Last week, I talked about the February blues, and earlier this week it seemed as though Mother Nature must have heard my cries, with all the spring-like weather we’ve been having. “Having until today,” I should say, with a note of wistfulness in my voice.

Waking up with snow on the ground may have squashed my illusions of an early spring, but it does give me an excuse to continue my search for bright-colored, happy-making food!

If it’s beautiful colors you’re looking for, Juli Novotny’s got it covered at PUREmamas, where she celebrated the glory of orange, red, and yellow over the course of the week! I’ll the the first to admit that I’m the type who often requires fancy presentation and creatively cooked meals to enjoy many fruits and vegetables, but Juli’s posts really show off the beauty of fresh, raw foods. Still, I was even more smitten by her corn, parsley quinoa and grilled shitake recipe from later in the week. And speaking of making cooked veggies look delicious, The Daily Dish has my number with these baked asparagus fries from Nicole Humphrey Cook.

Another splash of color from this week’s travels in the blogosphere comes from a number of South American-inspired recipes, like these slow-cooker bbq chicken tacos from Prevention RD Nicole, fish and avocado tacos from Amy at Super Healthy Kids, and this black bean corn salsa salad from Two Kids (and a mom) Cooking. And Simple Bites‘ Aimee gets right to the heart of the matter, with Surviving the February Food Blahs.

Indoor play can offer some respite as we weather the tail-end of winter, for kids and adults. If board games are a favorite, Quirky Momma Holly has been running a series of her Top 10 Board Games for Families, including some of my household’s favorites like Ticket to Ride, Puerto Rico, and Carcassonne. She’s up to the top two now, so be sure to follow her for the big reveal! And for some simple science fun, check out Kim’s post, How to Lift an Ice Cube with a String!

That’s all for this week! See you next FoodPlay Friday!

Of all the winter months, I think February is the hardest. It’s usually somewhere around mid-February that I find myself suddenly, painfully longing for spring, and though this year’s winter has been unusually mild here in western Massachusetts, I can tell I’m rapidly nearing that point, just as always. Though spring is just a few short weeks away, those weeks can feel like an eternity in the midst of a frigid, gray February.

Fortunately, there’s a lot of warmth and color to be found around the healthy food blogosphere this week—enough perhaps to chase away even the worst February blues.

If you’re longing for the deep greens of spring, check out Super Healthy Kids, where Amy explains that It’s easy to be green, especially if you’re a delicious spinach wrap with avocado! Erika’s found the key to my broccoli-loving heart with this easy & savory Broccoli mash at In Erika’s Kitchen. And how on earth did I miss these Sweet & Savory Brussels Sprouts with Quinoa from Alysa at Inspired RD?

Food Network Healthy Eats blogger Victoria Phillips brings red to the table, with Three Red Foods You Should Be Eating. Prevention RD Nicole has orange covered with some spicy Buffalo Wing Hummus, which can only be topped with this multicolored Ode to Hummus from the Jolly Tomato. For another nice multicolored mix, check out this Coconut-Lime Tofu & Rice from Megan at Simple Bites. And moving back to orange, my mouth is watering for some of these Thick Cut Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Katie Sullivan Morford at Mom’s Kitchen Handbook.

February’s chilly days are perfect for trying out some creative organization, and my eye was caught this week by The Feeding Doctor Katja Rowell’s musing on the convenience of snack organizers. And if there’s one site that always gets me motivated to go outside, even in the bleakest days of February, it’s Active Kids Club, where I just learned the meaning of friluftsliv (the Norwegian term for “outdoor living”).

That’s all for this week! See you next FoodPlay Friday!

1. Fruit + Veggie Tracker Bands
Have a contest with these fun Tracker Bands! Kids start each morning with 5 bands on their left wrist, and move them over each time they eat a fruit or vegetable. They can keep track on the log provided, and compete classroom to classroom!

2. Passport to Fresh Adventure!
Distribute these fun passports and have kids fill them up throughout the month! Each time a child tries a new fruit or veggie, they stamp their passport with a colorful sticker. They’ll learn fun food facts and to identify fruits and veggies in English and Spanish!

