Tips and Recipes
Healthy Eating: Week 5, Sunbutter (#52NewFoods) February 06 2012, 3 Comments
No bake, nut-free cookies that kids can cook! Paired with a sweet touch of honey and wholesome oats, these protein power bites are the new lunchbox regulars at our house.
Healthy Eating: Week 4, Spinach (#52NewFoods) January 29 2012, 3 Comments
Planted firmly toe to toe, it was a piercing stare down contest of epic proportions. Two unrelenting, iron wills: Spinach vs. my picky eater. What’s a mom to do?
Healthy Eating: Week 3, Mandarin Oranges (#52NewFoods) January 23 2012, 2 Comments
Gung Hay Fat Choy! Many mouth-watering foods are part of the Chinese New Year celebration, but Mandarin Oranges always top our list of favorites. Ambassadors of prosperity and good luck, Mandarin Oranges are the perfect food to ring in a New Year filled with healthy eating adventures!
Healthy Eating: Week 2, Brussels Sprouts (#52newfoods) January 16 2012, 3 Comments
Sizzle, sizzle, pop! A comforting aroma filled our kitchen as we fried the pancetta for our new food of the week: Brussels Sprouts. If I plan to advocate for my kids to try new foods, I figured I had better set a good example by trying something new myself!
Healthy Eating: Week 1, Onions (#52NewFoods) January 10 2012, 1 Comment
The allure of bonus points
for trying a new food wasn’t even enough to get my picky eater to try onions.
She would pick them out of her dishes with the precision of a well-trained
surgeon. For our healthy eating adventure, I decided to start with a real
challenge: get my daughter to try onions!
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!
The votes are in: Parents and kids love Crunch a Color December 28 2011, 3 Comments
Crunch a Color™ was featured this week on CTV's Morning Live. Parent Tested, Parent Approved's Sharon Vinderine featured a lineup of products that parents (and kids!) have put to the test and voted top on their list. Picky eaters, you've met your match!
Crunch a Color™ on CBS November 14 2011, 74 Comments
The Crunch a Color™ kids talking healthy eating with the morning crew at CBS' Good Day Sacramento! Watch how these picky eaters turned into healthy eating fans playing Crunch a Color™ -- the award-winning nutrition game that makes healthy eating fun and gives back to fight obesity.
Picky eaters to healthy eaters November 12 2011, 1 Comment
Hear how my kids went from picky eaters to healthy eaters by making mealtime fun!
Crunch a Color on CanadaAM November 04 2011, 18 Comments
Jennifer Tyler Lee, mom and creator of Crunch a Color, shares her story with Seamus O'Regan of Canada's #1 morning show, CTV's CanadaAM. Who knew eating veggies could be so much fun!
Top tips for kid-friendly, healthy meals September 01 2011, 0 Comments
Picky Picky: How to eat healthy with picky eaters September 01 2011, 2 Comments
I know this kid. When she was
a toddler she ate everything. Then she turned three and her expansive palette narrowed
like a construction zone on El Camino. If you declare one more time, “You must
eat your broccoli before you can have dessert!” you might explode. How do you
get back on track? Here are my tips for how to eat healthy with picky eaters!
1. Keep it fun!
I
yell, “Get your shoes on,
we’re going to be late!” -- nothing happens. My husband exclaims, “Kids team
against Daddy, race ya!” and my kids are ready before I can put my coffee cup
in the dishwasher. A game is engaging and kids want to have fun. At the table,
count colors, share jokes, play “kids team” against parents. Bonus points for
good manners and trying new foods! Crunch a Color is a great tool for keeping it fun.
2. Let the kids choose.
Young children do not get to control much, but they can control what they eat. Set them up for success by serving up a balanced, colorful meal and then, in a fun and playful way, let them choose. Think protein + 3 colors + healthy grains. This little formula gives kids an easy to understand goal, then puts them in the driver’s seat. Be a role model by making healthy choices for your own plate as well.
3. Be flexible.
What works for one child might not for the other. Always be aiming for a colorful, balanced meal, but be flexible in how you get there. Think about nutrition over the course of a week as opposed to just one meal. Take what they already like and find new ways to prepare it. If they like roast chicken, try a chicken with veggies stir fry. Mostly, be patient, positive, and flexible.
This article appears in the October 2011 issue of Jen's column, Healthy Eating, that is featured in the Burlingame Mothers' Club
newsletter each month. The BMC is a local mothers group in the Bay Area
with over 1,700 members in Burlingame, Hillsborough and San Mateo. Jen
is an active member and former President of the club.