Christina

Christina Pirello, host of the Emmy®-winning Christina Cooks, brings a fresh series to Create about eating right and feeling great. Christina captures the experience of attending a live cooking event with an internationally acclaimed authority on natural and whole foods. Each episode opens at one of Christina's cooking classes, where the vivacious chef delivers powerful messages about the impact of food choices on overall health and well-being. Then, Christina prepares a delicious, perfectly seasoned vegan meal. Dishes include: light-as-air ravioli filled with creamy sweet peas, corn chowder, a spicy penne fra diavolo and holiday cookies. She coaxes flavors from each and every ingredient, making each bite both wholesome and satisfying.

Distributed by: American Public Television (APT)
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Show Schedule
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Eating Well for Life

Episode #101 · If you think it's a diet, you'll fail. But if you think of eating well for life, it becomes a part of how you live and who you are. Eating well is required for your body to function at its best. And did I mention that it's also the most delicious culinary adventure?

Time to Get Happy

Episode #102 · Not much makes us as happy as food, but can indulgences that tickle our fancy be healthy for us? With luscious cuisine as our inspiration, it surely can, especially when quinoa and tempeh are on the menu.

Cook Your Way to Health

Episode #103 · Is it possible? Can we cook to create joy? Well, if junk food makes us feel bloated and lethargic, depressed and fat, it only makes sense that healthy natural food would make us feel happy, contented and vital. And just thinking about hot fudge sundaes should take the sting out of healthy eating.

Trick Or Treat

Episode #104 · It's that time of year when the air is crisp and little goblins and grown up ghosts want to indulge their sweet tooth. In this class, we'll discover ways to trick your own little monsters into treating themselves to healthy sweets, from chocolate to candied apples...with a little fun magic as well!

Lighten Up....It's Only Your Health

Episode #105 · If men's waists exceed 40 inches and women exceed 35, they are in trouble with their risk of heart-related illnesses rising with each expanding inch. Plus guts hanging over your belt just ain't pretty. And you're missing out on what's going on with your toes! Foods that can slim your waist and improve your health can be delicious when you're scrambling chickpeas.

Feel Great Feast

Episode #106 · Eating well is not grim or deprived, but delicious and satisfying... if you know how to coax the flavors from each and every fresh ingredient. And when you eat whole, unprocessed, seasonal food, you feel...and look your best because your body is being nourished by the best fuel you can feed it, like light as air ravioli filled with creamy sweet peas.

With Gratitude

Episode #107 · It's time to count our blessings and celebrate with our loved ones gathered around us. But in a season dedicated to stuffing something, it need not be you! In this class, we'll create a feast that will win hearts and minds...and waistlines, making us all grateful we don't have to spend additional time on the treadmill to un-do the damage.

Italian Light

Episode #108 · Think you can't lose weight and enjoy an Italian feast? Sophia Loren famously said she owed her great looks to pasta and olive oil. The natural deliciousness of Italian cuisine can help you achieve the body of your dreams with its great balance of carbs, protein and fat. And with delicious dishes like Penne fra Diavolo, dieting has never been so yummy.

Skip The Junk Food....Feel The Joy

Episode #109 · They call it junk food because it's just that...junk. Completely unfit for human consumption, most of what we eat is robbing us of our health. Fresh corn chowder and a crunchy kale salad will make you feel so strong and vital that you'll forget junk food was ever appealing to you!

Wake Up and Smell The Toast

Episode #110 · It's time, people. Enough excuses; enough procrastinating. It's time to take control of your health by controlling what you put in your mouth. Healthy food is delicious, satisfying and gives you the energy you need to get through the day. Get started with familiar foods that promote health and well-being.

Your Holiday Survival

Episode #111 · Baking cookies for Santa, the cookie swap, the holiday feast; parties, tree trimming, candle-lit feasts celebrating light...and the New Year. How do we celebrate and not lose our health or gain ten pounds? Stick with me. We'll create festive dishes, healthy versions of classic cookies and toast the New Year in style.

Gut Busters

Episode #112 · Bust out of your rut and get healthy, already. You're tired of talking about it and most of your friends are tired of hearing about it. In this class, we'll get your feet on the path to wellness with some tips and tricks that will have you dancing in the streets...and some yummy Italian dishes to keep you satisfied.

