If you haven’t seen this documentary, you just want want to stop by and learn a thing or two. Also, Chipotle will be there with FREE food and all proceeds (that would be 100%) benefit our very own local Sweetwater Organic Community Farm! Sounds like a great (free and cheap) date for a (healthy) dinner and a movie!

That’s pretty awesome of Chipotle for sponsoring a fundraiser like this! And if you are wondering why Chipotle is such a great company, maybe you should check out this video about what they are all about: Back to the Start.

Finally! A win for the farmers and a win for the kids. An event was held in Tallahassee this past week, that put Florida-grown produce in the spotlight! It looks like there are some changes coming, which in my books, means that people higher up are finally listening. This event took place rightfully so, in October which is National Farm to School Month. I would like to see what really happens in January, when it looks like there will be some “changes” made to the Florida school lunch program. My children attend a Flroida public charter school, so I am very interested in what I will see as a parent. Until then, I will definitely keep tabs on what is going on and who the people are behind the changes. From me to you, thanks for the efforts and keep up the good work! Baby steps are the key to change! Read more from the article I read here.

Fit Kids Playground supports the Farm to School Organization.

Happy Food Day! Today, is the first time I am celebrating this holiday. Over the past year, I have taken a huge interest for my well being and have started to educate myself about what is “healthy.” Not only for my well being, but more importantly, for my children’s well being. Like every parent, I only want the best for my kids, and teaching myself about food seemed like a very important thing to do. And BOY, have I learned ALOT!

And I can only learn, more. Why is it that so many people aren’t taking an interest in what is going into our bodies? Don’t you want to know? Parents are forever vigillent about vaccinations and other posins that are being given to their children, shouldn’t they start becoming more educated about the food they put into their child’s body everyday? Yes, it’s alot, but it’s necessary.

So what is Food Day? According to the man who started Food Day, it was supposed to be alot like Earth Day. Here is how Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which he co-founded in 1971, explains it: “It is in that context that I conceived of Food Day. I envisioned it being like Earth Day, celebrated widely with thousands of events around the country. It would be a vigorous day or week of national focus on food issues that all sorts of people and organizations could tie in with (a smaller World Food Day is celebrated in some churches and campuses). As with Earth Day, I thought that a national mobilization focused on food could accelerate ongoing initiatives aimed at reforming the food system from the farm to the fork. Click here to read the entire article. I think he is right on, and so do many other people all over the world.

In Tampa today, there are many organizations that should be recognized for their work in taking initative about food issues, farming education, food education, community development for the better good and educating kids and parents about how they can keep their kids healthy. (I would like to think that those who know about what Fit Kids Playground does, will think that we are playing a role within this group too!) We like to help our “sister” groups get the word out about all the things that all these groups are doing. Each one unique and each one with a specific goal, but all working together to make Tampa Bay a healthier and more educated community!

We LOVE being a part of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution here in Tampa so make sure to like our page and keep up with the good things to come this year as we expand our reach to help educate more people about healthy food and fit kids RIGHT here in Tampa!

Today on October 24, 2011, we invite you to celebrate Food Day with others or maybe even just at home! Here are some ways to participate today! Be apart of something BIG! Educate yourself! Learning about your food is 1/2 the battle!

1. Log on to the Official Jamie Olive’s Food Revolution Page to read about what he is doing.
2. Head to the Roosevelt 2.0 and thanks to TUFF and Going Green Tampa and Cigar City Brewing, you can watch a short film, Urban Roots tonight at 6pm. (Proceeds go back to the Tampa Urban Food Forum.) More information here.
3. In St. Pete, you can head to The Studio 620 to watch FRESH and thanks to Chipotle, you get a coupon and a t-shirt for a burrito just for coming (with your $5 donation going to the St. Pete Morning Market). More information here.
4. Get involved with groups like: Fit Kids Playground Tampa Urban Food Forum (TUFF) Slow Food Tampa Going Green Tampa Tampa Bay Markets Tampa Fit Kids Food Revloution and educate yourself!
5. Got kids? (I do!) My advice: Keep it simple. Talk with you kids at dinner about what you are eating. How does it make you feel? Where do your fruits and vegetables come from? Why do you like to eat healthy. Talking is easy and if all you do is get the conversation started tonight, you are totally supporting what Food Day is all about!

