This week we wanted to share some secrets of our success for you crafty DIY types – because you too can create a Foodscape. I know because I’ve done it – and I am not one of a the food professionals or artists on our LZX Team. OK my Foodscape will not be on the cover of our next calendar – but I loved my broccoli sheep. I worked with a couple of kids and we all had a good time trying to recreate some of our favorite characters.

We have created some “recipes” for other ambitious food stylists:

Create Broccoli Sheep

Recreate the Porpoise Poster

Recreate our Circus Poster

Create Your Own Watermelon Hot Air Balloon

As with a recipe, we suggest you have your ingredients present and prepped before you start. Also, don’t be afraid of the glue. Next week we’re hoping to share some edible Foodscape-type recipes – but this week it’s all about looking good!

As you can see Foodscapes are artworks created from healthy food. They’re fun for adults and kids.

Early Foodscape

Foodscapes were first developed in 2007 by a graphic designer here in Owatonna, Minnesota; she had done a lot of work for LZX in the past. The first scenes, while cute, were really pretty basic.  You can see from the picture on the right; it’s like looking at early editions of favorite cartoon characters or comics. The early Foodscapes sparked an interest in staff and customers. So we got a little more complex and intricate with the next batch of scenes.

Later Foodscape

We’ve come to realize that there are two types of Foodscapes. First there are the super stars that we use in the Learning ZoneXpress products. They seem simple and easy to make, but it’s an illusion. It’s pretty difficult to create high quality Foodscapes. The characters are glued, sticky-tacked and pinned together; dowels and skewers hold things up and multiple photos are taken as the scene is constructed so the food looks the freshest. (Remember the food tends to die and wilt as time passes – and we definitely use real fruits and vegetables.) Lots of the fruits and vegetables are cleaned up with Windex to make them shiny. Wires might be adding to make it so the characters can be put in a certain pose or position.

The amount of food that the food stylists work from is pretty remarkable. We have a huge variety of fresh fruits and vegetables (lots of unusual produce from the Asian markets too) because we can’t run to the store during the shoot, so we bring the store to the photo studio.

Each scene takes about five or six hours to construct and build, depending on the complexity of the scene. Staffing for a shoot includes, two food stylists, an art director, the photographer and sometimes we bring in an assistant. It’s a lot of work – but it’s worth it. The video below gives some idea of what happens during a shoot:

There’s another kind of Foodscape we enjoy too – the pared (or “peared”) down version that someone without professional training could attempt. Early next week we hope to share information on the home grown Foodscapes – including some instructions on how you can create them at home!

Promote healthy holidays with these fun items from Learning ZoneXpress.

Healthy Alternatives to Halloween Treats

While kids prepare their costumes, parents, doctors and dentists get ready for the Halloween aftershocks of too much sugar. Aren’t there healthy alternatives to bags full of Halloween candy?

Of course there are! Here are five suggestions for nutritious and safe treats that don’t trick the body into unhealthy habits:

Stickers: Kids love stickers for their school books, for craft projects, to add to their costumes. You can even hand out healthy eating stickers from Learning ZoneXpress. Best of all, stickers don’t have calories, sugar, corn syrup, or Trans fats!

Party Prizes: It’s not too hard to find spider rings, ghost erasers, and other Halloween-themed knick-knacks. We’ve also seen glow bracelets, silly bands, and even tiny tubs of Play Dough. Lots of fun for not a lot of money!

Healthy Snacks: Sugar free gum. Granola bars. Small bags of crackers, dried fruit, or pumpkin-shaped pretzels. Safety-conscious parents appreciate something packaged, so fresh fruit, alas, is not such a great idea.

Get Crafty: You can find all kinds of Halloween craft projects online. (There are some clever, crafty websites that can help. You’ll need to make a bunch, so enlist your own kids to help!

Money: Think about giving out nickels, dimes or quarters. The best part? The kids can spend – rather than eat – the leftovers! (And at 20 cents per bite-size bar, it’s about the same price as candy.)

You could also host a Healthy Halloween Party! Get together with other parents and plan an evening of games, healthy snacks, and maybe even a costume parade. The kids (and grown-ups!) still get to dress up, and families get a chance to mingle. Maybe have a campfire and make s’mores — after all, no one said that Halloween has to be completely treat-free.

• Glimpse how we do what we do – exclusive videos on the making of a Foodscape™ character and scene 
• Give us your feedback – send us your product ideas and reviews.
• See when we’re at conferences and trade shows so that you can visit us (and receive a booth bonus!) 
• Receive special Facebook-only deals! For example, our graphic designers created these adorable printable gift tags using our Foodscapes characters! Once we receive 100 fans, we will make these available for you to print directly to your own printer labels and adhere to presents! (Available on our Facebook page only.) 
• And so much more!

So please check us out, like us and help spread the word: http://www.facebook.com/learningzonexpress

“I want to thank you for being willing to try something new and making really cute tray mats for us. We have received lots of great feedback on how fun they look from our employees and our patients. So thank you for all of your work and research in getting us a great product!”
–Ann Mulfinger, RD, LD, Nutrition Services, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

The whimsical nutritious scene portrayed in the Foodscapes Circus Poster can be recreated at home by using the following ingredients.

Rings and Animal Stands: watermelon, orange slices decorated with lime, tangerine, and lemon peels
Walrus: sweet potato body, lime ball with lemon, tangerine, and lemon peel spots and stripes
Elephant: rutabaga body, parsnip trunk, leek legs, lettuce ears, pepper (red, green, and yellow) body decorations, clove eyes
Dog: new potato head and body, lima bean ears, kale collar, pear stem legs, pepper hat, jumping through red and orange pepper rings

Send photos of your fruit and veggie circus characters to angela@learningzonexpress.com.

The farm-friendly Barnyard Poster in our Foodscapes poster series features a rooster, hen, and chick family, as well as a bull, pig, and cat made out of fresh vegetables and fruits. The 2009 Merit Health Information Award Winner promotes nutrition and eating local in a fun, creative way. Make your own Barnyard Poster scene with the ingredient guide below:

Sun: orange
Rooster & Hen: garlic body, pepper tail, shallot head
Chicks: garlic body, grape stem legs
Bull: yellow pepper body and head, white asparagus legs, black eyed pea eyes, Serrano chili pepper eyes
Fence: green asparagus
Cat in the Barn: mushroom body, black eyed pea eyes, wild rice whiskers, surrounded by bean sprout hay
Hay Bale: coleslaw mix
Piggy: kiwi body, grape snout, white asparagus legs, orange rind tail, black eyed pea eyes

We’d love to see photos of the Foodscapes creations that you make. E-mail your photos to angela@learningzonexpress.com.

The Fly High Poster in our Foodscapes collection was created with a number of fresh fruits and vegetables. Below is the ingredient list that you can use to make your own sky scene.

Clouds: cauliflower
Sun: orange
Trees: broccoli, leaf lettuce, pineapple tops
Birds: carrot, red pepper beak, clove legs
Hot air balloon: watermelon, yellow pepper, chives
People: grapes, green bean legs, chive flower hats

Share your own foodscapes creations with us by e-mailing your photos to angela@learningzonexpress.com.