3. New DVD: Tobe Fit — Ace Food Detective: Cracking the Case!
Nutrition Education in 10 Bite-Size Lessons! Use these exciting “case files” to spark fun classes on nutrition! Kids become “Ace Food Detectives” and learn how to make healthy eating and exercise choices. After they watch each case (2-4 minutes each), they answer a set of questions and special investigations. A fun way to bring the FOODPLAY show back to the classroom — complete with juggling, music, magic, and animation.

4. MyPlate Activity Kit
Use these fun reproducible activity sheets and lesson plans all month long to help kids use Myplate to balance their diet! A great way to link the meals served in the cafeteria and at home with classroom learning!

5. Janey Junkfood’s Fresh Adventure!
Now in paperback — $9.95! Read book with children and then choose some activities from our free Teacher’s Activity Guide. For the cherry on top, make fruit and veggie snacks together using Janey’s “Tickets to Fresh Adventure!” found in the book and also downloadable.

To receive in time for March, please order by Wednesday, February 22nd.
For larger orders, you can add your logo (at additional cost). Contact us to find out more: 1.800.FOODPLAY (1.800.366.3752) or store@foodplay.com.

For more activities, visit Free Materials!
To bring a live FOODPLAY show to your school or special event, visit Live Shows!

Happy Nutrition Month from all of us at FoodPlay!

When you’re stuck at home with the sniffles, as I am today, it’s easy to feel isolated from what’s happening in the outside world. Fortunately, my inbox has been full of reminders that our work goes cheerfully on, including this charming set of photos from FOODPLAY‘s recent stop at East Heights Elementary in Henderson, KY. Seeing all those kids dancing around with glee in photo number three is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face, even one as sniffle-y as mine.

A cold is poor inspiration for planning Valentine’s Day as well, but as usual, the healthy food blogosphere is here to pick up the slack!

At Super Healthy Kids, Amy offers up this adorable Pinkalicious Porridge. Healthy Kids Challenge shares these Sweetheart Pinwheels and other delicious Valentine’s Day snacks, while Meal Plan Mom Brenda rounds up holiday snacks from all over the web at Meal Planning Magic.

Maggie LaBarbera gets into the spirit of Valentine’s Day with 15 Heart Healthy Tips- being good to your heart a guide for parents with links and resources over at Nourishing Thoughts. And Prevention RD Nicole suggests we love our hearts with this Chipotle Black Bean and Shrimp Quesadilla with Edamame Guacamole.

It may not be Valentine’s Day food specifically, but the Meal Makeover Moms‘ Peanut Butter Breakfast Shake calls out to my heart. And if you’re looking for something crafty to celebrate the day, check out these Eco Kids Valentines from Juli Novotny at PUREmamas.

That’s all for this week! See you next FoodPlay Friday!

From the USDA’s press release:

The final standards make the same kinds of practical changes that many parents are already encouraging at home, including:

• Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;
• Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods;
• Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties;
• Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and
• Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium

We think this is great news for kids, but puts a lot of work on to our already overworked and dedicated food service directors and staff throughout the country. So, let’s try to support school nutrition and school food service whenever we can, and look forward to helping them lead the way to create healthier schools and healthier children.

Our new FOODPLAY troupe 2 hit the road this week, visiting schools in the New England area before heading off to Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, and beyond! Stage Manager Katie Chai is at the helm once again, with FOODPLAY veteran Keith Allen as Coach (you may remember him as last season’s Johnny) and newcomer Felicia Masias making her debut as Janey.

This week’s big nutrition news, of course, came from the USDA, who announced on Wednesday their new standards for school meals, including significantly increased requirements regarding fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Discussion online is lively, and though certainly some of it has been critical, it’s wonderful to see so many people talking about school lunch.

We’ll have more information to share about the new standards early next week, but in the meantime, let’s see what the healthy food blogosphere is feeding their kids for lunch!

The folks at Healthy Kids Challenge offer up 11 Healthy Quinoa Recipes for Kids. At Super Healthy Kids, Amy puts a refreshing twist on the good ol’ PB & J with these Peanut Butter and Jelly Crepes. Cory at Family Fresh Meals sets my bento-loving heart a-flame with this adorable owl-themed lunch. At Mom’s Kitchen Handbook, Katie Sullivan Morford takes a look at a couple of digital tools for smarter snacking and shopping. And Corrine Fischer at Keep Your Diet Real has some tips on choosing healthy beverages.

