Eat, Drink, Live Longer

We are celebrating the frigid month of January with a show about freezer cooking. Today's show just might inspire you to get going with that new Instant Pot you received for Christmas. We are covering the process of preparing those time-saving freezer meals and using the latest kitchen appliances to put nutritious meals on the table for your busy family.

Rachel Tiemeyer is the author of the new cookbook, From Freezer to Cooker: Delicious Whole Food Meals for the Slow Cooker, Pressure Cooker, and Instant Pot. The recipes are easy, delicious, family-pleasing, and nourishing. We'll dig into Rachel's new recipe for the humble home cook's Beef Bourguignon, which can be made in a slow cooker or instant pot. We'll talk about another recipe that I contributed to Rachel's cookbook for Barley and Chickpea Soup, which is a vegetarian soup made in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. It's chock-full of good nutrition and fiber. Rachel is co-founder with Polly Conner of Thriving Home, a down-to-earth lifestyle blog that they began in 2012 as a way to encourage and equip moms at home. Check out their blog for lots of great recipes. Their website is one of the top sites for freezer cooking in the online space. You might remember Rachel from Episode 11 when she visited with us to talk about one of her favorite topics, freezer meals. Let's jump into more deliciousness with Rachel!

Show Highlights:

• Getting to know Rachel, a busy mom of three who lives in Columbia, MO, and is known as a "Freezer Cooking Evangelist"
• Why freezing prepared meals does not deplete nutrients
• Rachel's first book, From Freezer to Table, published in 2017; it covers how to prep, package, store, and thaw freezer meals
• How her new book came from the needs of busy families to get healthy meals on the table by using a slow cooker and Instant Pot
• How every recipe in Rachel's new book can be prepared in either the slow cooker or Instant Pot---and can be used as a freezer meal!
• Why you don't want to fully cook a freezer meal before freezing
• Rachel's Beef Bourguignon: A flavorful concoction of stew meat or chuck roast, bacon, aromatics, flour, red wine, chicken broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, thyme, bay leaf, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes
• Rachel's specifics in using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot for freezer meals
• Safe ways to thaw freezer meals: in the refrigerator, in a cold water bath, or in the microwave
• Why the Instant Pot keeps food juicier than a slow cooker
• Why chicken is usually overcooked in the slow cooker
• Rachel's rules for knowing your slow cooker
• Some favorites from the cookbook at the Tiemeyer house: Jack's Chicken and Dumpling Stew and French Dip Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Breakfasts and desserts, like steel cut oats, egg casseroles, and french toast casseroles
• How to use "Pot in pot" cooking
• Liz's Barley and Chickpea Soup
• A favorite vegetarian recipe in the book: Pumpkin Chili
• A random question from the Mason jar about Rachel's favorite food

Resources:

Giveaway: One lucky U.S. listener or reader can enter for a chance to win a copy of From Freezer to Cooker: Delicious Whole-Foods Meals for the Slow Cooker, Pressure cooker, and Instant Pot by Polly Conner & Rachel Tiemeyer. Post a comment in the comments section at the end of this post and tell me about your favorite slow cooker or Instant Pot recipe. Or if you're a freezer diva, tell me what you like to cook from your freezer! Giveaway ends on January 29th.

Special FREEBIE page for LHT listeners: ThrivingHome.org/lizshealthytable

Top 10 EASY Freezer Meals – This collection of favorites will get you started right away on stocking your freezer.

Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart – We spent years testing these cooking times (for fresh and frozen meals)!

Weekly Menu Planner – A simple printable to help you plan each week.

Freezer Smoothie Pack Bundle – Stock your freezer with delicious and healthy smoothies.

