If you have ever read my past posts, you will know that I am a strong advocate of healthy eating, especially for my kids. In fact, many of you who know me personally have already heard the stories about my kids being the ones at the birthday parties noshing on the veggie trays, and the twins walking around my house snacking on cartons full of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. I am such an advocate of organic, whole, natural foods, that when my oldest was starting pre-school, I was packing his lunch with almond butter with strawberry preserves on gluten-free, living whole grain bread. One day, he came home teary-eyed, slammed his tiny little fist down hard on the table and said, “From now on, I want a REAL peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” I still laugh thinking about it. I guess I can get a little obsessive about their food choices. He got his way, but now we compromise on things like finding a white bread that I will occasionally buy,  and a peanut butter with omega-3s and flax seeds. Though I’ve loosened the reins a little from when he was much younger, I still maintain a strong belief in teaching my children the differences now so they can make smart choices when they are older. I won’t be with them every bite they take, but they also understand that moderation is OK, too.

Why is this important? As many parents know, though affordable, the offerings provided by our school district are less than to be desired. Though I wince when my son asks for the Taco Boat Chalupa, I’ve agreed to let him choose one hot lunch meal a week. My dream is that one day, there will be healthier options for my kids, and any kid, going through the public school system. It is a ton of work to get the attention of the school district on this subject, especially when they are already plagued with budget cuts and challenged with the tough choices of teacher : student ratio, which classes to keep or cut, and how to pay for additional school materials, equipments and keep up with technologies. At the same time, someone needs to be an advocate four our children when we can’t. It is always so heart warming to see a national brand look to their community to see how they can offer support and their expertise, especially when it comes to our children, their education and their health. Whole Foods Market is one of them.

I counted the days for the Whole Foods Market to open at The District at Green Valley Ranch. I would do subtle “Drive-bys” in hopes I would catch the grand opening day. Since the doors have opened, my kids and I find ourselves there at least once a week. I have always been fond of their locals outreach and supportive of their “Buy Local” approach. The announcement of their, “Eat Your Greens to Give some Greens” campaign, is especially exciting. As apart of their WholeKids Foundation, Whole Foods Markets has launched an initiative to put salad bars and other healthy eating programs in schools in the Southern Pacific region of the  United States, which includes Nevada. Here’s how you can help:

First- Encourage your school’s Food Services Director to apply for the Let’s Move! Salad Bars 2 Schools grant. Applications are available starting Sunday, September 9, 2012.

Second- Go to your local Whole Foods Market on Sunday, September 9th, and from opening to closing, $1 per pound of sales will be made based on total salad and hot food bar purchases.So take the whole fam-damily!

Third- You can’t make it to Whole Foods, it’s OK, you can help out from the comfort of your own phone. In addition to the $1 per pound donation of salad and hot bar purchases, Whole Foods will also be donating $1 for every retweet on September 9th. Search for me @RockStarMomLV and retweet any of my WholeFoods Eats Your Greens tweets I send out that day, or any others you see come across your feed!

That’s it! Three things you can do start moving your child’s lunch choices in a healthier direction!

Learn more about the Let’s Move Salad Bars 2 Schools initiative through Whole Foods WholeKids Foundation on their website. You can also rally your school or local businesses to raise $2500 to sponsor a salad bar in your kid’s school.

This is a sponsored post by Whole Foods Market. All thoughts, words and opinions are 100% my own.