Roasted Orange Glazed Rainbow Carrots

It’s been one month since we started back to school and it looks like we’ve all finally settled into our school routine. My kids love their teachers and have been busy making new friends.  But, back to school also means busier schedules, homework, and long days.  Part of the challenge as a parent is finding the perfect balance for everything, all while helping your kids thrive throughout the school year.  Honestly, most days I wonder if I’m getting any of it right. One thing I can make sure I am doing right is giving them healthy, nutritious meals to keep them going all day.  I’ve partnered with  to share some great tips for helping kids thrive and a delicious recipe for Roasted Orange Glazed Rainbow Carrots, one of our families favorite new dishes that’s so easy you can whip it up on those busy school nights.

These sweet carrots aren’t only colorful they are packed full of flavor and provide a healthy boost for your immune system too.  Carrots are already packed with essential vitamins and nutrients but add , which is a good source of folate, and you’ve got a nutrient-rich side dish bursting with flavor.

I’m fortunate that my kids aren’t very picky eaters and for the most part love fruits and veggies, but sometimes we get stuck in a rut and eat the same things over and over.  I recently had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Jennifer Arnold, star of TLCs popular show The Little Couple and author of Life is Short and she shared some great tips for teaching kids the importance of a balanced diet.  One of her biggest tips was to encourage and help kids build a colorful plate at each meal by offering a variety of foods, including dark-green, red, or orange vegetables. The kids and I decided to take a trip to the grocery store to pick out a variety of new veggies to try and mix up our dinnertime routine.  My twins picked out a bag of rainbow carrots and everyone was excited to give them a shot, mostly because they really like carrots and thought it was a better option than the eggplant I suggested.

My mom used to make a delicious glazed carrot recipe we all loved as kids so I decided to recreate that same tasty dish with our colorful rainbow carrots.  The key is roasting the carrots, when you roast carrots or any fruit or veggie for that matter all of the natural flavors are enhanced. The heat brings out the inherent sweetness of the roasted carrots and the orange juice enhances the caramalization that occurs giving it a bursts of definition and flavor.

Who wouldn’t want to “eat the rainbow” when it looks as vibrant and robust as these carrots, just look at those gorgeous colors!

The kids helped peel the carrots and while doing it one of my twins said “who knew something that was buried in dirt could be so pretty!”  I was hopefully they would be just as enthusiastic about giving this new side dish a try.

Once the carrots were peeled we put them in a shallow baking pan and added butter, a pinch of salt and orange juice.  100% Florida Orange juice is one of those foods rich in Vitamin C and other nutrients that help support the immune system, which we all know is super important now that the kids are back in school.  Did you know that along with getting the proper amount of sleep, eating a healthy based diet and incorporating an 8-ounce serving of you can fend off those pesky school bugs the kids are prone to picking up at school?  Yep, that’s right thanks to the nutritional benefits of the Amazing 5 – Taste, Vitamin C, Potassium, Folate and No Added Sugar 100% Florida Orange Juice is a no brainier when it comes to helping your kids get the nutrition they need to boost their immune system.

Serve this colorful side dish with grilled chicken or fish for an easy and delicious weeknight meal the whole family will love.  My kids loved helping me make these rainbow glazed carrots and they were excited to show daddy something new at dinnertime.  It was so fun to try something new, but with a familiar flavor that my kids already love. There are subtle differences between the different colored carrots, but for the most part they have a natural sweetness to them that’s a familiar kid favorite.  This dish was a hit and I’m sure we will see these rainbow glazed carrots back on the menu soon!

Have you ever had rainbow carrots? If so which color is your favorite: purple, red, orange, white or yellow?  There’s amazing inside 100% Florida Orange Juice, visit their to discover the natural goodness of the Amazing 5.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of 100% Florida Orange Juice.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.