Frozen is your friend! Unlike fresh produce, which is often picked before it is ripe and then loses nutrients as it is transported from far away then sits on the store shelf, frozen veggies and fruits are picked when they are ripe and immediately frozen. This naturally preserves the nutrients. Look for plain frozen veggies with nothing added. Avoid the veggies with sauce already added, it is better to make your own quick sauce at home. Fruits should be flash frozen and not packed in syrup. Look for frozen fruit that comes in bags and has no added ingredients.

You can use frozen veggies as a quick side with dinner. They can be perked up with the addition of lemon juice, herbs, toasted nuts, a small amount of butter or olive oil, cheese sauce, etc. Use frozen veggies in soups and chili, stir-fry and pasta dishes.

Try blending frozen fruit with milk, yogurt or juice and a little sweetener of your choice for a quick smoothie. Add frozen berries to oatmeal in the morning. Pack some frozen fruit for lunch and it should be thawed by the time to eat.

In addition to giving you more options and more nutrients when fresh produce is out of season, frozen foods are also less costly and require less prep time than their fresh counterparts. So until those luscious peaches and homegrown tomatoes are in season you may want to see what you can find in the frozen food aisle.

Here’s the recipe:
Apricot Chicken

On that note, let me share with you a pleasantly unexpected find. If you are not in the Baltimore area, I apologize for getting all local, but if you are ever in North Baltimore and looking for a quick yet upscale meal then you should definitely consider Banksy’s Cafe. It is located in the Lake Falls Village (also home to The Ivy bookstore, Sushi Hana, etc.). My husband and I happened upon it when we were on our way to the train station this past weekend and were looking for something to bring for dinner on the train on the way to New York City. The owner, Robb Banks, patiently and enthusiastically gave us the rundown of the menu while we indecisively hemmed and hawed (you order at the counter and they make your food to order). He made particular mention that the chicken was oven-fried and that the macaroni salad was light on the mayo. He is purposely offering healthier options which I, of course, just love.  And no, I had not mentioned that I am a nutritionist!

My husband was torn between the “fried” chicken and a sandwich. Robb offered to debone one the pieces of chicken and make a Chik-fil-A type sandwich for him, which my husband could not resist. Upon eating this improvised creation, my husband said it was the best sandwich he had ever had and is going to suggest that it become a regular feature on the menu. My turkey, chutney and Muenster cheese grilled sandwich was also quite delicious and I particularly loved the pickled-ish cabbage slaw on the side. In addition to sandwiches, Banksy’s has a full case of Naron chocolates, locally made caramels, scrumptious-looking baked goods, etc.

The best part? When we mentioned that we were getting food for the train ride to NYC, Robb not only suggested a restaurant there that has great strawberry cheese pie, but he ran and got the restaurant’s cookbook from the kitchen to show us where it is. I get the feeling that the food at Banksy’s is made much the same way I do at home: recipes taken from favorite cookbooks, experimenting with things that look good and giving them a try on the menu.

Between the warmth of the owner, the quality of the food, the stylishly decorated and immaculate space, not to mention that it is a locally owned restaurant and not part of a huge chain (always a plus in my book!) I certainly plan to return with my family. Now if only they would open a location within walking distance of my house…

Where: Banksy’s Cafe, Lake Falls Village Shopping Center, 60800 Falls Rd, Baltimore, MD 21209. 410-377-4444.

One of my favorite methods of cooking pork tenderloin is to roast it at high heat and then top with a sauce, serve some rice or bread and some veggies or salad on the side. The sauce I made this week could not be more simple or more tasty – and the kids loved it, too. I had dinner on the table in less than 1/2 hour, everyone loved the meal and it was nutritious. What more can you ask for?!

Enjoy this recipe for Jammy Pork Tenderloin.

Just as we all suspected, according to an article by Scott Hume in Restaurants & Institutions, what they are serving at the US Olympic Training Center is more in line with what athletes need to stay at the top of their game. Lean protein, including seafood, lots of fresh produce and everything is labeled with nutrition information, which is provided by the 4 dietitians on staff.

