Blog Posts by The Editors of EatingWell Magazine

By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D. Associate Nutrition Editor for EatingWell Magazine

Struggling to keep your weight in check? As a registered dietitian and associate nutrition editor of EatingWell Magazine, I know there are several diet-derailing habits that can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Find out if any of these are trumping your best efforts and learn how to get back on track.

1. Bad Habit to Break: Keeping Tempting Foods Around
It's hard to resist temptation when it's staring you in the face. When office workers were given candies in clear dishes to place on their desks, they helped themselves to candy 71 percent more often than a similar group that was given the same candy in opaque dishes so that the candy wasn't visible, according to research by Brian Wansink, Ph.D., director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in Ithaca, New York. "We're all on the 'see-food' diet," he says, "so don't let yourself see what you don't want to eat." Do yourself a

By Emily McKenna, Recipe Developer & Tester for EatingWell Magazine

I love the grassy, sweet taste of artichokes-the bud of a flower in the thistle family. But when I first started cooking, artichokes intimidated me.

I finally confronted my artichoke phobia when I got my first restaurant job. I needed to learn how to prep and cook artichokes-and fast. Needless to say, I served plenty of creamy artichoke soup in those early days as I was figuring out how to cook these delicate spring vegetables. I finally know how, and there really is nothing to it. I promise.

Here are my foolproof steps for preparing and trimming an artichoke, plus my favorite recipes for cooking them-grilled, braised and stuffed.

1. Using a sharp knife, trim the top 1/2 inch off of the artichoke.

2. Trim 1/2 to 1 inch from the stem end, and if the stem is fibrous, peel it with a vegetable peeler.

3. Remove the small, tough outer layer(s) of leaves from the stem end and snip all remaining

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

Everyone has a favorite comfort food. Mine is creamy chicken and broccoli casserole. It's a warming dish of ooey-gooey melted cheese, creamy sauce, noodles and chicken, with some broccoli thrown in for good measure. It's simple and delicious, but unfortunately the classic recipe is not very healthy.

Recipes to Try: 18 Healthy Spring Casserole Recipes

That's why I was thrilled when we got the chance to create a healthier version of this masterpiece in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Our lighter recipe trimmed 100 calories and 9 grams of fat per serving from the original. And even better, it's super-easy. This recipe is made in one skillet, mostly on the stovetop (with just a few minutes of broiling at the end) and it only takes 25 minutes of prep time.

Here's how the EatingWell Test Kitchen created a lighter, but still delicious stovetop Chicken & Broccoli Casserole:

1. Skip canned soup
The secret ingredient

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D., Nutrition Editor, EatingWell Magazine

A recent government study said more than half of all Americans take dietary supplements, which in my opinion is surprisingly high, considering these pills and powders aren't regulated like drugs but like foods.

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 defined "dietary supplement" (to include vitamins, minerals, botanicals and other ingredients) and ruled that supplements would be regulated like foods. This exempted companies from having to prove the safety or efficacy of their products-entirely reasonable, given that the nutrients come from natural foods, say advocates. The law also permitted supplement makers to use several kinds of marketing claims (some that don't require FDA approval), including structure/function statements, which describe how a nutrient is intended to affect the body.

Related: The Surprisingly Short Nutritional Shelf Life of 4 Kitchen Staples

Allowing

By Emily McKenna, Recipe Developer & Tester for EatingWell Magazine

While I do not eat bacon often, I happily enjoy it every once in a while with a stack of pancakes or in a Cobb salad. Unfortunately a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that eating red meat, including processed meats like bacon, can lead to increased risk of cancer and heart disease. Processed meats, in particular, were called out in the study for their high levels of saturated fat, sodium and nitrites.

Don't Miss: The Bacon Calculator: How Many Slices of Bacon Does Your Dinner Equal?

While I won't be giving up bacon for good (sorry, Harvard), I will definitely be eating it smarter. Here are my tips for healthier ways to cook with bacon that won't wreck your diet-and are better for your heart health.

1. Only Use a Little: Since bacon packs a lot of flavor, a little goes a long way. With this in mind, I add a little bit of bacon (about two ounces for every four people I am

By Emily McKenna, Recipe Developer & Tester for EatingWell Magazine

This year, my husband and I are having Easter at our house. With parents six hours away by car, we're cooking our first official holiday meal as newlyweds with just a few relatives joining us at the table.

Here's our menu: ham with spicy horseradish mustard, glazed carrots with rosemary, green beans and potatoes au gratin. Of course, as is usually the case with Easter ham, we'll have more than we, plus a couple relatives, can eat-even after all the bites of ham we'll sneak to our puppy Lou under the table!

Here are 5 delicious ham recipes-for soups, salads and eggs with ham, of course- that I'm going to make with all my leftover Easter ham.

Green Eggs & Ham Frittata: Forget Sam I Am, I do like my eggs with ham. To me, ham's salty, smoky qualities are the perfect match for soft, buttery eggs. While you could just put chopped ham into your omelet, why not go all out, Dr. Seuss style, and make our Green

By Matthew Thompson, Associate Food Editor for EatingWell Magazine

It was egg salad that made me fall in love with hard-boiled eggs. Prior to that, I'd always seen those perfect ovals of white as a missed opportunity for an omelet. Sure, I loved dyeing Easter eggs, but eating them? No thanks.

When I finally tried an egg salad sandwich for the first time, I fell in love. The delicate texture of whites and creamy yolks mixed with mayo and served on dark, crusty bread is pure comfort. Now they're a favorite for me: a deli-counter go-to and a day-after-Easter indulgence to look forward to.

Hard-Boil Your Eggs Right: 4 Secrets to Perfectly Boiled Eggs

Of course, traditional egg salad isn't exactly the healthiest meal. Combining multiple eggs, salt and mayo on the aforementioned crusty bread is rich in calories. One of those deli egg salad sandwiches I love so much can have 600 calories or more and 6 grams of saturated fat. Yikes!

That's why I enjoyed working on a

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

For some, the highlight of Easter is the ham. For others, maybe asparagus or dessert. But for me, it's the copious amount of hard-boiled eggs I'm left with after the holiday has passed. I love them, and I want them to be perfect.

Recipes to Try: Our Best Easter Recipes

Hard-boiled eggs seem simple, but they're one of the hardest things to cook-or to cook right, anyway. I know it sounds hard to believe, but they're ridiculously easy to screw up. Think about the last hard-boiled egg you had. Chances are it wasn't perfect. Maybe it had a rubbery texture. Maybe the yolk was a little green around the edges or the egg white was filled with pockmarks from the shell sticking to the surface of the white when it was peeled. Maybe it broke open while it was cooking. Maybe it smelled like sulfur. You probably ate it anyway-it's not the end of the world-but a perfectly cooked hard-boiled egg is a treat. How do you avoid