Family Food Experts

How many celebration parties do you throw every year? How many Pot Lucks do you attend? Running out of recipe and menu ideas? Want some plainly simply delicious ones that are crowd-pleasers? Then tune in to hear our guest, Chef Meryl Bennan, noted recipe developer with Plainville Farms, share her favorites. From appetizers, finger food and buffets to sit down entrees, sides and desserts, Chef Bennan will fill you up with enough ideas to last at least a year. Yes, these recipes will be doable, even when you are short on time. Come into our Family Food Experts Kitchen with Chef Bennan, Co-Host Carolina Jantac, RDN (Kid Kritics Approved) and me are rescued just in time for holiday celebrations! Thursday, 1pm ET, on W4WN.com and W4CY.com.

What better way to focus on a seafood meal than to learn about the Feast of Seven Fishes! This is a Southern Italian, Italian American Celebration held on Christmas Eve. Seven different seafood dishes are prepared and enjoyed to commemorate Vigilia di Natalie, the waiting of the midnight birth of baby Jesus. Why seven? And, what are some traditional Seven Fishes menus that may be served then and at other times of the year? Guest, Stacey Antine RD (HealthBarn USA), author of Appetite for Life and founder of the Healing Meals Foundation, has some great answers for you. Co-host, Carolina Jantac RD (Kid Kritics Approved), you and I will be refreshed with some delectable Italian seafood recipes using cod, shrimp and maybe even some sardines!

How many meals did you eat yesterday? Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner used to be considered the only times we sat down and ate. Now we not only don’t sit down and eat at each meal, we have added an afternoon snack meal. Some even snack during mid-morning. Why is this? Our lifestyles have changed. Consequently, so have our eating habits. Unfortunately for some this means eating more than we need resulting in excess pounds. And, too often nutrient packed foods get lost in the grab and go snack shuffle. Toby Amidor RD to the rescue! Not only is she founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition, she is a food writer and has authored cookbooks, her latest being The Greek Yogurt Kitchen. As a busy working mom, Toby has had to figure out how to balance and spread daily wholesome food needs into four meals. She has sorted out what we should serve for on-the-run or sit-down snacks in order to satiate while nourishing hungry children and adults. You are in for a treat – delicious snack solutions such as Raspberry Oat Bars, Mama’s Berry Smoothie, plus Kale, White Bean or Hummus Dips with carrot sticks. On a cold afternoon why not serve and enjoy a cup of warm Lentil or Black Bean Soup topped with a dollop of Greek Yogurt!

Last week we focused on how one child, effects one family, affects one community. This week we will be giving our full attention to how one community can positively impact one family, one child, and more! In other words, it also takes a community effort to help turn the tide of disease among children. Our guest has hands-on experience in successfully influencing healthy changes in communities. Jennifer Patzowsky, MS, RD, LDN, is currently the Corporate Dietitian for Publix Super Marketsafter previously dedicating almost ten years to being the RD and Health Promotion Analyst for the Polk County School Board. The significance of her association with Publix is that this grocery chain is well known for its active participation in bettering communities. Jennifer will share the why and what you can do for the health of those living in your neighborhood, town, village and city!

Look around you. The statistics are visible everywhere: 65% of adults in the U.S. are overweight. In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. Type 2 Diabetes is now at epidemic levels in adults and children. Heart disease has now crept into childhood years. So has the incidence of chronic disease. Such illnesses used to be relegated to the old. No longer. There is good news in this picture. This can be managed and reversed. David Katz, MD, an Internist and Preventive Medicine specialist, nationally recognized nutrition expert, and author of multiple books including Disease-Proof: The Remarkable Truth About What Makes Us Well has founded “Turn the Tide Foundation” dedicated to creating effective and practical programming and making that available free of charge. Dr. Katz is also Editor of the Childhood Obesity Journal. He will walk us through what we can do to reduce childhood obesity and chronic diseases, both in our families and our communities. This show is for all those concerned about the health of our children and parents, today and tomorrow.