This month’s “eating a rainbow” song inspiration comes from my good friend, Ginny Driscoll (http://notablemusique.com), who is also board-certified music therapist (Thanks, Ginny, for sharing your
song!).

What I like about “Crunch my Carrots < click the name to listen ” :

1. It is repetitive (Great for reinforcing key words and providing multiple opportunities for a child with articulation difficulties to practice certain phonemes!)

2. There are multiple verses about munching on healthy foods!

3. This is one catchy song (Warning: this one willstay in your head for hours!) 

4. It makes talking about eating veggies and fruits FUN!  (The bouncy, up-tempo beat will get your toes a tappin’!)

Check out my recorded version of the song, the free sheet music .pdf and lyrics sheet ( http://www.scribd.com/doc/77504220/Crunch-My-Carrots )…enjoy!

** For an added challenge: Develop a few new verses with your child or client!

Rachel See Smith, MA, MT-BC

Author Bio: Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders.  She is currently employed as an
independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).

Our winner is….. Joelle!  Congratulations…we think you’re going to really enjoy your Cookin’ Greens!!!

For our American friends that didn’t qualify for this giveaway we have a winner for our Today I Ate A Rainbow kit! The winner is…Teresa!!

For those of you that didn’t win, Cookin’ Greens $1 coupons are available to everyone here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151097432395352&set=a.462292530351.379387.254774005351&type=1&theater

Happy Healthy Eating
Kia

Now this is the kind of fast food I can get behind! Especially on those hectic days when you need to prepare a healthy meal in a hurry!

The Cookin’ Greens line includes:

• Chopped Spinach
• Chopped Rapini
• Chopped Kale
• and mixed blends such as “Designer’s Mix” and “Athlete’s Mix”

We used their Chopped Spinach in a vegetarian enchilada recipe.  It was easy to use and the spinach had a lot of flavour which made the enchiladas taste even better!   I just bought their Chopped Kale and am looking forward to trying it in our morning smoothies. In addition to tasting great, Cookin’ Greens has a lot of great recipes on their website along with a convenient store locator so you know where to pick some up!

Get the latest news on Cookin’ Greens freebies, contests and recipes – Sign up for their newsletter https://www.facebook.com/CookinGreens?sk=app_7146470109

You can also follow them of Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CookinGreens and on Twitter https://twitter.com/CookinGreens oh and be sure to check out all their videos too!

A big part of healthy eating is planning, sometimes that planning includes being prepared for those days when you don’t have a lot of time to cook, that it’s nice to have a product like  Cookin’ Greens ready and waiting in the freezer!

Cookin’ Greens has been kind enough to offer you the chance to win a weeks supply of their veggies…that’s 5 BAGS of veggies **Open to Canadian Residents only…sorry to our Rainbow friends in the USA…if you live in the USA and want to leave a comment I’ll enter you in for a separate draw for a Today I Ate A Rainbow kit  Just leave a comment below letting us know which Cookin’ Green veggie you’re most intersted in trying!  Check back on January 16th when we’ll announce the names of the lucky winners!  We’ll pass your info on to Cookin’ Greens and they’ll send you vouchers for your free veggies!

Good Luck and Happy Healthy Eating!
Kia

*I was provided with a free bag of Cookin’ Greens but was not compensated in any other way for writing this post. The opinions expressed are 100% mine!

Here are some celebration ideas we’d like to share with you:

1. picnic at a park
2. family bike ride
3. going for a hike
4. making a favorite meal
5. mini golf, swimming, bowling
6. family board game night
7. watching a movie together
8. going out for a meal at a favorite restaurant
9. hide and seek
10. playing tag
11. pillow fight
12. doing a fun craft together
13. visiting a zoo or other fun attraction
14. building a fort out of blankets and pillows
15. going for a walk
16. picnic in your living room
17. making a scanvenger hunt using fruits and veggies
18. going for a drive
19. going to see a movie
20. just making time to be together as a family – studies show that kids really want to spend time with their parents so give them some undivided attention as a gift

If you want to set a bigger goal you could set a reward up using things that your kids really want such as more computer time, or maybe a new toy!

Celebrating your child’s healthy eating is a good way to encourage spending quality time together as a family. If you can incorporate physical activities into your celebration then their bodies are also going to benefit from the healthy exercise which helps to instill yet another important part of healthy living!

Happy Healthy Eating!
Kia

Hello, again, Rainbow Readers!

This month’s song is just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday!

Sung to the tune of “Frere Jacque”

Parent: I eat turkey – Child: I eat turkey

Oh so good – oh so good

Always on thanksgiving – Always on Thanksgiving

Yum, yum, yum– Yum, yum, yum

Additional verses:
Cranberries, yams, spaghetti squash, corn, etc.
(Make sure you include foods from all colors of the rainbow)!

