WIN: A SIGNED COPY OF TIMMY'S YUMMY TUMMY

Although I strive to serve healthy meals to my family, I know that it's more challenging when you have young children. Sometimes it's hard to get everyone on board to eat at home more often, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and cut down on the sugary drinks and snacks.

This is why I'm so excited about this week's giveaway! S. Press is a local author who recently wrote a children's book called Timmy's Yummy Tummy & His Tin Tin Snacks and is seriously on a mission to make sure families are eating healthy!
 She recently sat down with her friend, Roni Singleton-Jeter, the Macaroni Kid Publisher for College Park, East Point & Morrow to discuss some of her great tips on how parents can change their family's eating habits one bite at a time! Roni was kind enough to share her interview with us.

 1. How long have you been making healthy food choices a priority in your life?

I have been making health food choices a priority in my life for almost 15 years now. About 15 years ago, I received exposure to life-changing information, as it relates to health and nutrition and I've been on this path since that time. 

2. Children always seem to complain about some fruit or vegetable on their plate. What can parents do to help make eating healthy fun?

There are so many things that parents can do to make healthy eating fun. First off, try not to take healthy eating too seriously with your kids. Don't force the issue and make them hate it, just get on their level and be creative. Let them get involved in the food prep process, this way they are more likely to, at the very least, taste what you have prepared. Also, check out some websites with crafty food ideas; www.100daysofrealfood.com, is a great source for this! And when all else fails, simply sneak fruits and veggies into smoothies, muffins, spaghetti, yogurt, etc...!

3. What do you say to parents who may work outside of the home, juggle after-school activities and appointments five days a week, and feel that eating at a drive-through is simply more convenient for their lifestyle?

I would tell the parents to really do the front-end preparation and planning to avoid having to eat the nutrition-lacking meals that fast food restaurants provide. Take time in the evening to prep a healthy snack bag for the car, so that when the kids pass the fast food restaurants and inevitably ask to stop, you have healthy food options readily available for them. In addition, take time out over the weekend to prep a few batch meals that you can freeze and have at those moments when time is just not available to cook a full meal. I would also tell parents that fast-food eating may be "convenient" for now, however, in the long run they are causing major damage to their children's growing bodies, and in some cases damage that cannot be reversed (i.e. high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, etc...). 

4. What about families who say that they simply can't afford to eat healthy because it's expensive? Can you offer some inexpensive ways to eat healthy.

There are several ways to eat healthy and not break the bank. First off, everything you purchase doesn't have to be organic. Check out www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php to find out what produce you should purchase organic, and which produce is okay as is. Also, try to shop at places like Trader Joe's and local farmers markets. In addition, spend less money stocking up on processed and junk foods and convert that money over to purchases for quality food items (produce, whole grains, raw nuts, etc..). I also would like to add this, you should place your health and nutrition as a top priority. Make a decision to really look at your budget and pull back from expenditures that are not edifying you, your family or your body, then move those funds over to your grocery budget.

5. Tell us about your new children's book,Timmy's Yummy Tummy and His Tin Tin Snacks and what inspired you to write it?

I am so excited about this book! The Timmy's Yummy Tummy series takes kids and parents on a healthy eating adventure. In this book children learn all about eating healthy while being introduced to the early learning concepts of shapes, numbers and colors. Plus there's even a recipe in the book as an added bonus! The inspiration for this book came from the realization of an overwhelming need for tools to help parents get their children excited about healthy eating. This book is loosely based on things that my children and I incorporate in our lifestyle as it related to healthy eating and nutrition. 

Book Overview:

Go on a healthy eating adventure as Timmy and his sister, Tiny teach kids of all ages how to make healthy eating fun! This book is full of colorful and exciting ways to get both you and your kids excited about eating healthy. It also serves as a great addition to your educational library with the early learning reading concepts of colors, numbers and shapes. There 's even a recipe in the back as an added bonus! Join Timmy and Tiny down the road of better health!
About the Author:

S. Press has an array of nutrition consulting services available to fit your needs (i.e. weight loss, how to deal with picky eaters, etc...). She also has a full body detox and pantry purge program. In addition, S. Press is a speaker and would love to come speak to your school, conference, organization, church, or business about nutrition and wellness. www.TimmysYummyTummy.com