The New Year is always full of possibilities. There are meals to be eaten, recipes to try and, of course, a slew of new food trends that will shape the way we eat and what food issues will be at the forefront of the news. Of all the trends that seemed to be pushing towards the forefront in recent months, these are some of those that look like they're about to have a breakout year.

Single Origin Chocolates - Dark chocolate was the hot item last year, but more companies, including Hershey's, are introducing and promoting single origin chocolates with cocoa beans from one country - or even one plantation - for their unique flavor profiles.

Healthy Soft Drinks - Jones Soda has eliminated high fructose corn syrup from their recipes. Enviga has been fairly successful so far, thanks to the large amount of publicity that it has received, and Diet Coke Plus will be coming to stores in a few months. Look for other soda companies to follow suit.

Healthy Food Labels - Hannaford supermarket introduced a labeling scheme of their own to direct shoppers to healthier foods and the traffic light system was a success in the UK. Don't be surprised to see more obvious messages about what is and is not good for you.

The freshman 15 may be a myth, but college students still face a lot of challenges when it comes to eating healthy. Greasy foods, especially pizzas, seem to be everywhere as clubs and other organizations try to lure students into their meetings. It is tempting, and myth or not, a student can still gain more weight than they would like if they don't watch what they eat. Just keep a couple of tips in mind and you should emerge from your freshman year no heavier than when you entered it.

• Low fat yogurt is a great food to keep in the mini fridge. Yogurts come in so many flavors that you're unlikely to get bored with them, and they can be mixed with fresh fruits or even some granola for a change of pace. Yogurts also frequently go on sale, so stock up by buying at those times.
• Trail mix, GORP or any other combination of nuts and dried fruits is a good snack to have around. The nuts are healthy and filling, while the fruits add a sweetness. A handful or two should put a stop to any candy-bar cravings you might have.

Don't spend all your time thinking about what you're going to barbecue for the 4th of July – what about dessert? After all, you're going to want more than just a beer to wash down all those hot dogs and potato chips when you are out with friends and family, waiting for the fireworks display to begin.

Anything with Jello – as one of the few foods that actually comes in the color blue, Jello is the perfect choice for making red, white and blue desserts, not to mention that it's always a kid favorite. Try a patriotic Jello pie, red white and blue terrine or an All-american trifle.

Shortcake – there is something classic about shortcake after a barbecue. You can use almost any fruit, but opt for strawberries, blueberries or raspberries on the 4th. For the cake, make a traditional biscuit base or just use a slice of pound cake. Try this recipe or this one.

Chocolate chip cookies – maybe the expression should have been "as American as chocolate chip cookies," because not only were these invented in the US, but they're a favorite with everyone. And you can't go wrong with the famous Tollhouse recipe, which started it all.

I recall once reading a book where the main character liked to choose unusual sundae toppings. She might have pineapple, butterscotch and whipped cream on top of two scoops of chocolate fudge and blueberry ice cream. Inevitably, the staff would cringe as she ordered, but I couldn't help but wonder if she was on top something. Is there a certain point at which more flavors just taste better? The number of ingredients is probably a matter of personal preference, and the ultimate sundae might even be defined by its price tag, but these are eight of our top sundae combinations and you won't go wrong with any of them:

A classic sundae starts with vanilla ice cream and is topped with hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, chopped nuts and a cherry. Don't forget to put some sauce on the bottom, too!

A peanut butter cup sundae should begin with chocolate ice cream, followed by swirls of softened peanut butter, lots of hot fudge and a topping of crushed Butterfingers, for added texture and crunch.

While the vegan lifestyle might not be entirely appealing to everyone, that doesn't make vegan food blogs any less appealing. In fact, the novelty of veganism to someone unfamiliar with it is precisely what makes a food blog about it worth reading - it gives the reader a taste of a different way of eating.

Some blogs just talk about food, but others go into great detail with recipes and general issues they encounter. I'm not talking about politics here (even though I won't deny it that it can come up from time to time), but about issues with food and eating that anyone can relate to. For example, Jennifer, of Vegan Lunchbox, is in a position that many parents find easy to relate to, as she prepares different (and hopefully both appealing and reasonably healthy) meals for her son's school lunches. Some bloggers mention struggling with weight loss and some just want to bake more cookies.

