The generation of moms who grew up watching Jennie Garth as the beloved Kelly on Beverly Hills 90210 will be happy to know that she is now coming to our rescue as we try to get our kids to eat their veggies!
Jennie is starring in a new NBC digital series entitled "Garden Party," which is sponsored by the makers of Hidden Valley Ranch and is being distributed on iVillage. The series premiered yesterday and features videos, recipes and tips to help families incorporate vegetables into their diets.
"I saw this series as an opportunity to help inspire, educate and motivate families like mine," Garth said in a statement. "I found out that incorporating vegetables into your families' life is not only healthy but can be fun too."
Garden Party celebrates a new vegetable each month. From planting cucumbers at home, to visiting a kid’s cooking school, to taking a tour of a family farm, Jennie infuses her personality and experience as a mom into the series to make the information come alive. Jennie shares her own experience and tips with rich interactive elements including a "Cook and Tell" cookbook, a "What's For Dinner" meal planner and an opportunity for moms to tell their veggie stories.
I had the privilege of speaking to Garth in a conference call yesterday afternoon and am excited to share all of the insider details with you. No pun intended, but I found Jennie to be very down-to-earth, and her friendly, warm personality should really make this series shine.
I asked Jennie if her youthful appearance (she never seems to age!) had anything to do with her diet. She told me that she strongly believes that there is a direct connection to what you put in and on your body to what you get out, and even believes that society's move away from organic foods and products might be linked to increased cancer rates. She added that a colorful diet is vitally important to overall health.
Jennie grew up gardening and always had fresh vegetables available to her, something that she now realizes was a luxury. Her father-in-law (Jennie is married to actor Peter Facinelli) helped her and Peter build a garden at their home, which she says greatly helps her children to make a connection to what they're eating and creates a bonding experience.
"There's something so cool about being able to pick something out of the ground and eat it," she said. "Especially if it tastes good."
As for tips on getting veggies into your children's diets, Jennie said she's not above subterfuge and will hide vegetables in foods if she has to. She often will puree garlic and green and yellow zucchini and mix it into spaghetti sauce. She has also pureed spinach and mixed it into meatloaf.
I plan on trying those tips as well as those found on Garden Party...the broccoli mac and cheese recipe is at the top of my list. Head over to the site today to get ideas for your family.
Happy veggie eating!
