list for starting 2012 on the right track. The goal: Try a new healthy food every week. 52 weeks, 52 new foods. A healthy eating adventure for my whole family.

Eating healthy will top many lists of New Year’s resolutions this year, my family included. Instead of focusing on what we can’t have, I am challenging my family to find and try healthy new foods to expand our repertoire of favorites. Putting the children in charge of this culinary adventure is the key to success: when they choose, they are more likely to enjoy. Each week I will write about a new food that my family will try. Whether it’s an entirely new healthy food, like the Jujube’s we sampled at the market that sunny Sunday in San Francisco, or old favorites prepared in a new way, my family and I will try a healthy food and recipe from aspiring Jamie Oliver Food Revolution chefs each week.

Week #1: Onion
You may be thinking, “Onion, is that really new to you?” Well, it’s certainly not new to me but my picky eater runs a fast mile when she spots them on her plate. My jaw dropped when I spotted her gobbling up a delicately pan-fried onion pancake at the market. She even ventured to try a belly-warming, homemade organic fennel and cipollini onion soup. Maybe it was the new twist on a familiar food that got her past her picky palate? Or maybe it was because she got to choose what she would try from a magnificent array of artisanal creations? Whatever the reason, this staple of healthy eating will be our starting point this year.

Featured Recipe: Out of the Box Food's Vegetable Beef Soup
With loads of leftovers from bountiful holiday celebrations, I decided Out of the Box Food’s healthy take on Vegetable Beef Soup would be the perfect place to start, where onions form the foundation of this hearty dish. Kim Gerber does an outstanding job turning some of America’s favorite dishes into healthy, easy recipes that your whole family will enjoy. I hope you’ll join me this week in trying Kim’s recipe. Scout out an unusual onion (or two) to feature in your creation and be sure to share your stories and favorite recipes. Let me know if you've got a great recipe that you'd like me to try. I’ll report back on our experiment next week!

About the author: Jennifer Tyler Lee is a mom of two children and the creator of Crunch a Color™ -- the award-winning game that makes 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 Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, FoodCorps, and Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard. Watch her picky eaters tell the story of how they turned into healthy eaters playing the game. Follow @crunchacolor and #52newfoods to tune into Crunch a Color's healthy eating adventure and Jennifer’s tips and kid-friendly, easy recipes.