By Tammy, health conscious mom of 4 kids under 5 from InRdream 

Would you believe the Halloween candy my kids collected almost 2 months ago still sits uneaten in our cupboards? Not checked, not opened, and without disappointment, in the top of the pantry still! I have been the worst of all, sneaking a mini chocolate bar here and there! So how did we get 3 wee ones aged 5, 3 and 2 to NOT miss eating the bag of candy they worked so hard for on Halloween?

I think one of the biggest reasons is we harvest and garden veggies in the summer months. We introduced this two years ago and this year we grew corn, carrots, radishes, green onions, all varieties of tomatoes, green and red peppers, hot peppers, celery, beets, spinach, leaf lettuce, broccoli, yellow and green beans, cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, pickles, apples, along with a huge variety of herbs! Our children took pride, and worked alongside us throughout the whole process from seed to plant to dining room table. They helped weed and picked daily what we would have for dinner that week. The best is when we are out in the yard playing and the kids run over to their vegetable garden and eat acherry tomato. Or better yet pull a carrot fresh from the ground, wipe the dirt on their shirt and munch away!

We don’t keep cooking to the kitchen! We bring it to the fire pit too! We cook breakfast, lunch and dinner there during the summer months. It tastes so much better, easier clean upand it can be done as a family. One Sunday morning our son (3.5) woke up and said let’s make breakfast on the fire pit today! So we did just that. We picked some veggies from the garden, added some eggs, bacon and made a beautiful meal!

I am proud to say our wee ones are picking up good eating habits. They also take after their mother and enjoy ice cream, chocolate, baking and a little bit of fried foods here and there! But everything in moderation is the key to most things in life. Here is a quote I tend to enjoy

“When you know better, you do better” ~Oprah~

Mom's Fun Q & A with 51/2 year old

Usually every meal our daughter C (5.5) asks is this healthy? What is the healthiest on our plate?

Q Mom:  Why do you like to choose healthy foods to eat?
A C (5.5): I want to eat healthy foods because; I want to make sure I stay healthy. I don’t want to be sick. I have to stay healthy.

Q Mom:  What are your favourite healthy foods C? 
A C (5.5): My favourite healthy food... (C Whisper) is bacon healthy mom? (Me: nodding my head no) Ok Salad then. My other favourite healthy food is strawberries and oranges.  My favourite healthy drink is water.

Q Mom:  Why is water healthy C?
A C (5.5): Water is healthy because it has lots of vitamins and keeps you healthy.

Q Mom:  Why do you like having a garden?
A/Q C (5.5): I like having a Vegetable garden because; we don’t have to go shopping. And because when we are outside you get to eat vegetables when you ask mom and dad first. Mom I have a question for you! Why did the corn die? Was there an animal doing it?

A/Q Mom:  Yes there was an animal eating it. They were hungry too. C, what was your favourite food in R garden?
A C (5.5): My favourite food in R garden was the carrots and tomatoes.

Q Mom:  Did you like the beets? 
A C (5.5): I liked the Beet leafs when they we crispy and burned.

You may not have acres to have a huge garden, but keeping it as simple as a tomato plant on you patio or herbs in your kitchen introduces your children to more than just how vegetables grow. Enjoy learning together!