And if you really want to take action and let your government know you want some change, read/ sign the Food Day petition to help fix America’s Broken Food System.

My apologies first to the Super Healthy Kids author and creator of the Healthy Kids Plate, Amy. She sent me this plate well over a year ago, and I have owed her this review for a while!

I have 3 kids and yes, we probally talk about eating healthy more than the average family. It’s something I am passionate about but I also know that the more you talk, the more they listen. My son, Jake, is my healthiest eater in the house. We all eat healthy by Jake takes the carrots! He ALWAYS eats a salad with meals, always eats his green veggies (and usually asks for more) and opts for water instead of juice, 95% of the time. But overall, I have VERY healthy eaters.

When my plate arrived, I noticed 2 things. Very colorful, nice pictures. Very durable. Perfect. And the concept is brilliant! Kids should know that we fill our plates with 1/2 veggies and the other 1/2 is split between meat and pasta. I think that portions can easily be over done and think that parents sometimes tend to give into a picky eater by loading their plate with with THEY want, not what they SHOULD have. I am by no means perfect (as Jake used to eat hot dog and goldfish everyday for about a year). But then I changed. I change alot. Not over night. But through teaching, talking and fun, I was able to get my kids to eat more of the good stuff! Here is a current list of what we eat weekly: (And yes, this is the truth! I should video it for proof!) Eggplant, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, carrots, peas, lettuce, zuccini, squash, apples, strawberries, grapes, onions and I am sure there are more I’m forgetting. Yes, I am bragging, but this IS a big deal. A big deal to me, because this was a long time in the making. Trust is a big thing that I earned my crew. They know I don’t feed them anything that I wouldn’t eat and they trust what I eat tastes good. So they try. And that is 1/2 the battle.

I have a marketing background. I know that presentation can make or break a pitch. Plates, napkins, food cut into shapes, or food just presented in a nice way is very important. Even 2 yr olds know this. This plate really makes my job easier when presenting my kids with a meal!

The other concept that I love about this plate is that it screams “TEACH ME!” Teach me about healthy eating. I bet that 1 out of 5 kids, under the age of 5 could tell you what the word “healthy” means. Parents could easily take each meal and make it a “teachable moment.” Why not?! We should be eating as a family and talking about what we are putting into our bodies and WHY! Kids love the why part!

Amy’s plate is a must have for any parents trying to educate their kids on how their plate should look at every meal. Eating should be a learning experience every time they sit down. Food is a learning experience for all of us! Kids need to SEE what healthy plate looks like. How else would you expect them to make their own plate (when your not there) if they don’t know what a healthy plate looks like. Great job on a great idea! And FINALLY, our government is getting the hint and has started to use the plate as a guide too! Glad they took notes from Amy! (BTW…I only have 1 and now need to order 2 more so we don’t have fighting over it!)

To buy the Healthy Kids Plate Gift Set for $9.99, click here! TOTALLY WORTH IT!

We are announcing the relaunch of our Fit Kids Playground Facebook Page today! A few changes and we are back in business! We hope that you will like our page and keep up to date with events that we participate in, organizations that we love and products that we think rock! We stay true to being a resource for people who are trying to find things to do, places to go and ideas to use in order to keep their own family and kids fit! We are parents who want to see all kids be fit kids!

We also run Jamie Oliver’s Tampa Food Revolution page too! So make sure you find us there too along with everything that Jamie is doing too! Want to help bring the Food Revolution to your school. We have ideas and connections! Contact us on how we can help get something started at your school. (It only takes one person to start a movement! Be the one to help make a difference!)

If you want to make sure you are in the know of all things healthy and fit, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube or sign up for our monthly newsletter. (WE DO NOT SPAM! WE PROMISE!)

Thanks again to all the businesses and organizations that have supported us in all that we are trying to do. We have BIG plans and alot of ideas. But it makes us smile to know that we have people who believe in us too!

~Marisa and the Fit Kids Playground Team