2011 Reflections and The Meal Makeover Moms’ “Wishes” for 2012 (Podcast #173)

by The Meal Makeover Moms on January 12th, 2012

On this week’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast, we look back at 2011 — a year filled with farm-fresh foods, unique dining experiences, and the launch of No Whine with Dinner, and we look forward to 2012 … with gusto. It seems like yesterday that we were caught up in the Y2K hysteria (yes, we each hoarded bottled water), and we can’t believe it’s already 2012. But alas, time flies when you’re having fun … and eating lots of great food. Read on for highlights from the year as well as a look back at a busy 12 months of book promotion activities, our favorite culinary adventures and recipes, our wishes for 2012, and a glimpse into our upcoming foodie road trips.

For the soft launch of No Whine with Dinner, we traveled to Atlanta, GA for some media interviews. At the local FOX station, we ran into Ted Allen, host of the Food Network’s wildly successful show, Chopped. Ted took a copy of our book stating, “I love this title. You should have your own show on the Food Network!” Thanks Ted :)

No Whine with Dinner opened up a few interesting doors for us including an occasional writing gig with Every Day with Rachael Ray. This recipe for a General Tso’s Chicken makeover will appear in the May issue.

One of the coolest things that happened to us in 2011 was American Profile Magazine. We appeared on the cover holding our Lots-O-Veggies Lasagna, a perennial favorite.

The best part about writing a book and communicating with readers through our blog, podcast, Facebook fan page, and Twitter, has been hearing from fellow moms. Recently, a few moms sent us photos and feedback on their favorite Meal Makeover Mom recipes. Here are just a few …

Christa W. from Wisconsin, mom of five-year old Ryan and two-year old Grant. She sent us two photos, one of Ryan making our Strawberry Wigglers (page 166 in No Whine with Dinner) and one of Grant prepping our Grab-and-Go Granola Bars (page 160).

Here’s what she had to say about the Wigglers: “This was the first time making these. I served them at Thanksgiving in lieu of the traditional Jell-o salad.  Everyone loved them including my eight year old nephew who is very picky.”

Teresa B. from Vancouver, WA, mom of 3-year-old Quinn, 11-year old William and 14-year-old Zan: She sent us a photo of two of her guys devouring our slow cooker Mile High Spinach Lasagna (page 101). “Clean plates! You two bring fun and deliciousness to healthy food.”

Our makeover of Hamburger Helper went down as one of Janice’s favorite blog recipes of 2011.

Liz’s fave from 2011 was definitely our Better-for-You Brussels Sprouts Gratin. (She just likes saying the word, “gratin.”)

CULINARY HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2011:

> For Janice … her trip to Norway where she learned all about farm-raised salmon, dinner at Rotisserie & Wine in Napa, CA with pal, Cheryl Forberg, former dietitian with The Biggest Loser, and casual dinners with family and friends.

> For Liz … dinner at ABC Kitchen in NY during a mid-week getaway with friends, seafood meals on Nantucket, her first year as a CSA member and trips to the local farmers’ market, and dinners with hubby, Tim, at Landana in Burlington, MA.

And let us not forget the amazing day we had touring a California avocado grove with fellow registered dietitians during the annual meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

THE MEAL MAKEOVER MOMS’ WISHES FOR 2012:

> Get more organized — We’ll turn to organizing guru, Laura from I’m an Organizing Junkie for inspiration.
> Hone our food photography skills — There are many great resources out there from photography books to website tutorials, and we’ll continue to read as many as we can! Check out Healthy Aperture for the best healthy food photos on the web.
> Figure out Pinterest and create a Meal Makeover Moms’ page — Stand by because we hope to get this up and running some time over the next few weeks.
> Yoga — Yet again, Liz has resolved to do yoga. But don’t worry because you won’t have to hear about it anymore. Finally, Liz joined a gym. With three yoga classes under her belt since last week, Liz is off to a very zen 2012.
> Janice stills dreams of renovating her kitchen to be a state-of-the-art demo/prep kitchen/photo studio. Stay tuned…

UPCOMING MEAL MAKEOVER MOM FOODIE ADVENTURES:

> Liz:
* NYC later this month where she’ll be in the audience at The Dr. Oz Show and Anderson. Plans to have dinner at Rouge Tomate. They actually have a culinary nutritionist on staff.
* Park City over February vacation for a week of skiing on the slopes.
* International Seafood Show in Boston mid March.
* International Association of Culinary Professionals annual meeting in NYC late March. Janice will be there too!
* Kansas in May to present at the National Cattleman’s Beef Association “Nutrition Adventure” meeting.

> Janice:
* Cabo San Lucas with her West Coast sisters in February.
* Austin, TX in April to speak to a group of RDs about social media.
* Philly with Liz in October for the annual meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
* Perhaps Paris in March for the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Ceremony (No Whine with Dinner won Gourmand Best in the USA Award in the Children & Family category and will represent the USA at the International competition in Paris).

What’s happening in your neck of the woods in 2012?

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