Bathing suit season is upon us. To enable residents to get in shape and manage a healthy weight for months to come, Healthy Habits Kitchen (http://www.healthyhabitskitchen.com), a company dedicated to helping busy individuals and families eat healthy,  announced they are hosting a three-part Weight Management Workshop series. The series will kick-off on the evening of June 23 with Achieve a Healthy Weight with Mindful Eating. It will be followed by Choosing Foods for Weight Management on July 21, 2010 and Eating Out, Quick Cooking & Exercise on August 25, 2010.

All three workshops will be led by Boston area nutrition expert, Janel Ovrut, MS, RD, LDN. Ovrut is the author of the popular blog, Eat Well With Janel, and is a registered dietitian with a Master’s Degree from the Nutrition Communication program at Tufts University. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from Syracuse University.

Ovrut currently works in corporate wellness where she develops wellness programs for large companies, provides nutrition counseling for employees and gives nutrition presentations relevant to a working professional’s busy life. She promotes a realistic approach to eating, which helps others realize that setting small, attainable goals for a healthy lifestyle brings positive results. She has spoken at a number of events and writes articles about healthy eating, the benefits of pomegranates and family nutrition for numerous web sites.

On June 23, 2010, Ovrut will lead Achieve a Healthy Weight with Mindful Eating, a workshop that will instruct attendees in slow-down tips and techniques, as well as how to clue into one’s hunger cues. It will also educate attendees about how to put one’s food and fitness goals into action. On July 21, 2010, Choosing Foods for Weight Management will discuss which foods are best for weight control, and those that may sneakily sabotage one’s weight goals. Practical portion control tips, filling foods, snacking and meal ideas will also be covered. On August 25, 2010, at Eating Out, Quick Cooking & Exercise, Ovrut will discuss how to eat well while eating out. In addition, she’ll cover quick cooking and recipe ideas that are easy and healthful to make, and the grocery shopping that goes with it, as well as the food and fitness balance that is best for weight control.

Healthy Habits Kitchen regularly hosts workshops at their Kitchen as an extension of their mission to bring health information to people in the Metro West area. In addition, they create and sell healthy meal kits that contain everything that is needed to cook a nutritionally balanced meal easily in less than 30 minutes. The kits contain ingredients like pre-chopped vegetables and fruit, a protein, sauce and spices, depending upon the recipe. Individuals follow the directions on the box, making dinner entrees like Blue Cheese Burgers, Sweet Cider BBQ Chicken, Tropical Gazpacho Soup and Teriyaki Tuna Kebabs.

All workshops will take place from 7 – 8:30 pm at Healthy Habits Kitchen, which is located at 36 Washington Street, Suite 2 in Wellesley. The cost to attend is $20 per person per workshop or $50 per person for all three. Half of the fee will be redeemable towards meal kits purchased. RSVP is required by two days before each event. For more information or to RSVP, visit http://www.healthyhabitskitchen.com/events.htm or call 781. 235.6325.

Founded in 2007 and based in Wellesley, MA, Healthy Habits Kitchen creates affordable, nutritionist-approved meals that are ready to be cooked for a hot, healthy and restaurant-quality meal in minutes. It’s home cooking without the time-consuming chopping, meal planning and grocery shopping, and superior restaurant flavors without the high cost, caloric content and fat. The companies meal kits are created using locally sourced ingredients whenever and wherever possible. For more information, visit www.healthyhabitskitchen.com.

For two days this summer, the Red Sox Wives take over Fenway Park during the 17^th Annual Can & Cash Drive, a fundraiser for The Greater Boston Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and one of the largest food banks in the country. For two hours prior to game time through the first inning, volunteers from the Food Bank will collect 10 non-perishable food items or a $10 donation in exchange for an autographed photo of a Red Sox player, handed out by one of the Red Sox Wives. Since the Food Bank and the Wives will be stationed outside the gates, fans do not need a ticket to the game to participate in the fundraiser.  Donations will be collected from 5:00 pm until 7:30 pm on Friday, July 30 and from 2:00 pm until 4:30 pm on Saturday, July 31st.

Throughout the games on July 30 and July 31, the Fenway Park Jumbotron will broadcast facts about hunger in Massachusetts, provided by The Greater Boston Food Bank. In addition to the Red Sox Wives’ autographed photo tables, volunteers will also be on hand outside the park to collect donations. At the end of August, The Greater Boston Food Bank’s CEO Catherine D’Amato will sing the National Anthem before a game and accept the check for the total amount of money raised at Fenway Park during the Can & Cash Drive. In 2009, The Food Bank collected $25,961.85 (53,741 meals) and 5,550 pounds of food from Red Sox fans in just two days. Since its inception, the Can & Cash Drive has raised approximately $196,000 in cash donations and collected more than 150,000 pounds of food.  

This year, the Food Bank’s focus is on securing nutrient-rich foods, such as canned lean meats (tuna, salmon and chicken), peanut butter, canned or dry beans, canned or dry fruits and vegetables (diced tomatoes and spaghetti sauce), non-perishable whole grains (oatmeal, pasta and low-sugar/high-fiber cereal) and shelf-stable dairy products (evaporated or dry milk). A complete list of suggested foods can be found online at http://www.gbfb.org/donateFood/documents/BestFoodsToDonateToYourFoodDrive.pdf. 

The Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and one of the largest food banks in the country. On an annual basis, The Food Bank distributes more than 3 million pounds of food and grocery products to a network of nearly 600 member shelters, food pantries and soup kitchens, and feeds more than 394,000 people in nine eastern Massachusetts counties serving over 190 communities. The Food Bank benefits from the service of approximately 14,000 volunteers. 

Founded in 1981, The Greater Boston Food Bank is a member of Feeding America - the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. Due to increased demand from a sharp rise in the number of Massachusetts residents needing assistance, The Food Bank recently moved to a new, 117,000 square-foot, energy-efficient facility – the Yawkey Distribution Center. This new facility, which was designed by Tom Sieniewicz of Chan Krieger Sieniewicz, will allow The Food Bank to significantly increase its distribution over the next 15 years to eventually accommodate 50 million pounds of food and grocery products annually. 

For more information about The Greater Boston Food Bank, visit www.gbfb.org.