Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in albuquerque, NM

Five Local Farmer's Markets and Five Ways to Involve Your Kids When You Go

by Alison

June 02, 2009

This week's list is a two-fer! Five farmer's markets for you to check out and five ways to make your visits lots of fun for your kids.

1. Corrales Growers' Market - Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings (Wednesday markets start in July) at the Recreation Center in Corrales.
2. Albuquerque Downtown Market - Saturday mornings at Robinson Park
3. Nob Hill Growers' Market - Thursday afternoon at Morningside Park
4. Los Ranchos Growers' Market - Saturday mornings at City Hall in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
5. South Valley Growers' Market - Saturday mornings at Cristo de Valle Presbyterian Church

1. Create a bingo game board using various foods that may be found at a farmers' market (visit this harvest calendar for a list of what is in season and when so you have a better idea of what to expect). As you find each fruit or veggie, let your child mark it off on the game board.

2. Tell your child he can choose any fruit or veggie he'd like and you'll take it home and cook it. Challenge her to find something she's never seen before - and maybe even something that you havve never tasted before!

3. Practice counting. How many different types of produce are at each stand? How many tomatoes are in each container? How many strawberries will you buy?

4. Go on a color hunt. Choose a color and see how many fruits and vegetables you can find that are that color.

5. Practice ABC's. As you tell your child what each different fruit or vegetable, emphasize each initial letter sound.

What other farmer's markets do you love? How do you ensure your kids love going as much as you do?
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Nutrition Workarounds: If He Won't Eat Anything Green or Orange, Try These Tricks

by Alison

April 20, 2009

It seems like my four-year-old woke up one morning and decided that he suddenly didn't like vegetables. He had always been such a great eater, so what to do now?

The first thing I tried was a guessing game of sorts. He closed his eyes and I gave him a bite of food and he had to guess what he was eating. It made me laugh because though he insisted he didn't like any vegetables, he couldn't always distinguish them from the other things on his plate, and he definitely couldn't tell a carrot from a pea. After a few rounds of the guessing game, he'd gladly finish the food on his plate, and for a few days after that, I could usually convince him that he really did like veggies!
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Guest Post: 5 Basic Boosts for Busy Parents

by Alison

March 02, 2009

As a parent, there's so much to focus on when it comes to your kids, that remembering to take care of yourself isn't always easy! Today's guest post by Bonnie Johnson, MS, RD and Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD, LDN (on behalf of trim®) gives five ways you can stay on track nutrition-wise while you keep track of the little ones! I especially like the first two, as they can definitely be applied to your children as well!

(Don't miss the giveaway information posted at the end!)
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5 Basic Boosts for Busy Parents

1) Kick Up Your Heels - Don't make exercise a daunting chore. Have a 20-minute dance party with the kids. Everyone gets to pick one song. Try out different rhythms or steps like hula, cha-cha, the twist or the oldie-but-goodie chicken dance.

2) Faster Fruits- Often, we are so focused on getting our children to eat healthy, we forget about ourselves (sound familiar?) And most of us need to at least double our daily dose of fruit. So, instead of trying to count that strawberry cheesecake as a serving, try:

1/2 cup applesauce - Add a dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg

1 can of trim® Juice drink - New from Tree Top, one can counts as a 1/2 cup of fruit serving and comes in yum flavors like Mango Peach and Strawberry Kiwi)

1/4 cup dried fruit - Try tossed into cereal, over a salad or eaten on the go

3) Satiety is the new buzzword in healthy eating-it's that feeling of satisfaction after a meal or snack. It makes sense - if you are satisfied longer, you won't scarf down those extra calories you really don't need (like the remnants of junior's PB&J.) Fiber has great satiating power. Shoot for getting more fiber by choosing cereals with five grams or more fiber per serving, tossing a can of beans into a pasta dish, having a small bowl of popcorn or enjoying a single serve can of trim® which has three grams of fiber per serving.

4) Get Some Extra Zs - That's sounds dreamy but how do you get your head on the pillow when you are multitasking long after the kids are
in bed? Research shows that a good night sleep can reduce stress, improve your memory and even increase your success at weight loss. While experts recommend at least 8 hours a night, start by going to bed just 15 minutes early. Do that every night for a month - and see how you feel (and if you can up it another 15 minutes.) And yes, this is one of Deanna's New Year's resolutions.

5) Cover Your Bases - As dietitians, we recommend getting your vitamins and minerals from food first. But as moms, we know you can't have it all. Add a basic multivitamin to your morning routine just to be sure. But remember, it's called a supplement because it SUPPLEMENTS your diet (rather than replaces food) - and really, we're all about keeping as much tasty and healthy food in your diet as possible!)

Learn more about the trim Juice drink mentioned by visiting its facebook page. Want a chance to win some? I have the opportunity to give away five Trim Juice Drink gift boxes. That's right, there will be five winners! For your chance to win, head over to Trim's facebook page leave a comment on the wall or ask a question on the discussion board. Then, come back here and leave a comment on this post.

The first five people to leave a comment will win a gift pack.   If you've been hesitant to leave a comment before because of the registration requirement, keep in mind that now all you have to do is leave your name and the comment.  Be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.