Check out my "Reduce Your Kitchen Carbon Footprint" blog series. In January, we're tackling COMPOSTING:

https://www.lizshealthytable.com/2020/01/06/reduce-your-kitchen-carbon-footprint-compost-food-scraps-and-kitchen-waste/

Episode 11 featured Rachel's first cookbook, From Freezer to Table: https://www.lizshealthytable.com/2017/09/19/freezer-cooking-with-rachel-tiemeyer/

Website: ThrivingHome.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivinghomeblog/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivinghome/

Happy New Year! It's 2020, which I find hard to believe. It freaks me out in a way that time flies by so fast. As this year holds a big milestone birthday for me, and I mean a really BIG one, my defining word for 2020 in my personal and professional life is----celebrate. I want to celebrate so many things this year, so that's what we are talking about in today's show. Let's talk about resolutions, goals, and intentions for 2020, along with a brand-new delicious recipe.

Show Highlights:

• Five themes to celebrate this year:
• • My birthday in August-- I have cool trips planned in my quest to travel more, like Prague, Budapest, Croatia, Greece, and a cruise with my husband.
  • A healthy planet--We need to reduce food waste and make changes to the way we shop, cook, and repurpose. My action for January is composting. (Look for a new action each month!)
  • Simple, fast, healthy dinners--This is the #1 request I receive, and I have some great shows planned.
  • • Today's recipe is for Easy Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup, which uses split red lentils, extra virgin olive oil, diced onion, mushrooms, minced garlic, celery seed, vegetable broth, shredded carrots, bite-sized cauliflower florets, and fresh thyme.
  • The benefits of eating for health--Everyone is on a different diet for some reason or another. We'll talk about these diets along with prebiotics, which feed your good gut bacteria.
  • The power of advocacy--We want kids and families to eat healthy foods and be part of a food system that nourishes and feeds us. We'll cover tips to becoming an advocate, along with how to read the new food labels this year.

Resources:

Black Earth Compost: https://blackearthcompost.com/

Biggest Little Farm: https://www.biggestlittlefarmmovie.com/

From Freezer to Cooker: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/from-freezer-to-cooker

The Best Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Rotisserie-Chicken-Cookbook-Store-Bought/dp/0778806588

Regenerative Agriculture: http://www.regenerativeagriculturedefinition.com/

Kid Food by Bettina Elias Siegel: https://www.amazon.com/Kid-Food-Challenge-Children-Processed/dp/0190862122\

You've probably heard the buzz about the typical American diet that's filled with excess sugar. There are many health problems associated with high sugar intake, and sadly, these problems are showing up at younger and younger ages in America's youth. Today's show was all about tips and tricks for cutting added sugar from your family's diet without sacrificing the fun and flavor of your favorite recipes.

My guest today is Jennifer Tyler Lee, author and healthy eating advocate. Her new cookbook, Half the Sugar, All the Love: A Family Cookbook, is being released later this month. You might remember her previous cookbook, The 52 New Foods Challenge, or her really cool kids' nutrition game, Crunch A Color. Half the Sugar, All the Love is filled with 100 sweet and savory recipes that have been remastered to be lower in sugar than their original counterparts. If you crave a chocolate brownie, Jennifer has you covered with her Double-Chocolate Brownies, and just wait until you hear how she uses sweet potatoes as a secret ingredient. If you wonder how much added sugar is in that stir-fry chicken dish you ordered out last week, Jennifer is here for you with her Better For You Citrus Chicken Stir Fry with Green Beans. This is an action-packed show that will fill you in about how much added sugar we, as a nation, are currently consuming. We'll talk about the health consequences of all that sugar and the upper limit of the recommendations from the American Heart Association. We're talking about tips for reading food labels and spotting added sugar, and US listeners can enter to win a copy of Jennifer's new cookbook!

Show Highlights:

• The basics of Jennifer's busy life as a Canadian mom of two living in CA
• The positive changes we see in the health of families due to the resurgence of cooking
• How Jennifer's love of cooking comes from the influence of her grandma, who taught her that home-cooked family meals should be the norm
• How Jennifer's new cookbook helps you cut the sugar in all types of recipes and enjoy the foods you love in healthier ways
• The current trend: 1 in 5 kids is prediabetic
• The secret to "half the sugar" is to sweeten with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables instead of added sugar
• Why "sneaky sugar" is an insidious problem in savory foods many so-called "healthy" foods, like yogurt and granola
• The sad truth: most people consume more than 3x the daily allowance of added sugar, according to the American Heart Association, which says kids and women should have no more than 6 tsp/day and men should have no more than 9 tsp/day
• The new research that shows how artificial sweeteners and even natural sweeteners may lead to increased sugar cravings due to how the brain interprets them
• Jennifer's work with Dr. Patel for the book, showing the dangers of too much added sugar, which include obesity, chronic disease, Type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, and cavities
• Why Jennifer likes to sweeten recipes with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, dates, pineapple, and mango
• Some of Jennifer's favorites from the new cookbook: Pumpkin Spice Waffles, and Pineapple Teriyaki Short Ribs
• How Jennifer's Double Chocolate Brownies cut the sugar in a typical brownie from 4-½ tsp. to 1-½ tsp.
• How to determine the amounts of added sugar by reading food labels and converting grams to teaspoons
• Why beverages are the worst way to consume added sugar and calories
• How nuts, seeds, and dried fruits can be used in sugar replacement
• The big problems in removing sugar from a recipe are changes in texture and flavor
• Jennifer's recipe for granola that's made with lots of nutritious ingredients like oats, nuts, and dried fruits; it's a flexible recipe with maple syrup being the only added sweetener
• Jennifer's Citrus Chicken Stir Fry with Green Beans made with tangerine juice, ginger, garlic, toasted sesame oil, almonds (with zero added sugar)
• A bonus! If you pre-order Jennifer's book and enter your confirmation number on her website, you'll receive Jennifer's holiday cookie recipes
• An example of a recipe with dates: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• A random question from the Mason jar about Jennifer's first food memory

Resources:

Jennifer's website: 52newfoods.com (where she shares new recipes each week)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifertylerlee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifertylerlee

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtylerlee

Giveaway: We're giving away a copy of Half the Sugar: All the Love by Jennifer Tyler Lee to one lucky US winner. Tell me why you'd love to win the book and/or your favorite sweet or savory recipe that's lower in sugar than its original version. Giveaway ends January 1, 2020.

If you pre-order Jennifer's book (before the release date of 12/24/2019), you'll be able to claim 3 HOLIDAY BONUS RECIPES from Jennifer. Click here to learn about the bonus,

If you board it, they will come. And if you put snacks, appetizers, and nibbles on a board, everyone at your table will eat and enjoy every bite! Whether you call them cheese boards, snack boards, appetizer boards, or charcuterie boards, Maegan Brown, author of Beautiful Boards, has the complete scoop on creating irresistible boards for every eating occasion.

Maegan Brown is The Baker Mama and author of the stunning new cookbook, Beautiful Boards. She has tips for everything from creating a sensational Cobb Salad Board piled high with all the fixings to a make-your-own Pancake Board, complete with colorful berries, maple syrup, and bacon on the side! Tune in for my delightful conversation with Maegan. If you're looking for a new way to serve food that's fun, interesting, and easy, then this is the show for you!

Show Highlights:

• The story of Maegan, The Baker Mama, who is the mom of four kids under age 8 and is married to her fellow foodie husband, with whom she makes her home in Dallas, TX
• How Maegan's blog began in 2012 with a focus on baking but branched out into family-friendly original recipes and entertaining
• How Maegan's background is in family-friendly meals that have people gathering around the table to enjoy great food
• Maegan's food philosophy revolves around helping kids to have an appreciation for food and the work that goes into growing and preparing it
• How boards give everyone the freedom to pick and choose the foods they want
• Why the 1970's Lazy Susan was the precursor to today's board meals
• A look inside Maegan's book, filled with 50 creative snack, appetizer, holiday, breakfast, dinner, and brunch ideas
• Why Maegan's boards are produce-centric, loaded with fruits and vegetables
• How to start with a small collection of boards and grow your collection as you go
• Where to get boards: www.boardsbythebakermama.com, World Market, Crate & Barrel, Target, and Trader Joe's
• Maegan's dad's boards, which are handcrafted from start to finish
• How to clean a board properly with dish soap and warm water
• The secret to great boards is that there are no rules; be creative and learn as you go
• Why boards are approachable and interesting to everyone
• Maegan's Cobb Salad board components: hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, pecans, roasted chicken, tomatoes, red onion, croutons, cheese, bacon bits, avocado, and dressing
• Maegan's Candy Cane Caprese Board components: mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinaigrette
• Some of Maegan's other boards include a Game Day Board, Rainbow Board, New Year's Eve Board, Princess Board, Vegan Board, and Gluten-Free Board
• How you can ask the bakery experts in your supermarket to help with your board
• A behind-the-scenes look at the photography procedure to make the boards look fresh and delicious
• What's next for Maegan? "We are enjoying the ride, and we're working to grow the board business and take it to the next level."
• A random question from the Mason jar about the one food that The Baker Mama just doesn't like

