Enjoy the MomsRising.org Healthy Holiday Food blog carnival posts below, including my post about Soul Food Junkies, which premieres on PBS on January 14, 2013.  Join the conversation in the comment section and tell us: What is on your plate for the holidays?

Chinara Tate Lunchroom Drop In "As a mother, doctoral candidate in nutrition and the daughter of pescatarian parents, it’s not difficult to surmise how my proclivities toward unadulterated, organic, nutrient dense, hormone free food came about."

Julie Holbrook School Foods Don’t Have To Be Gross
"As the manager of a public school cafeteria, probably the biggest myth I encounter is that of the mushy and disgusting school food."

Monifa Bandele Talking Turkey on Junk Food In Schools "Lots of thought and effort go into the meals we serve at home and on holidays. And there is an equally serious and intense conversation happening right now about the profound impact that school foods have on the health of our children."

Elizabeth Brotherton Forget the Holidays. For Some Students, Unhealthy Snacks are Around All Year Long. "There’s a lot of talk about all the extra calories Americans consume during the holiday season, and for good reason. But what many people might not realize that many of our nation’s schools serve up unhealthy snacks all year long, and it’s having a big impact on the health of our young people."

Arwen Donahue A Farmer Navigates Heated Moms’ Meetings About School Lunches "As a small-scale organic farmer who believes in the grass-roots power of the local food movement, I find Michelle Obama’s food activism inspiring."

Amanda Ryan Bringing Food Back To The Kitchen "As a child, I always loved going to my best friend’s house because her parents would take us out to eat for every meal."

Nicole Presley A Simple Chile de Arbol Salsa “I started making this simple salsa many moons ago, as a fast tasty sauce for my tacos.”

Jasmine Hall “Al dente” Sweet Potatoes "In many African-American families, holiday meals include sweet potatoes or yams…and often they’re prepared simmering in butter, brown and white sugar, and possibly even marshmallows."

Natalia Carter Korean Pear Salad
"The salad I present to you today is ideal to accompany meals during the holidays."

Elisa Batista Savory Latino Meals Without the Meat
"Whenever I tell people that I cook only vegetarian food at home, their reaction mirrors my own 16 years ago when I first met my now husband."

Leon Johnson Building A Kitchen, Building Community "As a child the primary location of refuge, of passionate conversation and perfumed well-being was at, or occasionally under, the green Formica table my Mother kept scrupulously clean in the corner of her kitchen."

Antonio Diaz In Food We Trust
"There’s no doubt I’ve become incredibly passionate about the worlds of food and cooking."

Ericka Sanchez Lemon-Tomato Chicken Pasta "Some of the simplest and quickest meals are the best tasting."

Alison Crockett If you want to make holiday food healthier, add liquor and slap a European name on it... "The country is getting ready to enter prime food time: Christmas! Full of cakes, pies, meats, sauces, heartburn, heart disease, and obesity."

Diana Donlon Confessions of a Sneaky Baker"December and baking go together. When the temperature drops outside, it’s nice to be inside baking something that warms up the house and fills the air with inviting smells."

Juliet Sims Joining the Chorus: Food Marketing Policy “Failures” Still Attract New Advocates to the Cause "Every year, without fail, on talk shows, in magazines, and even among friends and family, the holidays provide fodder for the same lament: how are we to be healthy during a season that holds eating at its core?"

Byron Hurt The Holiday Season is Food Season!
"The food we eat is as critically important as the air we breathe."

Katy Farber No Recipe, Healthy, Veggie-Filled and Local Mac n Cheese
"Is there nothing kids love more than macaroni and cheese?"

adrienne maree brown From a Daughter
"Food has been the center of my family's time and conversation for as long as I can remember."

Veronica Gonzalez-Smith Mango, Jicama, and Cucumber Salad "The warm weather is a long ways away and there is nothing I enjoy more than frolicking in the sun and less time in the kitchen, at the hot stove or oven."

Vanessa Bell Food Traditions: Smashed Cauliflower and Potatoes "Start a new food tradition with your kids by adding cauliflower to the mash and you will be jump starting the nutrients. I promise it tastes just as good! And you won’t be stressed about the salad they refuse to eat because you’ll know they already got their veggies!"

Yoli Ouiya 6 Delicious and Healthy Side Dishes for the Holidays "Here is a round up of some of my favorite healthy holiday dishes to prepare that reserve the extra calories and deliver all the flavor."

Grace Hwang Lynch Losing the Sweet Tooth "This year, I hope to focus on enjoying the time we spend together in the kitchen and teaching my boys about cooking."

Dawn Undurraga Cooking With Winter's Bitter Bounty "A fresh, local, sustainably-raised tomato at the peak of summer can be a source of inspiration for a local eating habit. Unfortunately, winter's bounty doesn't have as many fans--although it should! The Brassicas and their bitter, cancer-preventing pungency, are particularly misunderstood. Here are some delicious recipes to keep an inspired local kitchen through the dark, cold weather meals ahead."

Carol Hazen Food Marketing to Children: What Can You Do? "Let’s face it, food marketing works. If it didn’t the food and beverage industry wouldn’t spend over $1.6 billion per year in the U.S. on marketing targeted to young people."

Vianney Rodriguez Quinoa Salad "Quinoa packs a powerful punch. The punch our body needs, craves and deserves. Weeks of working, family activities and living life to the fullest can leave us feeling a bit drained. So when I am in need of a boost I turn to Quinoa."

Manel Kappagoda Bringing Water Back To Schools "Have you checked out the water fountains at your kids’ school lately? See any like the ones you remember from your childhood? If so, are they in good working order? And how does the water taste?"

Tracy Fox, RD 2% Milk and Fruit-- this is a big deal! "We all have a role to play in helping shape the food environment where we work (or live or play or volunteer or pray). Gradual changes do make a difference."

Beth Bader Date with the Lunch Lady: New School Food Rules "When it comes to food, yes, I am a helicopter mom."

Jacqulyn Hamilton Making Room at the Table: Addressing Differences in Diet During the Holidays "Gathering with family and friends to celebrate and reconnect, the boding we do over food is rich with ritual and tradition. We look forward to getting together to do that thing and eat that dish. When one of us changes what and how we eat, the community is pushed to re-evaluate."

Laurie David and Kirstin Uhrenholdt of The Family Dinner, Seeds of Power "This is one of our favorite snacks! It's delicious, healthy and fun to make and eat!"

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