Blog Posts by Oprah.com

Photo: ThinkstockBy Kate Rockwood

Picnics are underappreciated: less hassle and heat than grilling, but endlessly more fun than eating indoors. Yet if you're gluten-free, the classic menu--a potential danger zone of sandwiches, crackers, pasta salad, and cookies--can scream off limits. A picnic can be gluten-free, of course, if you find tasty alternatives to the old standbys. Here's what you'll find in my wicker basket this weekend:

RELATED: Should You Go Gluten-Free?

Udi's Sandwich Bread: Whether I'm craving cucumber-cream cheese or mounds of roast beef, I reach for Udi's, a durable rice-and-tapioca bread available in white or whole wheat. Unlike other options, it doesn't require toasting to hold up to messy fillings; you can eat it soft, straight from the loaf.

RELATED: Recipes from Oprah's Summer Get-Togethers

Tinkyada Pasta: Tinkyada's pasta-salad-perfect noodles (penne, shells, spirals) are made with brown rice and rice bran (fiber boost!), and stay incredibly chewy. One tip: The directions

Photo: ThinkstockBy Corrie Pikul

Nearly every woman in America has used some method of contraception at some point in her life (the nonpartisan Guttmacher Institute puts that number at 98 percent). But many women haven't been able to use them as consistently as they'd like, or as recommended. Consistent usage can be expensive: Brand-name versions of birth control pills, the patch or the ring can cost more than $60 a month if paid entirely out of pocket. The initial costs of an IUD (preferred by many couples who already have children) are even more intimidating: The medical exam, the IUD, the insertion of the device and the follow-up visits can range from $500 to $1,000.

RELATED: How to Talk to Your Doctor

Last week, the Institute of Medicine, a leading medical advisory panel, recommended that all insurers be required to cover FDA-approved contraceptives for women free of charge-that is, no co-pays or deductibles required. This is part of a set of eight empowering recommendations that also include

Photo: Fernando MilaniBy Jenny Bailly

Is your instinct to wear less makeup in the heat? Congratulations, your instinct is right! You can still look polished, though, with this pared-down routine from makeup artist Tracy Murphy.

RELATED: O's Summer Beauty Survival Handbook

To even out your complexion in summer, use a moisturizer with gradual self-tanner and SPF (like Jergens Natural Glow Healthy Complexion Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 20, $8.50).

RELATED: 8 New Skin-Saving Sunscreens

Minimize undereye circles and blemishes with a waterproof concealer, like Lancôme Effacernes ($30).

Powdery makeup and perspiration are not a pretty combination; swap your powder blush for a cheek stain (like Benefit ChaChaTint, $29).

RELATED: This Month's Best Beauty Buys

Eyeshadow can be ephemeral in the heat, so retire it until fall. Define your eyes with a waterproof liquid liner (like Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner, $23) and waterproof mascara (like NYC New York Color Show Time

It's been said that parenting is the toughest job in the world. Wrong. It's the second toughest: Stepparenting wins hands down. Right now, approximately half of all Americans live in a stepfamily, which means that every day, millions of women are subject to the taunt-sometimes mournful, often angry-"You're not my mother!"

RELATED: Widening the Circle of Family

I've been a stepmother three times. I know, from hard-won experience, that a great relationship with your stepkids is possible. And if you avoid certain trapdoors like the 4 verboten phrases here, you'll not only get along, but you'll never have to ask them to pick up their socks.

RELATED: 41 Ways to Have Fun With Your Family (in Under 2 Hours)

1. "Go ahead, call me Mom!"

You're not their mother, and you never will be. They're conflicted enough, and pushing them to use a mom-name will only confuse them more.

Corollary: "We're going to be one big, happy family!"

You might eventually become the happiest of stepfamilies, but it

Photo: Dan SaelingerBy Tova Gelfond

A staple in Asian diets since ancient times, seaweeds are among the healthiest foods on the planet, packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And now we know they're great for the waistline, too: A 2010 study found the algae can reduce our rate of fat absorption by 75 percent, thanks to its inhibitory effect on a digestive enzyme called lipase. (Scientists at Newcastle University are about to begin clinical trials on a "wonder bread" made with alginate fibers and designed to speed weight loss.) Here are four briny plants to sample, all available at Whole Foods or edenfoods.com.

RELATED: 25 Superfoods to Incorporate Into Your Diet Now

Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) Pappardella-like leaves with a salty-sweet zest

Nutrition Perks
Nutritionist Gillian McKeith, PhD, author of the You Are What You Eat Cookbook, calls wakame the woman's seaweed because it is loaded with osteoporosis-preventing calcium and magnesium and acts as a diuretic (which helps reduce bloating).

Photo: ThinkstockBy Leigh Newman

Men, I now believe, love a lot of things as much sex. They love doughnuts as much as sex. They love a solid night of sleep under a heavy down duvet. They love an hour in the bathroom with a newspaper with nobody banging on the door. They love when people buy them clothes one size bigger than they are emotionally ready to deal with, cut off the tags, and pretend the L's are M's.

RELATED: What Women Can Learn from Men

Now the British Telegraph tells me that, "Acts of affection like hugs ... were more important to men than women." Research by sociologists at the Kinsey Institute, the paper reported, confirmed that "men who said kissing and cuddling were a regular part of their relationship were on average three times happier than those who did not."

RELATED: What It Really Takes to Stay Happily Married

Even better, the 1,000 couples interviewed were aged 40 to 70 and had been in a relationship for an average of 25 years.

I find it uplifting that cuddling wins big in

Photo: ThinkstockTrue happiness comes when you do what you are most passionate about. Life coach Cheryl Richardson says that the clues are all around you.

Step One: Get Quiet.

For most people, the road to connecting with passion begins with practicing good self-care. This means slowing down, spending time with yourself, taking good care of your body and mind, nurturing your spirit, and engaging in activities that will move you out of your head and into your body.

Once you become passionate about your self-care, you'll know you're on the right track.

RELATED: Who Are You Meant to Be?

Step Two: Become Sensitive to Your Environment.

Once you're more connected to your feelings, you'll be ready to do a little exploring to discover the specific, personal things that best ignite your passions. Spend one week paying close attention to what excites you, touches you, inspires you to think in a whole new way, or even frustrates you. Watch for clues. Stories in newspapers, programs on television or

Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio DBy Adam Glassman

Q: Once and for all, who can wear cropped pants, and how do you do it right?

A: Capris, pedal pushers, high-waters-whatever you want to call them, pants that hit above the ankle tend to shorten your frame, which is why petites struggle with the look.

RELATED: The Right Way to Wear Shorts to Work

But women of any height can wear them by focusing on creating the longest line possible: Stick to plain, straight-leg versions, à la Jackie O., free of cuffs, bulky pockets, and other bells and whistles.

RELATED: 7 Rules for Wearing White Right

Add height with wedges or slingback heels, or try flats with elongating pointy toes. (If you prefer open-toes, keep your pedicure neutral.)

RELATED: Platform Sandals You Can Actually Walk In

Make sure your blouse falls below the waist, and add a blazer or belt in similar tones-short, boxy shirts and contrasting colors interrupt your silhouette.

From Left to Right: Pants, $70; express.com. Blazer, Express, $80, express.com. Blouse,