Resources:

WANT TO BUY A BOOK AND A HAND-CRAFTED BOARD? CHECK OUT MAEGAN'S NEW BUSINESS, Boards by the Baker Mama: https://boardsbythebakermama.com/

Website: http://thebakermama.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebakermama/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebakermamablog

Giveaway: We are giving away a copy of Beautiful Boards: 50 Amazing Snack Boards for Any Occasion by Maegan Brown, The Baker Mama, to one lucky U.S. winner. To enter to win, tell me about your favorite way to create snack and/or meal boards ... or tell me why you'd love to win a copy of Beautiful Boards. GIVEAWAY ends December 18th, 2019 (just in time for the holidays)!

Finding recipes that are easy to make, delicious, nourishing and a joy for your family and friends to eat is like hitting the jackpot … and that's what you'll get on the show today. Joining me is Maria Lichty from the Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook and blog.

Maria Lichty is the voice and home cook behind the food blog and cookbook, Two Peas and Their Pod. Rounding out Maria's pod are her husband and sous chef, Josh, and her two adorable boys, Caleb and Maxwell. Maria shares her journey from wedding day to top food blogger, her adventures in the kitchen as she feeds a household full of all those guys, and some of our favorite recipes from her blog and cookbook. We'll end with some great cookie ideas to prepare you for holiday baking. We'll learn about her recipe for Asian-Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli, Artichoke and Spinach Dip, and many more!

Show HIghlights:

• Getting to know Maria, her family, her blog, and her cookbook
• How Maria got into food blogging ten years ago, mainly to get through their wedding
• Maria's background in learning how to cook at home with her dad
• How their blogging community has grown and changed over the years
• What family dinners are like in Maria's home as she deals with picky eaters at times
• The most popular recipe on the blog: Dad's Cinnamon Rolls
• How Maria defines her food focus and style
• How exposing kids to different foods helps eliminate picky eaters
• The process from developing recipe ideas to putting them on the blog or in the cookbook
• How Maria shares tips and tricks for getting confident and comfortable in the kitchen
• Maria's top pantry staples: canned beans, pasta, whole grains, oatmeal, oils and vinegar, nuts and nut butters, canned tomatoes, and broth
• Maria's "Feeling Toasty" breakfast ideas: avocado toast; toast with peanut butter, honey, and banana; toast with almond butter and fresh peach slices; and hummus on toast with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and feta cheese
• Maria's recipe for Asian-Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli: made with olive oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, fresh mint and cilantro, orange zest and juice, ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes
• Maria's Everyday Butter Lettuce Salad with a vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic or champagne vinegar, honey, garlic, and salt and pepper
• Maria's Four Cheese Spinach and Artichoke Dip: made with cream cheese, Greek yogurt, frozen spinach, canned artichoke hearts, shredded fontina, mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper
• Some of Maria's kids' favorites: Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs, Black Bean Quinoa Enchilada Bake, Pesto Havarti Mac and Cheese, Enchilada-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, and Tomato Basil Soup with Cheesy Garlic Dunkers
• How Maria and Josh meal-plan with their boys on Sundays to help them take ownership of the process
• One of Maria's favorite go-to cookbooks: Baking: From My Home to Yours
• Favorite desserts in the book: Why Maria loves the cookie chapter and the dessert chapter, and her husband loves the Key Lime Bars
• The next big adventure for Maria?
• A random question from the Mason jar about Maria's favorite food city or town

