16 Apr Inside the Fridge welcomes Today I Ate A Rainbow founder Kia Robertson

Kia Robertson is a mom, children’s book author and the creator of the award winning Today I Ate A Rainbow kit a tool that gets kids ASKING to eat their fruits and veggies by turning healthy eating into a fun game! As a former picky eater, Kia is passionate about helping parents overcome the typical struggles they face trying to get their children to eat fruits and vegetables. You can connect with Kia on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!

Do you love food shopping or dread it?

I love it! My husband, daughter and I go grocery shopping together – it’s part of our family time on the weekend.

What is the single most important thing on your mind when you are shopping for food?

Buying REAL food that is good for our bodies! The side benefit of choosing REAL food is it supports farmers and companies that care about their products and the environment.

How often do you shop?

We shop every Saturday. That is it, if we run out of something we have to make do until the following Saturday!

How many do you shop for? Ages? 

We are a family of three. 41, 38 and 10 J

How do you plan your weekly meals? Create a spreadsheet of fly by the seat of your pants? 

We usually decide as a family what dinners we want to have for the week. Lunches are usually leftovers. If we need inspiration we bring out our favorite cookbooks or hop onto Pinterest. After we plan out our dinners, we write out a grocery list based on the meals planned. When we are out shopping we ONLY get what is on the list!

What is the oldest item in the fridge right now? 

Hmmm, I would have to say a jar of sauerkraut.

Do you believe in leftovers?

Absolutely! That is how we stick to our food budget! It also makes school lunch planning a breeze.

What brands do you swear by? Why? 

Nature’s Path Foods, Silk,  Daiya, Mary’s Crackers to name a few. We like that these brands are Non-GMO third party certified (look for the blue Non-GMO project box), they also care about the quality of their products and are responsibly produced.

What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for? Our Blendtec!!!! We use it twice a day!

How have your cooking/shopping habits changed over the last 10 years?

My cooking and shopping habits have changed completely over the last 10 years! I used to eat out a lot, I hardly did any cooking and when I did it was all quick overly processed food. I used to go grocery shopping every few days because I never had leftovers. My meals were mostly cereal, toast, mac and cheese, pizza and chicken nuggets…I can’t even believe I used to live like that lol! I am now a vegetarian, we eat out once a month, shop once a week, make green smoothies and juices every morning and eat rainbows of fruits and veggies! 

If one person could cook for you tonight, who would it be? 

My husband J. He is an excellent cook and I am so grateful that my daughter and I get to enjoy his healthy meals!

What words of wisdom or advice do you have for other folks who are doing their best every day to fill the fridge? 

Try to get back to basics!  Buy REAL food (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains etc…), ignore the health-washing on the front of food packaging – instead look at the ingredients list and try to avoid food with ingredients you can pronounce, go for organic when possible, look for the Non-GMO project logo on products, learn how to cook – it doesn’t have to be fancy, get curious about nutrition and how it affects your body, pay attention to how the food you eat makes you feel. The better the food the better you’ll feel!

What are you working on these days that you’d like to tell us about?

I am collaborating with another mom to create a free nutrition education guide for schools called Eat A Rainbow Day! We want to empower parents, teachers and kids by giving them the information and the tools to need to make healthy food choices! We will be launching this in 2015!

Thank you, Kia!

If you would like to be featured on Inside the Fridge, please contact Robinsbite intern Jaime at jaime@robinplotkin.com