Eat A Rainbow

Encourage Your Child To “Eat A Rainbow”

Vegetables & Fruit: 5 A Day

Nutrition experts recommend eating at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruit a day. To maximize nutritional and disease-prevention benefits, they further recommend selecting a fruit or vegetable from each of the following 5 color categories, daily:

Color
(Edible Portion)		 2-4 Servings Of Fruit
(Examples)		 3-5 Servings Of Vegetables (Examples)
Red Cherry, Cranberry, Raspberry, Red Grape, Strawberry, Watermelon Beet, Radish, Radicchio, Red Bell Pepper, Tomato
Orange Apricot, Cantaloupe, Mango, Peach, Nectarine, Orange, Pumpkin Carrot, Orange Bell Pepper, Orange Tomato, Sweet Potato, Yam
Yellow / Light Green Banana, Golden Apple, Golden Pear, Grapefruit, Lemon, Pineapple Avocado, Celery, Corn, Cucumber, Squash, Yellow Bell Pepper, Zucchini
Dark Green Green Grape, Honeydew Melon, Kiwifruit, Lime Broccoli, Green Beans, Green Bell Pepper, Green Peas, Lettuce, Spinach
Blue / Purple Blackberry, Blueberry, Fig, Plum, Prune, Purple Grape, Raisin Eggplant, Purple Bell Pepper, Purple Cabbage, Purple Kale, Purple Onion

Let’s “Eat A Rainbow”!

It can be challenging to get children to eat ANY vegetable or fruit - much less 5 a day! But, it can be much more fun, if they are involved in selecting, tracking, preparing, and “eating” a RAINBOW. (After all, who doesn't love rainbows? ) So, try this:

  • When grocery shopping, make a game of calling out all the colors you see in the produce section. (“I spy an orange.carrot”) Then, ask your child to pick out his or her favorite fruit and vegetable from each color category.
  • Encourage your child to record on a chart or calendar, using crayons or markers, whenever he or she eats a different color of fruit or vegetable. Try to make a rainbow by the end of each day, by eating each of the 5 colors: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue or purple.
  • Invite your child to participate in the preparation of some of the following kid-friendly recipes that will help your family “eat a rainbow” of fruit and vegetables every day.

Rainbow Fruit Salad

Toss bite-size pieces of your child's favorite fruit from each of the 5 color categories (say, strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwifruit, and purple grapes) with a splash of orange juice and a spoonful of your child's favorite yogurt. Yum!

Even simpler - arrange a rainbow array of bite-size pieces of fruit on a plate, with a “pot of gold” (lemon or orange flavored yogurt) for dipping. (A fun preschool snack-time offering, perhaps?)

Rainbow Crudits & Dip

Combine cup grated (or finely minced) purple onion with 2/3 cup of your child's favorite ranch dressing, spinach dip, or guacamole. Chill for a few hours to allow flavors to blend.

  • Arrange an artful display of raw veggies on a plate, with 2 Tbs. of the dip. Try:
  • Cherry tomatoes or red bell pepper strips;
  • Carrot sticks or orange bell pepper strips;
  • Yellow bell pepper strips, celery or zucchini sticks, or cucumber slices;
  • Broccoli florets or sugar snap peas;
  • Purple bell pepper strips or purple cauliflower florets.

Rainbow Chopped Salad

Turn the same selection of vegetable crudits from above into a hearty main-dish salad.Just halve the cherry tomatoes, and cut the other veggies into -inch dice. Then, add 1 cup of each of the following:

  • Roast turkey or chicken, cut into -inch dice (optional);
  • Salami, cut into -inch dice (optional);
  • Canned chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained;
  • Finely-shredded purple cabbage;
  • Torn-up spinach leaves or salad greens.

Toss with enough of the purple onion-enhanced ranch dressing (from the crudits recipe above) to coat. Top with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and enjoy!

Rainbow Pasta Sauce

Puree steamed carrot, zucchini, spinach, and purple onion with tomato pasta sauce. (Your child will never know the difference.) Toss with your child's favorite shape of cooked pasta. Better yet, serve the sauce over baked or steamed spaghetti squash (a yellow vegetable!) instead of pasta. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and/or chopped parsley or basil (more green!).

Rainbow Veggie Pizza

Top a store-bought pizza crust - or whole-wheat English muffin halves or pita breads - with a thin layer of rainbow pasta sauce (from the recipe above.or any tomato pasta sauce) and:

  • Thinly-sliced orange bell pepper or bits of roasted or steamed butternut squash;
  • Thinly-sliced zucchini or yellow bell pepper;
  • Fresh basil or baby spinach leaves or small broccoli florets;
  • Thinly-sliced purple onion or Asian eggplant.

Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese and a generous pinch of dried Italian herbs. Bake, according to package instructions, until cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned.

Rainbow Confetti Rice

In a large saucepan, saut cup of each of the following vegetables, in a small amount of olive oil or butter, over medium-high heat, until softened:

  • Finely-diced red bell pepper;
  • Finely-diced carrot;
  • Fresh or frozen corn kernels (thawed, if frozen);
  • Fresh or frozen green peas (thawed, if frozen);
  • Finely-diced purple onion.

Stir in 1 cup of long-grain rice and 2 cups of water or broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until liquid is fully absorbed. Fluff rice with a fork, and serve as a side dish. Or.

Rainbow Burrito

For a hearty main dish, wrap some rainbow confetti rice (from the recipe above) into a warm tortilla, with cooked whole or refried pinto beans, shredded cheese, and any of the following optional ingredients you desire:

  • Shredded purple cabbage;
  • Spinach leaves;
  • Cilantro sprigs;
  • Tomato salsa;
  • Squeeze of lime juice;
  • Guacamole or sliced avocado;
  • Shredded cooked chicken or beef;
  • Sour cream or plain yogurt.

More Ideas.

Try out some of your own recipe variations, and share your successful ideas with your classmates. For more information on nutrition, serving sizes, and great recipe ideas, check out:

http://www.mypyramid.gov