Blog Posts by The Editors of EatingWell Magazine

EatingWell's BBQ Chicken SandwichIt's depressing, but true: the American lunch "hour" has shrunk to just 25 minutes, according to a recent study. With less time than ever it's all too easy to turn to fast food or the vending machine when you're away from home.

Forget take-out for lunch and think take-in: bringing your own food to school or work or anytime you're on the go is a good way to make sure you get a healthy midday snack or meal that won't cost you extra cash.

Packing a power lunch doesn't have to be complicated either. Here's an easy idea:For a nutritious midday meal, have a green salad topped with sunflower seeds and marinated tofu, followed by a cup of low-fat yogurt mixed with berries for dessert. Tofu, yogurt and sunflower seeds all provide good amounts of magnesium, a mineral that helps keep bones strong.

Tasty and healthy, these 5 EatingWell recipes emphasize lots of delicious fresh produce, whole grains and lean protein to fuel you for the rest of your day so you won't feel deprived.

EatingWell's Middle Eastern Chickpea platterWhen I was a vegan college student trying to get enough protein and calories on a tight budget, almost every meal I whipped up started with beans-vegan chili, vegan burritos, vegan pasta and beans (you get the idea). Now that I'm a busy working mom and a more creative cook, I still embrace the convenience and healthfulness of canned beans.

I mash black beans with salsa for quick tostadas or toss chickpeas with pesto, artichoke hearts and whole-wheat spaghetti for a family-friendly pasta. I feel good knowing that beans are a high-quality source of protein and a good source of heart-healthy dietary fiber. A typical 1⁄2-cup serving provides about 7 grams of protein and up to 7 grams of fiber.

5 budget-friendly bean recipes:

1. Middle Eastern Chickpea Platter- This recipe combines the flavors of two Middle Eastern favorites-hummus and baba ganouj-in one easy dish. Serve it family-style, letting diners take their own favorite combination of ingredients. Serve with

You're mom didn't tell you, because she doesn't know, but your convenient plastic food containers and reusable water bottles might have a dark side. For years, I and many of my active-minded friends proudly drank out of the beaten-up Nalgene bottles, plastered with stickers, that I'd had since college. But after recent news reports about the safety of plastic, I started to wonder: can plastic containers transfer harmful compounds to foods and drinks? Read on and decide for yourself-and don't forget to tell your mom.

In particular, I was questioning the potential dangers of polycarbonate plastics-often found in reusable water bottles, clear plastic food-storage containers and some baby bottles. In the August issue of EatingWell, Karen Ansel, R.D., investigated the issue and came up with these four facts to help you decide for yourself (share them with your mom, too-she doesn't know about this either):

1. Polycarbonates contain bisphenol-A (BPA), an estrogenlike chemical also

White SangriaSummer entertaining is great-as long as you don't get stuck in a hot kitchen during your own party. Plan ahead so you can hang with your friends; this menu is loaded with lots of make-ahead dishes, so you can get a lot of the work done in advance and just put the finishing touches on the festive main dish as your guests arrive. This helpful menu planner will tell you what to do when.

First things first, you need a tasty cocktail. Offer this light, festive thirst quencher when your guests arrive.

White Sangria

Active time: 10 minutes | Total: 30 minutes | To make ahead: Prepare through Step 1, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Finish with Step 2 just before serving.

1 1/2 cups mixed colorful bite-size melon pieces, such as cantaloupe, honeydew, Ogen or Charentais
1/3 cup sugar
1 750-ml bottle crisp white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
1/4 cup brandy
2 tablespoons Triple Sec or other orange-flavored liqueur
3/4 cup sparkling

What foods can you count on to go the extra mile, and which foods fall short? See what recent studies reveal before your next workout.

1. A Spoonful of Honey
Recent research suggests that carb blends (foods containing fructose and glucose) may be superior to straight glucose for boosting energy during endurance activities. But before you reach for a sports drink, consider honey: like sugar, it naturally has equal parts fructose and glucose, but it also contains a handful of antioxidants and vitamins. Upshot: While not exactly a "super food," honey has plenty going for it besides being sweet. The darker the honey, the more disease-fighting compounds it contains. Use it in a recipe for on-the-go Peanut Energy Bars.

2. A Cup of Joe
Studies that demonstrate performance-enhancing benefits of caffeine often imply that drinking coffee will give you a boost. Not so, according to the latest research. Scientists put nine endurance runners through five trials after ingesting

The EatingWell TacoThe secret to crispy, healthy tacos.

Carolyn Casner, one of our recipe testers here in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, grew up on the border in El Paso, Texas, so she knows Mexican food. According to her, "the world's best tacos come from Julio's Café Corona, where my family and I always went after church. They're greasy, messy and delicious."

I visited Julio's when I was a kid (the Texas side of my family are also Julio's devotees) and I can attest that they make some pretty darned delicious tacos.

When Carolyn visits Texas, she always heads straight from the airport to Julio's. But when she's at home in Vermont, Carolyn, husband Jeb Wallace-Brodeur, a photojournalist, and son Aidan, 9, have their own easy homemade taco night on a regular basis.

For convenience Carolyn usually uses store-bought taco shells with an assortment of fillings like ground beef, refried beans, shredded cheese and lettuce, salsa and chopped onions. But if you're not careful a taco meal like

Purple traditionally symbolizes royalty; blue, trust. But in such foods as blueberries, plums, purple cabbage, black currants, eggplant and purple grapes, these hues represent a vision of good health. An analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES), a survey of eating and health habits, found that adults who eat purple and blue fruits and vegetables have reduced risk for both high blood pressure and low HDL cholesterol (the "good" kind); they are also less likely to be overweight. Scientists believe that anthocyanins, compounds that give purple foods their color, are responsible for these boons. These antioxidant compounds mop up free radicals and soothe inflammation. Currently, purple and blue foods make up only 3 percent of the average American's fruit and vegetable intake, so aim to eat more. And since different foods contain different anthocyanins, try to eat a range of purple and blue foods to benefit the most.

Start with dinner tonight

Whoopie PiesUntil I moved to Vermont, I had never heard of whoopie pies-a cream-filled cakey chocolate sandwich cookie originally from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They have a cultlike following in New England. At every roadside stop between here and Maine they are piled up in neat little stacks. And they're quite delicious…but often made with a filling of sugar-laced shortening. So they're not so stellar nutritionally.

We decided to makeover the classic whoopie pie and we had great success. Here's how a traditional whoopie pie stacks up against our madeover version:

Here are the secrets of how we made whoopie pies healthier:

• Replaced vegetable shortening with healthy canola oil and substituted nonfat