This is my favorite quote from the article: “You can build ski slopes and bobsled runs or put all kinds of training into play, but without good nutrition there’s no Olympic medal.” That’s the truth!

While I was at Trader Joe’s today I decided to pick up something for lunch. After perusing the case of ready-made foods I decided on the Mango, Red Quinoa and Chicken Salad. Quinoa is one of those foods that I always intend to eat more of, but never quite get around to doing so. According to Wikipedia, quinoa is a grain-like food that originated in South America that you cook similarly to rice. What is different about quinoa is that unlike rice, it is very high in protein.

Here’s what you get: a plastic bowl with a good amount of baby spinach leaves in it, pieces of yellow curry chicken breast, chopped red onion sprinkled with a good bit of quinoa. You also get a separate container of chopped fresh mango and another container of coconut chili dressing. I tossed in the mango and the dressing and got eating. Everything was very fresh. It had a Thai flavor to it and the dressing was quite spicy, which I liked. It reminded me of Thai coconut curry. The quinoa was really good on the salad, adding some crunch without any particular taste, which was a good thing since the mango and dressing had a lot of flavor. Definitely a winner.

Nutritionally, this salad is also a winner. 240 calories, 19g protein, 10g fat and lots of Vitamins A & C, calcium and iron. When paired with a navel orange and a handful of whole-grain crackers, it kept me feeling full all afternoon. This salad is a great choice if you are looking for a quick, tasty and healthy lunch.

With many people now waiting until later in life to have children, dying before age 55 could leave entire generations without one or both parents very early in life. And this is not an abstract threat – with so many children currently overweight or obese,  just imagine how this could affect future generations.

What can a parent do? First, if your child is not overweight or obese it is important to prevent this from happening. However, as parents know, it can be a fine line between encouraging healthy eating and exercising habits and causing disordered eating. The key is to help your children have a healthy relationship with food from the start and to listen to his/her body. If your child is already obese, it is important to help them get back on a healthy growth curve. If you feel like you don’t know where to start, try this book from Ellyn Satter. If you feel like you need individual help or things have gotten out of control, get help from a nutrition professional, a Registered Dietitian who specializes in child and family nutrition.

The good news is that so much attention is being drawn to this issue which is causing lots of positive change. For example, Michelle Obama has launched an initiative to fight childhood obesity. Fast food restaurants now consistently offer healthier options for kids meals, including apples and low fat milk. Schools that once cut out recess and physical education in the interest of increasing test scores are reintroducing these subjects back into their curriculum. If the momentum continues I think we can look forward to even more changes to make it easier for parents and children to reach a healthy weight.

Until very recently, I refused to set foot in Walmart because of their reputation for driving small family retailers out of business and paying their employees poorly. However, the Walmart across from my gym that opens at 7 a.m. has come in handy on more than one occasion when I have forgotten something before going to work. And I grocery shopped at a Walmart on the advice of a friend and I have to admit that I was impressed with the selection of organic and “gourmet” foods.This article has caused me to give more thought to the positive role that Walmart may play in the future of small local farmers, which is an issue that I feel is important culturally, economically, gastronomically and nutritionally.

What do you think? Do you think Walmart has a role in the future of the small farmer? Do you shop at Walmart? Will this article cause you to start purchasing food there (if you don’t already)?

Breakfast this morning was a different story. Faced with the prospect of another day snowbound together and lots of shoveling to come, I made a decadent breakfast of chocolate pancakes (thanks, Epicurious!) and bacon. The pancakes were super-delicious. They were like little chocolate cakes- what’s not to love?! I decided to forgo the chocolate sauce in the recipe and just topped them with powdered sugar. Yum!

Stay safe in the snow, keep warm and enjoy the recipe for split pea soup!

• Split Pea With Ham Soup