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.