Are You a Veggie Eater? Do You Know Some?

I don't know about your kiddos but with mine, vegetables are the typical challenge. Getting them to vegetables, that is. They will look at them, touch them, pick them out at the store, heck, they will even serve them to their sibling but put it on their plate, yeah, well their enthusiasm takes a serious nose dive.

Of course, not all adults eat their veggies either. I am not one of them. I love that not only can they taste good but they are chock full of healthy vitamins, nutrients and fiber! For those (like my hubby) who are not fans of veggies, their is a great campaign underway, designed to help them regain their popularity.

The makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings have now created the Love Your Veggies™ campaign to help children develop a life-long love of vegetables through activities at home, at school and in the community. Although eating vegetables is a true necessity, the Love Your Veggies™ campaign is designed to make the experience more enjoyable by focusing on education, exploration and understanding of healthy eating.

The Love Your Veggies™ campaign works to better educate parents on how to introduce and involve kids in every aspect of a healthy eating experience: education, gardening, meal planning, shopping, and cooking. The Love Your Veggies™ grant program works to support increased access to, and consumption of, fresh produce during school meals. Now in its third year, the grant program will award $15,000 nutrition grants to 10 elementary schools nationwide who demonstrate creativity and innovation in their proposed vegetable programs, as well as a financial need. I remember the vegetables from my school days quite vividly and they were anything but fresh!

There is also a "Search for Veggie Champions Contest" where ten lucky moms will be awarded the opportunity to have in-person training on these subjects. Winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Chicago to attend a retreat hosted by chef Art Smith and some other serious experts where they will learn how to help not only their own children but their communities increase their appreciation and enjoyment of vegetables. These moms will also receive $5,000 to start or maintain a community vegetable garden in their hometown - that can be some garden! For the rest of us, all of the advice, tips and recipes from the retreat will be made available on www.LoveYourVeggies.com.

So head over to http://www.loveyourveggies.com/ and sign up for the Love Your Veggies contest plus find out more about the promotion from Hidden Valley.

Thanks to Mom Central for sharing this terrific campaign!

Love+Veggies