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For the first time in months, I feel like I can breathe! The busyness of the school year and our structured routine have been replaced with a more casual approach to bedtimes, mealtimes, and playtimes. Since our Summer routine is relatively fluid, it’s easy to get so caught up with exploring our city, hanging out with friends, or swimming until dark, only to find that I’ve not had a single thought about dinner. With so much more time on my hands, there really is no excuse for not preparing healthy, home-cooked meals for our family. In fact, now is the time to experiment in the kitchen so I can have a repertoire of exciting meals come Fall.
If you find yourself struggling to get meals on the table because you’re busy enjoying the Summer with your kids or the thought of turning on your oven causes you to sweat, you’ll love the Walmart Foundation’s Eat Healthy Together Challenge. Summer can be a busy time for many families and it is very easy to resort to frozen/prepared meals or a fast food drive through. Additionally, families who rely on the nutrition provided by free or reduced school meals may find the Summer months to be challenging, which is what inspired the Walmart Foundation to launch a summer-long initiative to help vulnerable families receive access to nutritious meals and learn healthy-eating habits.
Through the Walmart Foundation’s 5-week Summer-long initiative, $15 million in grants will help provide meals and nutrition education to 1.4 million families and children in over 1,500 communities. The following non-profit organizations will benefit from this generous grant funding, thanks to the Walmart Foundation:
- Children’s Health Fund
- Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
- League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
- National 4-H Council National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)
- YMCA of the USA (The Y)
Having a child who attends the Y, I can’t tell you how valuable it would be for children who attend to have assistance with meals, particularly if the location they are spending the Summer at is the same location where they attend school in the Fall and Spring. As part of this initiative, Walmart wants to inspire families across the country to eat healthy this summer (and year-round) through their 5-week Eat Healthy Together Challenge. In partnership with Chef Lorena Garcia (BRAVO’s Top Chef Masters, NBC’s Biggest Loser), families can learn about meal planning and preparing/enjoying healthy meals together by visiting Foundation.Walmart.com/EatHealthyTogether. The site offers a wealth of resources including the following:
- Printable Challenge Calendar to track the days you eat together as a family
- Healthy shopping, cooking tips, and recipes from Chef Lorena Garcia
- Summer recipe ideas
Get Involved With Walmart’s Eat Healthy Together Challenge!
I have a huge passion for eating healthy with my family, so I’ll be participating in this 5-week challenge, which encourages families to eat healthy meals together at least 3 times per week. Here is how you can get involved including some incentives:
Follow @WalmartHealthy on Twitter
Post photos or updates on Twitter of your family eating healthy meals together using the hashtags #EatHealthyTogether #Contest
Each Monday, @WalmartHealthy will announce a winner to receive a $25 Walmart Gift Card
The Eat Healthy Together Challenge runs through Monday, August 4th, 2014, so be sure to get your entries in each week by 10 am ET Mondays to be entered.
As my children get older, I’m finding that the healthy eating habits I instilled from an early age are reaping results. We visited a local organic farm recently where my son tried everything from white corn and zucchini to yellow watermelon and even cilantro. His response to the field trip was that his best ever and I can see his excitement for healthy eating growing. Cooking at home, planting fruits and vegetables in our backyard, and involving my children in the preparation of meals has helped expand and diversify their palates.
How do you inspire healthy eating within your family?
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