I hope your New Year is off to a great start and that you’ll join me every week for straight talk…about eating smart and taking care of yourself and your family.

Your straight talk tip for this week is to broaden your palate and try a couple of new food items or spices.

It’s a treat for your taste buds and varied selections pump up your diet with a greater variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other worthwhile nutrients.

2011 food and culinary predictions from Epicurious.com include:

• Food Halls

Chef Mario Batali recently opened a food hall in Manhattan called Eataly and Todd English created the Eurpoean-style food emporium at the Plaza Hotel’s Food Hall. Not limited to New York, no doubt this trend will become part of the culinary landscape in many US cities.

• Pop-Up Cafés

Pop-up Cafes…also known as food trucks are popping up all over. Why? In a crunched economy, the capital investment and resources needed for start up are minimal yet locations are plentiful and chefs have creative freedom. People relish the availability and reasonable cost.

• Macarons and Small Pies

Scoot over cupcakes. Epicurious.com predicts macarons are the next confectionary delight. Macarons are typically made with ground almonds or almond paste and come in a plethora of flavors.

Before you bite into that mouth-watering macaron, FoxNews.com reports in their top 10 foods to watch article that small pies will be the next ‘it’ dessert. I noticed this trend during the holidays…small pecan, pumpkin and blueberry pies that serve two or three people. Ok…some of you will tell me they’re individual pies.

What comes next may surprise you. In a time of meatless Mondays, locally grown and heirloom produce, how about an ultimate breakfast platter?

• Ultimate Breakfast Platter with scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, three pancakes with syrup, and a biscuit. All of this and topped off with 1310 calories, 72 grams of fat and a full day’s worth of sodium (2490 mg). Burger King and other fast foods are going the route of porking up their menus with more…more cheese, more bacon, and more desserts. LATimes.com reports that extra cash will also be needed to pay for these obscene portion sizes.

I’ve got to know what you think about this trend so post your comments.

ChicagoTribune.com listed among their trends the downsizing of portions so perhaps it’s the type of restaurant that will be downsizing versus obscene-sizing.

• Sweet Potatoes

Showing up on several food trend lists, the lowly sweet potato is gaining popularity. The sweet potato is a power food. Rich in fiber, beta-carotene and a list of other nutrients, it’s a simple quick fix in the micro when you’re time crunched. Sprinkled with cinnamon, a sweet potato is an easy side dish or snack.

• Local Somewhere (grown or sourced), Heritage, Artisanal or Heirloom: from tomatoes and fennel to pigs and cheese…this trend to know where your food comes from is hot and likely not to change.
• Food Aps: Progressivegrocer.com reports food aps as a growing trend as we look to social media for new aps and coupon sources.
• Nutritious Children’s Meals

FastCasual.com reporting on the National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot” survey of more than 1500 chefs finds that healthy meals for children are finally getting attention…both in restaurants and in schools.

Every December in the foodie world, there are speculations about upcoming food and culinary trends…new items you’ll find on restaurant menus, fresh trends in your grocery, and recipes that call for new or different ingredients. Weigh in and tell me what you think. You can post your comments on my blog or on Facebook.

If you want to read more about the trends, you’ll find the links to all the articles mentioned in this week’s blog or listen to this week’s podcast below.

Want more information? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast