In the world of school-cafeteria-provided pink-slime burgers, Caron Gremont is on a mission to teach kids good eating habits at an early age. In 2012 she founded First Bites, a nonprofit that encourages preschoolers to eat healthy food. First Bites currently works with three local preschools and trains teachers on “how to make eating healthy food fun.”
When she’s not running her healthy eating program, Gremont is an avid cycler at Zengo Cycle in Bethesda and likes to go on long walks solo or with her kids. Read on to see how she eats for a day.
Breakfast: “I’m almost always the first one up, so I can make lunches before my two kids and husband get up and the morning madness begins. Before I start on the kids’ lunches, I get going on the oatmeal, which I make with equal parts almond milk and water, a dash of cinnamon, some vanilla, and some sliced fresh fruit or frozen blueberries. While we eat breakfast, I get coffee going. My day doesn’t start without coffee. On this particular day, schools were closed for a snow day, so we had a long and lazy breakfast.”
Snack: “I make two big trays of apple chips just about every week, and my children love to help me lay the apples on the tray and sprinkle cinnamon on top before we bake them. We all love the taste and crunch, and, with so many apples this time of year, it’s a great way to keep seasonal produce interesting.”
Lunch: “My three-year-old son loves to help me use the spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, and, in most cases, if he’s helped me make the meal, he’s more likely to eat it. This is a brown-rice-noodle and zucchini-noodle pad Thai with carrot shavings, orange pepper slices, and peas in an almond butter/lime/ginger/soy sauce dressing. Because my kids were home, we made it together and ate together. My kids know I’m not a short-order cook; I make one meal, and that’s what we all eat. I’m mindful of their preferences, but also have fun introducing new foods and flavors for them to try. We almost always have fruit at mealtime, and today we ate clementines.”
Afternoon snack: Pear, peanut butter, and some chocolate chips. “I love a little bit of chocolate. This combination hits the spot, especially in the afternoon.”
Dinner: “Make-your-own-rice-bowl night (check out my recipe and feeding strategy for tips) happens almost every week at our house. I put out bowls of brown rice, black beans, homemade guacamole, cheese, Greek yogurt, salsa and whatever else I can find. Everyone gets a bowl and serves themselves—even my three-year-old—and designs their own bowl based on their preferences. We also had fresh pineapple for dessert.”
Disclaimer: The Food Diaries series is intended to be inspirational and is not an endorsement of each individual’s diet.
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