I can't take full credit for the title of today's post, as it's actually the website, where I got a fun kit with the same name. I'll get to that it a moment, but first, here's what we made/ate today.
As you probably guessed from the above photo, it's another raw vegan cupcake. If you pan down further through this post, you'll see what makes this one so special and how it ties into today's topic.I got the idea from the Ingredients for Life blog, where Stefania Moffatt posted about her baked version. I couldn't resist "rawifying" the brightly colored rainbow cake layers.
If you watch the blurry video below (I must have had raw whipped icing smudged on the lens), you'll see how Hayden and I did it:
If you don't have time to watch it right now, I'll let you know that I used my Rawified Pillsbury Halloween Cupcake as a base recipe, dividing the finely ground coconut/cashews into four bowls before adding the flavor enhancements/colors (green: lime zest and green powder, yellow: lemon zest and turmeric, orange: orange zest, turmeric and a touch of carrot juice, and pink: freeze-dried strawberries). Then, I took each color "flour" for a another spin, one at a time, in my mini food processor to thoroughly incorporate the colors.
I added only a fraction of the date paste to each of the color "flours," mixing them with a fork before layering in a reusable cupcake liner. I started with green, then topped that with the yellow, orange, and finally Hayden's favorite color, pink.The top is iced with some leftover raw whipped icing (it keeps well in the freezer; thaws out in no time) and a sprinkling of extra zest and raw cupcake "crumbs." Hayden helped with the sprinkles :-)
I was planning on including our review of the Today I Ate a Rainbow kit at the end of the video, but as I predicted in the beginning of it, the camera decided to call it quits before I wrapped things up. Luckily, we noticed right away, turned the camera back on, and recorded a separate video for the review.
We were lucky enough to have a Today I Ate a Rainbow kit sent to us from Kia Robertson, who created the kit. Hayden and I are big fans of her site and the videos she makes with her daughter Hannah, the star and inspiration for Today I Ate a Rainbow.Their videos are so cute and way more professional than ours. They even have a theme song (remember our cashew "cheesy" rainbow song in this old video?) and funny jokes, too.
But, back to the kit, which was created to get kids excited about eating a variety of fruits and veggies.
Each kit includes a chart to display on your fridge, grouping the names of various fruits in veggies into color categories. There are colorful magnets for recording which colors your child has eaten on a particular day. All they have to do is place them beneath the chart under the corresponding color. Four achievement magnets are also included.To keep mom or dad in the mindset of making sure the house in stocked with multiple colors of fresh produce, the kit contains a shopping list pad, organized by the colors of the rainbow.
Hayden's favorite item in the kit is "The Rainbow Bunch" book with bookmark. The back of the book summarizes the point of the story, saying, "The Rainbow Bunch is a rhyming story that helps young children to understand why we need to give our bodies healthy food ... and what can happen when we don't!"Poor concentration, obesity, lack of energy, weakened immune systems and malnutrition, are some of the very real consequences that our characters face as a result of unhealthy eating habits. This story has a happy ending because our characters learn how to become healthy Rainbow kids! Your child can become a Rainbow kid too ... they just need to get in the habit of eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies every day!
"Childhood is the best time to introduce and set healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime! Let The Rainbow Bunch show you how!"
Hayden has really enjoyed reading the book over and over, although she has always gravitated toward healthy food choices (she actually prefers this fruit-stacked slice of "cake" to my other raw versions ... unless it's chocolate, which this one has in the form of raw icing). Jacob, on the other hand, I have to remind him to make a rainbow of fruits and veggies on his plate each day. That visual alone makes a big difference.Kia and Hannah are on the right track with this kit. A big thanks to them for sending it.
If you're interested in purchasing your own kit, head over to www.todayiatearainbow.com. It's also available on Amazon.com.
Today, we ate a rainbow. Did you?