These are all great reads with great photography and, if you're interested, offer up some recipes that are worth trying - whether you're a vegan or not.

1. Vegan lunchbox: As I mentioned above, this chronicles the daily lunchboxes - as healthy, balanced, tasty and creative - as Jennifer can come up with for her son. She's also working on a cookbook and shares some good recipes.
2. Vegan Feast Kitchen: This site is a particular favorite of mine, since Bryanna Clark Grogan is a very talented chef who has shared many, many recipes over the years in her newsletter and in her cookbooks. Does vegan cooking sound easy enough to make "talented" sound like an understatement? Think again. She recently devised a vegan angel food cake.

Donuts, or perhaps doughnuts, are one of the most popular pastries in the world - not because people in remote corners of Africa or South America are trotting out to Dunkin' Donuts in the mornings for their fix, but because every culture has some sort of fried dough that they love to eat. Dip it in chocolate, roll it in sugar or fill it with jam, because however fried dough is served, people love it. It's not healthy, but it's tasty. To make those extra calories worth your while, we picked out eight of the best donut shops in the country. In no particular order:

1. The Doughnut Plant in New York is known for hand rolling, hand cutting and hand glazing their doughnuts with fresh, seasonal flavors, like Lime, Strawberry and Ginger.
2. Voodoo Doughnut in Portland has some of the most original donut names and flavors, like Dirt (raised doughnut covered with vanilla glaze and oreo cookies), Butter Fingering (Devils food, vanilla, and crushed Butterfinger) and, the Voodoo Doll Doughnut itself.
3. Baby Donut Company in Los Angeles offers an unbelievable number of combinations so you can create your own flavors with various fillings and toppings. The experience can be summed up in two words: s'mores donuts.
4. Mighty O Donuts in Seattle is as close to healthy as a real, fried donut can get because they're all natural, vegan and trans-fat free. Don't worry, they still taste amazing!
5. Round Rock Donuts in Round Rock, Texas taste exactly like high quality donuts should: fresh, light and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They're worth a trip out of your way  - and other bloggers agree!
6. Fractured Prune Donut Shoppe in Washington, DC is branching out into new areas, but keeping their specialty donut menu available to all, with combinations like Banana Bread and Trail Mix that are sure to keep customers coming back.
   And we couldn't forget:
7. Dunkin' Donuts doesn't need any introduction. 2.7 million customers in 30 countries can't be wrong, right?
8. Krispy Kreme may have financial problems, but their donuts are still good. They are best when they're fresh out of the fryer. If they're too sweet for you as is, try asking for the glaze on the side so you can dip it yourself!

Easter egg hunts are one of the very best things about Easter for kids. Not only is there the appeal of an outdoor game, but, more often than not, the eggs are edible. I'm partial to the school of thought that say Easter eggs should be brightly colored plastic with some sort of goodie inside - not hard boiled. Of course, it can be hard to choose candies to put inside the eggs. There are many factors to consider: where the eggs will be, how long they’ll be there, what the temperature is like. An indoor hunt gives you more options, as does a cool, morning egg hunt, but you'll have to worry about melting on a warm afternoon. Here are 8 of our favorite egg-hunt treats, plus a few tips to keep them in mint condition:

• Jelly Bellys or other jelly beans taste great and won't melt inside the egg. They also supply the additional bonus of making a pleasing rattling sound that gives kids the feeling they're hit the candy jackpot.

MSN's report on the Worst Foods to Eat got us to thinking about what our list might be. MSN has nothing on us here at Slashfood. While we think that living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is a great choice, unlike MSN “health” advisors, we don’t think it’s the only way to live. We put on our Slash Foodie un-scientifical research hats and here are our picks for 8 of the worst foods you can eat:

• Deep fried Snickers or Mars bars - This "snack" packs over 450 calories and about 30 grams of fat, and a king size will deliver more than 700 calories and 44 grams of fat. What's more disturbing is that some pubs plate them with a side of fries and call them lunch.
• Shelf stable “creamers” – Water, sugar or corn syrup solids and partially hydrogenated oils make up this shelf-stable faux cream. Need we say more?
• Pasteurized, processed cheese food - No, we don’t care how well they melt. These melty, spreadable, day-glo orange “cheeses” have to be labeled as “cheese food” because of the addition of preservatives and liquids. Yum.