And guess what? There are musical vegetable and fruit shakers* you can buy for you and your kids to play while singing the song! Adding these fun instruments to your music time can create an opportunity to transfer the excitement from the instrument to the dinner table!

Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Be mindful of what you eat and how it plays into the harmony — musical pun intended — of your life and well-being!

Rachel See Smith, MA, MT-BC

Author Bio: Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders.  She is currently employed as an
independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).

* http://www.musiciansfriend.com/classroom-kids/nino-4-piece-botany-shaker-vegetable-assortment/443791000000000

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/classroom-kids/nino-4-piece-botany-shaker-fruit-assortment

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/classroom-kids/nino-36-piece-fruit-and-vegetable-shakers-in-basket

Quinoa is a staple in our household.  It is a super grain, containing all 9 essential amino acids, making it a “complete” protein.  Quinoa is also high in fiber, iron and calcium!  It is inexpensive and extremely easy to make.  I couldn’t think of a better way to showcase it on Today I Ate A Rainbow, than by naming it after them!

Rainbow quinoa is bursting with color and flavor; from slightly crunchy broccoli to sweet carrots and red bell pepper.

Pairing with it today are delicious marinated tofu spring rolls.  Balancing out our rainbow of vegetables, these Asian-inspired rolls also contain raw asparagus, shiitaki mushrooms, avocado and cilantro.  This is a fancy meal in disguise as it isn’t difficult to make at all!

Ingredients For the Quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup chopped broccoli
¾ cup finely chopped carrot
¾ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Low sodium vegetable stock & water for sauteing
2 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce

For the Spring Rolls
6 spring roll wrappers
14oz extra firm tofu, drained and pressed with paper towels
4 shiitaki mushrooms, cut into pieces
1 small bunch asparagus, washed & bottoms trimmed
1 avocado, cut into pieces
1 bunch cilantro, washed and stems removed

For the Tofu Marinade
3 TB tamari
2 TB seasoned rice vinegar
1 TB sesame chili oil
2 TB agave nectar

Directions

Start with the marinade for the tofu.  In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, rice vinegar, sesame chili oil and brown sugar.  Slice the tofu in ½ inch thick pieces and lay flat in a baking dish. Pour marinade over tofu and put in fridge.  Turn tofu over after 15 minutes and allow tomarinade 15 minutes more on the other side.

Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a medium sized pot. Add quinoa and reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.

While the quinoa is cooking, heat a saute pan over medium heat.  Add ¼ cup vegetable stock and add broccoli, carrot, bell pepper and garlic.  As the vegetable stock starts to disinegrate, add ¼ cup of water at a time to allow vegetables to soften (about 10 minutes).  Add braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce and stir to combine.

Add quinoa to cooked veggies.

To assemble the spring rolls:  Remove marinated tofu from fridge, but do not discard the marinade. Brifely soak each rice paper sheet in warm water (1 min) to soften and set on a kitchen towel to dry.

In the middle of each prepared rice paper wrapper, start with layering a few slices of tofu in the middle.  Next, dip a few pieces of sliced shitaki mushrooms in the marinade and place next to the
tofu.  Place one asparagus stem on top, followed by a few pieces of avocado, and lastly a few sprigs of cilantro.  Fold like a burrito and cut down the middle.

Serve over rainbow quinoa and toast to good health!

BIO:  About Green Apple Baby

GreenAppleBaby.com was started by wife and mother, Dana Nesen, who recognized a need for a place where Mom’s can go to get free animal-free recipes for baby, toddler and the whole family.  Her ideas and personal experience have helped other Mom’s feel more confident in the kitchen and help create an environment to share wholesome and delicious plant-based meals.

Twitter  @1greenapplebaby

Facebook

I’m a Food Artist/Closing Message to Viewers from Rachel Smith on Vimeo.

Here are the lyrics to all the songs that Rachel shared with us this week!

Author Bio:  Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders.  She is currently employed as an
independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).

It’s the vegetable (w)rap from Rachel Smith on Vimeo.

Author Bio:  Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders. She is currently employed as an independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).

At the End of the Rainbow (Inspired by: Today I Ate a Rainbow) from Rachel Smith on Vimeo.

Author Bio:  Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders.  She is currently employed as an independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).

I’m a Good Eater from Rachel Smith on Vimeo.

Author Bio:  Rachel See Smith is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) with a Master’s in Music Therapy and a B.A. in Communication Disorders. She is currently employed as an independent music therapy contractor and is the owner of Music Therapy Services of Austin (http://musictherapyservices.net/).  She also maintains the music therapy blog, Explore Music Therapy (http://exploremusictherapy.wordpress.com/).