Cooking with the Moms

Spring has arrived early here in New England, but that hasn't stopped us from savoring the memories from our winter vacations last month. Janice traveled to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico where she enjoyed lots of sunshine and Liz and her family hit the slopes of Park City. We chat about food and fitness adventures on this week's podcast. We're also joined by Patricia, a mom of two girls from Rhode Island, an avid podcast listener, and a wonderful Meal Makeover Mom fan who popped in to say hi and cook two recipes with us: Salmon BLTs with Avocado (inspired by one of Liz's Park City meals) and Baked Parsnip Fries with Rosemary from the March issue of Bon Appetit magazine. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

March is National Nutrition Month, so join us as we celebrate this year's theme to Get Your Plate in Shape. On this week's show, we have lots of tips for fine-tuning the foods you place on your family's breakfast, lunch, and dinner plate ... and two new recipes, courtesy of our friends with CanolaInfo.org: Easy Baked Chicken --- a healthy alternative to fried chicken --- and Chewy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies, which are made with heart-healthy canola oil versus gobs and gobs of butter. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

March is National Nutrition Month, so join us as we celebrate this year's theme to Get Your Plate in Shape. On this week's show, we have lots of tips for fine-tuning the foods you place on your family's breakfast, lunch, and dinner plate ... and two new recipes, courtesy of our friends with CanolaInfo.org: Easy Baked Chicken --- a healthy alternative to fried chicken --- and Chewy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies, which are made with heart-healthy canola oil versus gobs and gobs of butter. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

One of the best things about winter is all the citrus fruit available at the market. As long as there's still a nip in the air, we'll keep grabbing for oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, Clementines ... and Liz's hands-down new favorite fruit: Cara Cara navel oranges. On this week's show, we section, squeeze, zest, and slice into the season's best citrus with the help of fellow registered dietitian, Karen Ansel. In the February issue of Eating Well magazine, Karen contributed to The Power of Citrus with the latest research on the health benefits of citrus and tips for using this super fruit in everyday home cooking. Tune in for Karen's savvy citrus insights and for Eating Well's Leek and Lemon Linguini recipe -- which we topped with grilled shrimp. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

One of the best things about winter is all the citrus fruit available at the market. As long as there's still a nip in the air, we'll keep grabbing for oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, Clementines ... and Liz's hands-down new favorite fruit: Cara Cara navel oranges. On this week's show, we section, squeeze, zest, and slice into the season's best citrus with the help of fellow registered dietitian, Karen Ansel. In the February issue of Eating Well magazine, Karen contributed to The Power of Citrus with the latest research on the health benefits of citrus and tips for using this super fruit in everyday home cooking. Tune in for Karen's savvy citrus insights and for Eating Well's Leek and Lemon Linguini recipe -- which we topped with grilled shrimp. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

As dietitian and moms, we'll take fruit any way we can get it: fresh, frozen, dried ... you name it. On a recent shopping trip to Trader Joes, Janice grabbed a bag of dried cherries. Why? Because (a) we haven't used them much for snacking or cooking and (b) our friend and fellow dietitian, Wendy Bazilian, does some consulting work for the Cherry Marketing Institute (an organization funded by North American tart cherry growers and processors), and her enthusiasm for this super fruit is so strong, we simply couldn't resist. Tune into the show to hear about the nutritional benefits of tart cherries and to savor a new recipe for Cherry-Banana Raisin Bread Pudding. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

As dietitian and moms, we'll take fruit any way we can get it: fresh, frozen, dried ... you name it. On a recent shopping trip to Trader Joes, Janice grabbed a bag of dried cherries. Why? Because (a) we haven't used them much for snacking or cooking and (b) our friend and fellow dietitian, Wendy Bazilian, does some consulting work for the Cherry Marketing Institute (an organization funded by North American tart cherry growers and processors), and her enthusiasm for this super fruit is so strong, we simply couldn't resist. Tune into the show to hear about the nutritional benefits of tart cherries and to savor a new recipe for Cherry-Banana Raisin Bread Pudding. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

Last May, we featured a blog post and podcast on the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. Today, we're baaaack with the African Heritage Diet Pyramid compliments of our friends at Oldways. This pyramid celebrates the foods and traditional healthy eating pattern of African heritage with roots in America, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. Many of our favorite foods are featured on the new food-guidance icon: nutrient-rich greens, whole grains, beans, fresh fruits, tubers like sweet potatoes, herbs and spices, and seafood. On this week's podcast, we had an opportunity to chat about the pyramid with registered dietitian, Constance Brown-Riggs, diabetes expert, author, and consultant with Oldways. We also featured a kid-friendly, Caribbean-inspired recipe for Hearty Pumpkin Soup. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

