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One of the many ways to get your kids excited about eating fresh local foods is to take them along on shopping trips. Take them to local fruit stands or farmer’s market. Seeing fresh fruit and vegetables outside the grocery store breaks the mystery about where food comes from.

 In an intimate setting like a farm, fruit stand, or farmer’s market, you can get up close and personal with local sellers. It becomes and enriching experience for the whole family.

We went to our local farmer’s market last weekend and enjoyed some delicious strawberries, snap peas, and blood oranges. If you are low on funds. Bring with you a small amount of cash and sample only a few items. Many booths will let you “try before you buy”. You can see my daughter sampling a strawberry in the photo above.



The more you go to farmer's markets, the more you will know how certain booths price their fruit; which ones are certified organic and which ones have organic practices, but don’t have the certification.
If you can’t make it to the farmer’s market, your local grocery store may carry organic and local alternatives (and don’t forget to to check what’s on the clean 15/dirty dozen list). but, be sure to do your research.

I made a delicious spring salad (recipe below) with the strawberries we bought.


Spring Salad with Strawberries, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Dressing





Ingredients
Organic salad greens with spinach
Fresh sliced local organic strawberries (about 1 basket full)
Goat Cheese (4-8 oz, crumbled)
Favorite Balsamic dressing

**Toss together and serve!

The new year is ripe with hope, change, and opportunity to make healthier choices with what we and our kids eat. And after the donuts I made this week, I figure a little re-focus onto healthier choices is good. Not that I don't love the occasional sweet treat. :)

Here are this week's links:

Six Sisters' Stuff: 100 healthy snack ideas, perfect for those looking to make healthier choices and still keep the taste buds happy.

Copy Cat Cook: Make homemade Strawberry Fruit Roll Ups With Nothing but strawberries and cinnamon

Simple Organic: Real Food Changes that make a big impact (I was surprised by the "add fat to vegetables" one)

So far, my journey towards eating organic locally grown foods is faring pretty well. I did have a moment this past weekend at our local farmer's market where I questioned my choices and realized I had spent more money than I wanted on not enough items.

Having been to the Farmer's Market previously with my friend Laural, I thought I would try it solo. There are pros and cons to shopping at the Farmer's Market. I definitely still need help. And to get a little bolder with my organic shopping. Look at the organic goodness that Laural walked away with.



Laural wrote a great post yesterday that sheds light on the growing trend in food products that claim they are "natural" or "organic" and how you can know what's the real deal. Remember my "organic juice box" debacle?

I'm still learning...

I feel so cheated.

I bought this organic "juice" at the store (that rhymes with Pesh and Beasy). Look at all the colorful fruit on the FRONT of the package. It looks like juice. It tastes like juice. It even says "USDA Organic" on it. Even the ingredients are misleading: "organic natural flavor"....what flavor would that be? I guess if you only have 10% juice, you need that flavor. You might as well call it "Organic Kool-aid".

Harrumph...

Climbing off my soapbox now.

We can now add blueberries to my son's  "things I find yummy" list thanks to Muffin Tin Meals.

Have your kids added any new foods to their diet lately?