Resources:

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

www.superhealthykids.com

www.parentsondemand.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/twopeasandpod

IG: https://www.instagram.com/twopeasandpod/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twopeasandtheirpod

Two Peas and Their Pod website: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/

Liz's better-for-you 7 Layer Bars: https://www.lizshealthytable.com/2015/02/26/lightened-up-seven-layer-bars/

GIVEAWAY:

We are giving away a copy of the Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook to one lucky U.S. winner. To enter for a chance to win, tell me about your go-to, always-a-win recipe that you make when you're feeding your family ... or your friends. So family vs. cooking for a crowd. What's your favorite?

I'll pick the winner on December 4th at noon ET.

Today's episode is all about comfort food recipes that are hearty, easy to make, and celebrate what's in season. My guest is cookbook author and blogger, Tieghan Gerard from Half Baked Harvest. Tieghan's new cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Super Simple is hot off the press, and she joins me to talk all about it!

Half Baked Harvest Super Simple features recipes like Cream of Mushroom Soup with Garlic Bread Crumbs, Sesame Orange Chicken, and Harvest Butternut Squash and Apple Pizza, which are all perfect for cozy family dinners or festive gatherings.

Tieghan took time off from her book launch to talk about the new cookbook, her journey into the wild world of food blogging, her Colorado barn where she cooks and photographs her recipes, and why her recipes appeal to even the pickiest of eaters.

Show Highlights:

• Getting to know Tieghan and the food blog that grew out of her crazy family experiences
• What family mealtime was like for Tieghan growing up in a family of nine
• How Tieghan began cooking as a young teen to help her dad with the family cooking responsibilities
• The broad appeal of Tieghan's blog, with recipes that use whole foods to create approachable recipes for everyday families
• How Tieghan makes an effort to stay connected to her blogging community and gives them feedback
• A behind-the-scenes look at Tieghan's barn in Colorado, where she lives and cooks
• Why Tieghan's new cookbook is geared to help people create delicious food easily and quickly, with recipes of a wide variety for everyone's food taste
• Tieghan's Harvest Butternut Squash and Apple Pizza made with butternut squash ribbons, cheddar cheese, sage, thinly-sliced shallots and apples, prosciutto, thyme, honey, and apple butter
• Apple butter: a thickened, seasoned applesauce that you need to stock in your fridge
• Swirled Banana Bundt Cake: an easy and delicious concoction of chocolate, bananas, with a cream cheese swirl
• Why Tieghan's favorite recipes in the book revolve around pasta and pizza creations
• Tieghan's Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Mash: a one-pot wonder!
• What's next for Tieghan? There are exciting projects and new things coming to her ever-expanding blog
• A random question from the Mason jar reveals why Tieghan would love to have dinner with Ina Garten

Resources:

Giveaway: We are giving away a copy of Half Baked Harvest: Super Simple by Tieghan Gerard to one lucky US listener. To enter, post a comment in the comments section at the end of this post, and tell me why you'd like to win this cookbook and/or your favorite harvest-inspired family recipe right now. In other words, tell me about a recipe that celebrates an ingredient that's in season (i.e. something with butternut squash, apples, pears, kale, etc). Giveaway ends on November 6, 2019.

Discussed on the show (Pasta & Pizza Dinners e-cookbook): https://www.lizshealthytable.com/pastapizzadinners/

Follow Tieghan here:

Half Baked Harvest: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/

Tieghan's studio barn: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/the-studio-barn-kitchen-appliances-by-kitchenaid/

IG: @halfbakedharvest

FB: @hbharvest

Pinterest: @hbharvest

Twitter: @hbharvest

www.superhealthykids.com

www.parentsondemand.com

Today's show is all about pumpkin! While this versatile and nutritious autumn fruit is best known as a front porch decoration on Halloween and a flavoring in trendy coffee drinks, it's also an ingredient that makes its way into everything from wholesome muffins and pancakes to chili, enchiladas, and mac & cheese! As a dietitian, I adore pumpkin, and as you'll learn on the show today, it turns out that my guest is even more obsessed with this fall favorite than I am.