Last May, we featured a blog post and podcast on the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. Today, we're baaaack with the African Heritage Diet Pyramid compliments of our friends at Oldways. This pyramid celebrates the foods and traditional healthy eating pattern of African heritage with roots in America, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. Many of our favorite foods are featured on the new food-guidance icon: nutrient-rich greens, whole grains, beans, fresh fruits, tubers like sweet potatoes, herbs and spices, and seafood. On this week's podcast, we had an opportunity to chat about the pyramid with registered dietitian, Constance Brown-Riggs, diabetes expert, author, and consultant with Oldways. We also featured a kid-friendly, Caribbean-inspired recipe for Hearty Pumpkin Soup. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

Are you bored with breakfast? Looking for new ways to add more zing and good nutrition to your family's morning meal? Wondering if your breakfast table has enough protein to sustain you and your kids throughout the day? On this week's show, we serve up a smorgasbord of new breakfast nibbles, a primer on protein, and a new recipe for a Peanut Butter Breakfast Shake. We also share two pancake recipes -- Strawberry-Topped Peanut Butter Pancakes and Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

Are you bored with breakfast? Looking for new ways to add more zing and good nutrition to your family's morning meal? Wondering if your breakfast table has enough protein to sustain you and your kids throughout the day? On this week's show, we serve up a smorgasbord of new breakfast nibbles, a primer on protein, and a new recipe for a Peanut Butter Breakfast Shake. We also share two pancake recipes -- Strawberry-Topped Peanut Butter Pancakes and Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

It's not every day you get to meet a professional football player, but last week, we found ourselves at a "secret" location outside Boston where New England Patriots player, Wes Welker, was being photographed for this week's Super Bowl-inspired Milk Mustache ad. We've done some work for the Got Milk campaign in the past and know some of the folks who help to pull these ads together. We were thrilled when they invited us to the photo shoot ... and even more thrilled to find out it was Wes (yes, we're now on a first name basis). Tune in for a behind-the-scenes peek at our afternoon at the Milk Mustache photo shoot and for two new and nutritious Super Bowl party recipes: Super Bowl Buffalo Chicken Dip and Corn and Carrot Chowder. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

It's not every day you get to meet a professional football player, but last week, we found ourselves at a "secret" location outside Boston where New England Patriots player, Wes Welker, was being photographed for this week's Super Bowl-inspired Milk Mustache ad. We've done some work for the Got Milk campaign in the past and know some of the folks who help to pull these ads together. We were thrilled when they invited us to the photo shoot ... and even more thrilled to find out it was Wes (yes, we're now on a first name basis). Tune in for a behind-the-scenes peek at our afternoon at the Milk Mustache photo shoot and for two new and nutritious Super Bowl party recipes: Super Bowl Buffalo Chicken Dip and Corn and Carrot Chowder. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

Last Friday, Janice traveled to Chicago for the 2012 Kenmore Blogger Summit. Forty-plus food, mommy, humor, and even daddy bloggers descended on the Windy City (which happened to also be a snowy city that day) to learn about Kenmore's innovative new kitchen and home appliances and to share input on the products and features consumers are looking for. You can hear all about her trip on this week's podcast. You won't believe the Kenmore Elite(R) Trio(R) 31 Cubic Foot Refrigerator with Grab-N-Go(tm) Door state-of-the-art refrigerator she drooled over! Tune in, and be sure to take advantage of the 30 percent discount Kenmore is offering on their line-up of small appliances. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

Last Friday, Janice traveled to Chicago for the 2012 Kenmore Blogger Summit. Forty-plus food, mommy, humor, and even daddy bloggers descended on the Windy City (which happened to also be a snowy city that day) to learn about Kenmore's innovative new kitchen and home appliances and to share input on the products and features consumers are looking for. You can hear all about her trip on this week's podcast. You won't believe the Kenmore Elite(R) Trio(R) 31 Cubic Foot Refrigerator with Grab-N-Go(tm) Door state-of-the-art refrigerator she drooled over! Tune in, and be sure to take advantage of the 30 percent discount Kenmore is offering on their line-up of small appliances. For more information, visit the Moms' website and blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.