Should I do a cooking class with healthy items ? if so what should I make? (our seminar room has a fridge, ovens,stoves etc).
Should I talk abotu grocery shopping? low cal options? menu planning? healthy meals for families?
Or any other suggestions?
My clients are ALL women, mainly middle aged , who are trying to lose weight. Any help would be great!!
Yeah, I think maybe 2 quick recipes and a grocery list would be great!!!!
I would focus as much as you can on how to make good choices. Perhaps go into some of the foods that "add up" more than most people realize, like cheese, dressing on salad, etc. And talk about how they can make substitutions to make recipes they already know healthier so they don't feel like they have to give up all their favorite things to lose weight.
I think teaching them more of the basics that beginning dieters don't always know will help them more than just giving them two recipes and a grocery list, because once they've made those two recipes, they need to know how to continue a healthy lifestyle. A lot of people seem to panic if they aren't told exactly what to do, so you can try to help them avoid that.
Also, talk about proper portion sizes, and give them examples like a serving of meat is the size of your palm, etc.
In terms of what to cook, you could do one meal where everything is separate per se, like a baked chicken breast, some steamed broccoli and other veggies, and some brown rice. That way they could see what a balanced plate looks like with half veggies, 1/4 meat and 1/4 starch. Then in addition you could do something like a taco salad or soup or something where all the different food groups are in there together instead of portioned separately just to give them different ideas and teach them about variety.
I think you should start with something really basic - like how many calories should be eaten, what the content of those calories should be, how to read a label at the grocery store. Only take 10 minutes to do this so you don't bore those who know! It might be fun/interesting to talk about easy ways to make recipes healthier via substitution and/or elimination.
You should totally focus on cooking with healthy items that the whole family can love and enjoy because it sounds like these days people are having a very hard time converting their families to a healthier lifestyle... Making Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Lean Meat, etc more exciting and teaching others the secrets would be great!
* While cooking these foods though you should explain why each ingredient is healthy!
I think a topic about choosing nutrient-rich foods would be good. People often are so interested in getting a food for each nutrient group, but overlook that you can "kill two birds with one stone" with some foods. (dairy provides protein and calcium, beans provide fiber, protein and carbs, etc)
I agree with the portion size idea, and perhaps you could also actually SHOW them the portion sizes of foods. I find it is always so much more helpful when yo can see the portion sizes in the flesh.
Also, I think you could include a section on eating healthily on a restricted buget. Perhaps you could show them examples of healthy, balanced meals for under say $6. It seems that everywhere we turn, organic, expensive food is being promoted as 'the best', you could emphasise that good 'ole cabbage etc. is still just as healthy!
Good luck!
I have followed the theory that you won't eat many that are not healthy if you have no unhealthy foods to eat in the house. If you have your refridgerator and pantry stocked with delicious nutricious food, that's what you will eat.
A sopping list of staples amd spices might be a good place to start. You still have to control your portions but, for me, its easier with the right food.
I'd suggest portion sizing. 1/2 the plate veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 whole grains and a piece of fruit. Maybe go into quick and easy ways to prepare various version.
You could also throw in some tips on how to make healthy choices when eating out.
Recipes in Cooking Light Magazine I find are fantastic. Some recipes ask for a lot of ingredients and other recipes don't, but all the recipes are so good. I recommend going to the bookstore and looking into there annual cookbook for ideas. I got a lot of recipes at the library when they had a collection of Cooking Light magazines there. But you would have to be pretty lucky if your library had the subscription. As for the magazine the "quick meals" are usually located in the back, there is also a index in the very back, and all there recipes have calories, fat, etc. Their website, cookinglight.com, is handy but the recipes are now on recipes.com (i think) which mixes recipes from other magazines that may not be so healthy. Good luck on your seminar. I hope that helps.
Demonstrating a stir fry in an inexpensive non-stick wok could be really helpful-- it changed everything for me! 
Frozen veggie mixes are handy, and offer lots of variety... 
Then the lean meat can be a lot of different kinds as well... Lean beef, chicken, pork, fish all work... A favorite option for me was to use eggs or an egg substitute sometimes... 
And the boca-type products even allow vegetarian versions for your class to use for themselves or vegetarian company...
Oils can be discussed-- healthy or not, and spray works good for me... I also use a low-fat technique of caramelizing? This is where I cook my stir fry longer, till it starts a brownish state, then add water and cook it back out... very rich flavor that way! Not as healthy due to longer cooking, but it IS tasty, lol! 
Seasonings can be very interesting, and make it different while basically simple, healthy, (or not! if they want it unhealthy, lol!), and convenient for busy lives today-- the non-stick wok is very easy to clean, and doesn't require oiling to prevent rusting, too!!!!
Maybe this could assist you with ideas...
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