Light Dishes for Life

Episode #113 · Wow, have we lost sight of what a proper portion looks like! Most restaurant meals could feed a small country! No wonder we're too heavy! How could we possibly avoid it? In this class, we'll look at portion sizes and cook to create perfectly seasoned food that is so satisfying, a few bites do the trick.

Making Over Your Life…

Episode #114 · …begins in the kitchen. But what about all the foods you love? What about comfort foods? Are you to jump into healthy eating with both feet, leaving behind all that you adore? Nope…you just have to understand how to make your family faves healthier. Join Christina to learn tips, tricks and techniques to adapt just about any recipe.

The Big Game…Winning Recipes

Episode #115 · All eyes are on the big game and while visions of tailgate parties dance in most men’s heads, the rest of us worry about the fat, calories, salt and chemicals that come as part of the food we love to enjoy as we watch our favorite teams play to victory. In this class, we’ll create healthy versions of classic tailgate and football party foods to delight your guests.

The Sicilian Kitchen

Episode #116 · Sicily is Italy with magic dust sprinkled on it. The simplicity of life; the rough terrain; the history are just part of what makes Sicily so special. And the food! Simple ingredient are transformed into sublimely familiar dishes we all know and love. In this show, I’ll share some of the secrets to great Southern Italian food and some of my favorite Auntie Pina stories.

Soy Vey

Episode #117 · Is soy good for us? Bad? Will soy make you healthy or is it bad for our health? How much should we eat? Will I get enough protein from soy? What about GMO’s (genetically modified organisms)? These and other burning questions will be answered for you when we place the focus on that wonder food…soy.

Tofu, with Love

Episode #118 · One of the most disliked foods; humble tofu is pretty much the Clark Kent of food. But seasoned and cooked properly, this powerhouse of nutrition turns into Superman and rescues you from poor health, lethargy and boring food.

Could Your Heart Attack You?

Episode #119 · The number one killer of men and women, heart disease is no laughing matter. And most of is completely preventable. What you choose to eat, day to day, determines the health of your precious heart. Keep it ticking by making healthier choices and I'll show you how.

The Sweetness of Life

Episode #120 · With the average American eating 49 pounds of sugar a year and 63 pounds of high fructose corn syrup, I'd say we're losing the battle with our sweet tooth...and the incidence of diabetes is the evidence, along with our rapidly expanding waistlines. In this show, I'll satisfy your desire for sweet without risking your health.

The Beat Goes On....

Episode #121 · ...if you make food choices that result in a healthy heart. Almost completely preventable and reversible, heart disease is one illness we need to put on ice. And it's so easy. You can cook your way to a healthy heart...with whole grains, beans and veggies...deliciously.

Fat and You

Episode #122 · It ain't fat that's making you fat...it's the kind of fat you're eating. But before you go on an onion ring binge, hang on. How you use fat in your diet can either land on your hips or support your body in all the hard work it does each and every day. Join me to get the skinny on fat.

How Sweet It Is

Episode #123 · Ah, sugar. How do we love thee? Let me count the ways. And how do you love us back? With obesity, lack of focus, Type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides and more. Are we to live a bitter life with no sweet seductions? Of course not. We'll discuss sweet alternatives to sugar, balancing our bodies so sweets are lovely treats, but not craved addictions and how to cook to satisfy our needy sweet tooth.

Sweet Seductions

Episode #124 · We all love dessert, but we all hate the toll it can take on our heath and waistlines. What if I told you that you could have your cake (or cookies, pie, cupcakes, cheesecake) and eat it, too? You can with just a little tweaking of ingredients. Join me as we surrender to sweets...in a healthy and delicious way.

Ramp Up

Episode #125 · Tired of being tired? Are you just 'over' dragging your sorry self around all day complaining about how beat you are? Then start eating well and giving your body the fuel it needs to get pumped and keep on going. It's easy and delicious. You'll have so much energy, you won't recognize yourself.

Calling All Chocoholics

Episode #126 · They call it the food of the gods. It's silky, sensual and inspires passion. Women will run you over for it. People moan with delight as its creamy smoothness slides over their tongues. It's chocolate, of course. But is it healthy? There's a lot of evidence that says it is.. .so let's see how we can make this sexiest of foods a part of a healthy diet.