On the show today is registered dietitian, food blogger, and cookbook author Maggie Michalczyk. She lives in Chicago, where she runs Once Upon A Pumpkin, a blog that's filled with recipes and tips for cooking with pumpkin. Maggie has lots of recipe ideas to keep you cooking all autumn long and beyond. On the show, we dish about Maggie's recipes for Pumpkin Mac and Cheese and Gluten-free Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies, and we've got tips for roasting pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. And of course, we dive deep into the nutritional benefits of pumpkin.

Show Highlights:

• What dinner was like in Maggie's house as she grew up in a Polish household
• Pumpkin's appeal to even the pickiest of eaters
• The nutrition breakdown on pumpkin's fiber, vitamins A, C, and E, and potassium
• Is there a nutritional difference between fresh and canned pumpkin?
• The ideal pumpkins for roasting are the 2-4 lb. "sugar" or "pie" pumpkins (bigger pumpkins won't have as much flavor!)
• Maggie's favorite seasonal foods with pumpkin: nut butter, chips, salsa, hummus, and pumpkin spice latte popcorn (Just browse the pumpkin offerings at Trader Joe's for a real treat!)
• Ideas for using the can of pumpkin puree in your pantry: smoothies, oatmeal, muffins, crepes, enchiladas, quesadillas, chili, and soups
• How to roast pumpkin seeds with salt, cinnamon sugar, or pumpkin pie spice (get creative with the seasonings!); place on a baking sheet with parchment paper and roast at 250-300 degrees for about 20 minutes.
• Pumpkin seeds are a source of plant-based protein, fiber, and magnesium
• Maggie's cookbook, with over 50 pumpkin recipes with something for everyone---even the family dog!
• Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, with a cheesy, pumpkiny sauce and lots of optional add-ins
• Maggie's Gluten-free Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies--yummy and nutritious!
• A random question from the Mason jar about the weirdest, strangest thing Maggie has ever eaten
• What's next on Maggie's horizon

Resources:

IG: @onceuponapumpkin

Website: OnceUponAPumpkinRD.com

www.lizshealthytable.com/podcast Join our Podcast Posse!

www.superhealthykids.com

www.parentsondemand.com

Today's show is all about the benefits of family mealtime. Sharing family meals is good for body and soul, but making it to the dinner table night after night can be a challenge. To make mealtime a regular reality, I'm joined this week by Brianne DeRosa from The Family Dinner Project.

Brianne DeRosa is the Content Manager for The Family Dinner Project. She's the co-author of an incredible new book, Eat, Laugh, Talk! The Family Dinner Playbook. This book is over-the-top awesome with 52 weeks of easy recipes and hundreds of conversation starters and hilarious games designed specifically for the family dinner table. In this episode, Brianne and I share our family dinner experiences from childhood AND today, as busy moms. We have lots of tips to make family dinner happen more often, in spite of dealing with picky eaters and hectic family schedules. We're cutting through those barriers today to give you easy solutions and delicious recipes, like Skillet Chicken with Goat Cheese Sauce. We'll also tell you about The Family Dinner Project, a non-profit initiative begun in 2010 to champion family dinner as a way to connect through food, fun, and conversation. Join us to learn how your family dinners can become easier and more memorable!

Show Highlights:

• How The Family Dinner Project has built a movement of food, fun, and conversation
• Brianne's work at The Family Dinner Project over the past five years, where she manages web and social media content--while being a mom to two sons, ages 10 and 13
• What family dinner was like for Liz and Brianne as kids, and what it looks like today
• Dealing with technology's assault on family dinner
• From The Family Dinner Project: resourceful ways to use devices to further the connection between family members
• Brianne's new book is filled with resources for families and is laid out to cover 52 weeks of tips and solutions from real families
• How the book gives weekly strategies for combating the most common obstacles to family Dinner
• Three of the biggest challenges (and solutions!) that parents face with family dinner:
• • Lack of time: Solutions include managing the family's schedule, using meal planning and "fallback" meals, trying "split-shift" dinners, and sitting down together for breakfast, lunch, or even a snack.
  • Picky eaters and special diets: Solutions revolve around using variations of "build-your-own" meals, like a taco bar, salad bar, pasta bar, etc.
  • Enhancing the connection piece: Solutions include being intentional about conversations and connecting with each other.t
• How to implement "fallback" meals with ingredients that are easy to keep on hand
• What it means to "lean on a dinner village" for meal prep
• Brianne's recipe for Skillet Chicken with Goat Cheese Sauce, using boneless, skinless chicken, garlic, crushed tomatoes, goat cheese, basil, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
• The health benefits of eating family dinner together, both for children AND their parents
• A random question from the Mason jar about the one pantry item that Brianne couldn't do without

Resources:

How to find Brianne: www.thefamilydinnerproject.org

Facebook: @thefamilydinnerproject

Twitter:@FDP_Tweets

Instagram: @thefamilydinnerproject

Pinterest: @famdinnerproj

Giveaway: We're giving away a copy of Eat, Laugh, Talk! The Family Dinner Playbook; 52 Weeks of Easy Recipes, Engaging Conversation, and Hilarious Games to one lucky U.S. winner. Tell me about your fondest mealtime memory from when you were a kid or your favorite thing about family mealtime today. We'll pick one winner at random on October 16th.

Eat, Laugh, Talk! The Family Dinner Playbook by The Family Dinner Project, Lynn Barendson, Brianne DeRosa, Anne Fishel, and Shelly London

www.superhealthykids.com

www.parentsondemand.com

www.lizshealthytable.com/podcast Join the Podcast Posse!

Are you ready for food adventures from around the world? Today's show is all about culinary travel from the spice markets of Marrakech to the island of Sicily, where a traditional pasta dish is topped with crispy bread crumbs. Join me for a whirlwind journey of flavors with food and travel writer Carolyn O'Neil, who has been a great friend of mine for many decades.

Carolyn O'Neil is a registered dietitian nutritionist who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, but calls the world her home. After 20 years at CNN, where she launched and led the network's coverage of food, nutrition, and cuisine, Carolyn is now a food and travel writer. She contributes to a number of publications including Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine and Food & Wine magazine. She has authored two cookbooks, The Dish: On Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous! AND The Slim Down South Cookbook with Southern Living magazine. Carolyn also appears on the Food Network as the "Lady of the Refrigerator" on Alton Brown's Good Eats: The Return!

Show Highlights:

• Why Carolyn became interested in culinary travel
• Sights, sounds, and flavors from Carolyn's travels to Greece and Italy
• The benefits of taking a food tour when you travel
• Why Carolyn suggests "off the radar" locations vs. hot tourist destinations
• How bread crumbs pair well with pasta dishes
• How other countries can teach us to repurpose and eliminate food waste (like uses for the rind of parmesan cheese!)
• South American food highlights: from Lima, Peru and the Amaz Restaurant
• How kids' lives can be changed by exposing them to different foods and cultures
• Carolyn's experiences with food trends in Vietnam, China, and Korea
• Tips and tricks to remember about culinary travel and getting off the beaten path
• Food trends in the South today which celebrate diversity in agriculture and the fruits and vegetables of the land
• An easy dinner from Carolyn's latest cookbook: Honey Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, honey, and dark sesame oil
• Carolyn's trip to the Galapagos Islands, where chefs are limited because of what grows there and strict importation regulations
• Liz and Carolyn share highlights from their craziest culinary trips
• A random question from the Mason jar: Carolyn shares her favorite inexpensive kitchen gadget, the lemon juicer

Resources:

Ikaia Lodge

Cypress Culinary Tour

https://www.virtuoso.com/articles/virtuoso-communities/Our-Favorite-Vacation-Ideas-for-Food-Lovers

(Great article above with a good list!)