Speaking of school lunch, Lunchbox blogger Sunny Young posted a terrific write-up this week on Shelly Allen, Director of Nutrition for the St. Vrain Valley School District in Colorado, whose commitment to farm-to-school practices helps provide fresh fruits and vegetables to students in her district every day. It’s an inspiring article, well worth a read.

That’s all for this week! See you next FoodPlay Friday!

Yesterday, our new national FOODPLAY troupe debuted their show for a wonderful audience of kids. As usual, I attended, and (as usual) it was a deeply inspiring experience. Working away in my office every day, it’s easy to lose the energy and sense of pure fun that drives everything we do. Most of all, I was reminded of how much fun food can be, and how dramatically that affects my own daily eating.

Unlike most of the foodies whose blogs I eagerly follow, food preparation was never an enjoyable experience for me. Growing up, I had much more interest in following my dad around, learning how to hang stage lighting and arguing over the legitimacy of pop music in American musical theater, than I did learning my way around the kitchen. This preference extended into adulthood, making me a terrific asset onstage, but a very reluctant and ultimately dull cook.

For me, rescue came in the form of a bento box. Inspired by the endless creativity and hard work of countless Japanese parents, I discovered that making my lunch could feel more like a craft, and as I worked to assemble lunches that pleased my eye, I was accidentally also pleasing the rest of my body, by increasing my fruit and vegetable intake by about 200%.

As you can see here with a few of my novice creations, it’s easy to fill half your plate with fruits and veggies when they add so much vibrant color and delicious design to your plate.

You needn’t rely on my amateur efforts for inspiration, of course. The blogosphere is filled with beautiful, healthy bento, assembled daily, utilizing a variety of cuisine and personal aesthetics.

Sherimiya at Happy Little Bento offers a near-daily feast for the senses, always beautifully filled with fruit and veggie goodness, like these two adorable bento (one | two) celebrating the Chinese New Year. For a mixture of traditional and not-so-traditional bento, keep your eyes on Just Bento blogger Makiko Itoh, whose wonderfully detailed and recently re-issued cookbook has given me the confidence to try much more ambitious dishes than I ever thought possible.

At What’s for Lunch at Our House, Shannon hosts a bento free-for-all every Wednesday, where readers all over can post their favorite weekly creation. And there’s always something to please the eye and whet the appetite at the LiveJournal community, BentoLunch.

Outside of the bento community, Recipe Obsessed Aleksandra Nearing shares a recipe for Smoked Salmon & Spinach Rolls that would be at home in my bento box. At Keep Your Diet Real, Corrinne Fischer offers up her Fruit Bruschetta & Fruit Salsa. (Yum!) And at Super Healthy Kids, Amy shows off these Party Perfect Princess Pops, cute enough to set any bento-lover’s heart a-flutter.

And we adults don’t have to hog all the fun! Many kids and teens enjoy assembling their own bento boxes, so much so that it’s become a school project in some areas of Japan.

That’s all for this week! See you next FoodPlay Friday!

The beginning of January is an invigorating time for me. Thanks to the psychological boost of a fresh, new year, January is a time to embark on new adventures, start new projects, or maybe even commit to a whole new lifestyle paradigm, especially when it comes to things like physical health.

It’s exciting at first, but as the middle of the month approaches, it’s hard not to get bogged down by inconvenient realities, like cold, dark days, pesky financial concerns, and the inevitable amount of hard work that goes along with any Big Idea. Soon, what first seemed invigorating now just feels daunting in the face of the long road ahead.

If you’re like me, one of the most challenging aspects of any new plan is really getting started, especially when it comes to organization. Jumping right into something is a lot more fun, but is usually not sustainable over the course of a whole year, or even the whole month of January. Fortunately, when it comes to planning for good health, the food-loving blogosphere comes to the rescue.

If family meal-planning is on your docket this year (and Healthy Eats‘ Toby Amidor reminds us why it probably should be), “Meal Plan Mom” Brenda shows us how to Get Out and Get Organized (Meal Planning Magic), starting with your kitchen tools and spaces. Aimee at Simple Bites helps fill up some of those spaces, with 9 Foods to Stock in Your Pantry in 2012. And for those of us who find formal meal plans more a hindrance than a help, Family Feeding Dynamics‘ Dr. Katja Rowell shares what works for her instead.

Sometimes joining an organized activity can keep you (and your family) going when the motivation starts to slide, like this winter hiking program as described by Tiffany at Nature Mom’s Blog.

One of the major hazards of January, of course, is that cold-flu thing going around (you know the one, it’s always around). To help keep the sickbed from derailing your big plans, check out this Immune Boosting Peach Raspberry Spoon Smoothie from Katie Sullivan Morford at Mom’s Kitchen Handbook. Or if the cold-flu thing has already got you down, perhaps what you need is a nice hot bowl of Thai Inspired Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup, courtesy of Miranda at Mangoes and Chutney.

And if what you really need is pure inspiration, take a moment to read this Happiness Manifesto from Wasabi Mommy Lisa Renee.

That’s all for this week! See you next FoodPlay Friday!

After a hearty vacation, I’m getting back into the swing of things here at FoodPlay, though of course our production department is already knee-deep into the New Year. As our Philadelphia-based troupe wraps up its first fantastic week of shows, our national touring troupe heads into their second week of rehearsals. And we’ve still got one more company on the way!

Returning to a routine after the holidays can be tough, and that extends to things like diet and exercise as well. If, like me, the cozy indulgence of holiday traditions has left you craving something simple and overtly healthy, Katie Sullivan Morford’s DIY salad bar (Mom’s Kitchen Handbook) may be just the ticket. Soups and salads are plentiful in the food blogosphere this week, including this Oven Roasted Squash Soup from Hounds in the Kitchen, 15 Veggie Soup from Corrine at Keep Your Diet Real, and this Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup and Greek Pork Tenderloin over Greek Salad from Nicole at Prevention RD.

Even this week’s comfort foods are all about veggies. I particularly warmed to Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen’s Veggie Nuggets at Raise Healthy Eaters and the seriously ingenious Cauliflower Pizza Crust from The Daily Dish‘s Nicole Humphrey Cook. Also, way back in my own days as a touring actor and (at the time) vegetarian, struggling to find meals all over the country, I used to joke that the portabella mushroom sandwich was the fallback choice for non-vegetarian chefs who didn’t know what else to do, but I have to admit that this one (Keep Your Diet Real) looks pretty good. And for something sweet to top it all off, check out Dana Angelo White’s 31 Days of Citrus at the Food Network’s Healthy Eats blog.

Ringing in a New Year can inspire new fitness goals as well, and Inspired RD Alysa is here to help. And if cold weather is making you and your kids feel penned in, turn to the Active Kids Club and their 10 Outdoor play ideas for winter.

That’s all for this week! See you next FoodPlay Friday!

It’s hard not to feel impossibly scattered at this time of year. Most of us are caught up in a major work rush in anticipation of the holidays, along with a similar rush in our personal lives as we struggle to meet the demands of the season.

Here at FoodPlay, things are no different. We’ve got our fall tours winding down just as we’re ramping up preparations for the next batch—the first of which is already well into rehearsals! Be sure to check out the farewell post from our on-the-road blogger, Joseph Bromfield, whose tour wraps up today! Heartfelt thanks to all of our fall performers and stage managers for a terrific season.

During all this rush, I know I’ve come to rely heavily on online shopping for my holiday needs, and I suspect many of you feel the same. To that end, we’re offering up some gift ideas from our own FoodPlay Store. I’m partial to the Fruit + Veggie Tracker Bands, which are just the right size for stocking stuffers. See our full spread of holiday ideas here!

Meanwhile, the blogosphere is beginning to work its way into the holiday rush with an assortment of delicious, seasonal treats! At Super Healthy Kids, Amy offers up these delightful Party Cups crafted from an orange peel. The Vegan Dad shares his recipe for Vegan Stollen with almonds or marzipan. And on the slightly more decadent side, Katie Morford suggests three easy holiday appetizers at Mom’s Kitchen Handbook. Scrumptious!

At Two Kids (and a mom) Cooking, the Mom has some thoughts to share on Gifts from the Kitchen: Jams, Jellies & Breads. And the folks at Healthy Kids Challenge offer up some tips to help us all enjoy Healthier Holiday Gatherings.

That’s all for this week! See you next FoodPlay Friday!