Lemon Juicer

The Happy, Healthy Kitchen Blog by Carolyn O'Neil

Find Carolyn O'Neil on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

www.superhealthykids.com

www.parentsondemand.com

Are you interested in raising plant-based eaters? From babies and toddlers to kids of all ages, prepping plant-based meals and snacks requires a bit of planning and plotting, but the payoff is a family table brimming with fruits, veggies, beans, tofu, and other plant-based foods. Joining me on today's podcast is Alex Caspero, dietitian, mom, and co-founder of Plant-Based Juniors---better known as, PBJs. She's sharing lots of tips and words of wisdom about the food choices that exist today.

Show Highlights:

• Alex's background, her website, and her life in St. Louis with her husband and toddler son
• When Alex was pregnant, she looked for a one-stop website with the information she needed about a plant-based lifestyle, but couldn't find it
• How PBJ was created with Whitney English to help other moms who are in the same boat that Whitney and Alex were as new moms
• How to tap into the PBJ community via the website, Instagram, and YouTube
• Why the term "plant-based" is more fitting than "vegetarian" or "vegan"
• The benefits of plant-based eating include lower rates of chronic diseases and higher intake of antioxidants
• The "A plant on every plate" platform
• How Alex's e-book, Plant-Based Juniors: First Bites, is all about introducing a baby to solid food, with high-iron and baby-led weaning appropriate recipes
• Tofu Frittata Cups--a versatile recipe that works with any vegetables; think of it as baby's first omelet!
• Why adding a source of vitamin C to a plant-based iron source (beans, lentils, quinoa, tofu, and broccoli) will increase iron absorption by 4-6 times
• Why zinc is vital for red blood cell development and immunity, especially in infants
• Plant-based calcium sources include fortified plant-based milk, broccoli, oranges, beans, tofu, tahini, and almond butter
• Why pea milk and soy milk are top plant-based milk choices--because of their higher fat content
• Why a plant-based diet for infants and toddlers should include more fat than you might think
• Two family favorites for Alex: Tofu Marinara Sticks and Cinnamon Sweet Potato Sticks
• Why coconut oil should be used occasionally and is ideal for baking and roasting
• How plant-based eaters can get sufficient omega 3 fatty acids from nuts and seeds
• Why DHA supplementation is recommended in infancy and pregnancy; it's plentiful in fatty fish and algae
• How baby-led weaning can reduce the likelihood of having a picky eater
• Alex's favorite go-to family dinners: Lentil Tacos and Pasta with veggies
• Details about the e-book, First Bites: the nutrition primer to raise your infant or start solid foods in a plant-based way (20 recipes included!)
• Details about the e-book, The Predominantly Plant-Based Pregnancy Guide: the primer with everything you need to know about a plant-based pregnancy (175 pages!)
• The #1 question from parents about plant-based eating for juniors is about which milk is best

Giveaway: We are giving away of a copy of the awesome new e-book, Plant-Based Juniors: First Bites. Starting solids can be intimidating, so Alex and co-author, Whitney English, demystify the process. The e-book provides a primer on baby-led weaning, tackles nutrients of concern for plant-based babies including iron, calcium, and omega-3 fats, and serves up 20 colorful and nourishing baby-led weaning recipes, all designed for plant-based eaters. To enter for a chance to win (retail value: $12.99), tell me about your baby's favorite first food and/or why you've decided to go plant-based with your baby or toddler. Giveaway ends on Wednesday, September 11th at noon ET.

Resources and Links:

The Lentil Tacos recipe on Delish Knowledge

https://www.delishknowledge.com/lentil-tacos/

Predominantly Plant-Based Pregnancy Guide

https://plantbasedjuniors.lpages.co/pregnancy-guide-full/#call-to-action

Plant-Based Juniors: First Bites

https://plantbasedjuniors.com/firstbites/

Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delishknowledge/

Whitney on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneyerd/

PBJs on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plantbasedjuniors/

www.plantbasedjuniors.com

www.superhealthykids.com

www.parentsondemand.com