Blog Posts by The Editors of EatingWell Magazine

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

What's the best part of Thanksgiving? The turkey? No way. It's the stuffing. And to think there was a time when I thought stuffing could only be made from a box! Don't get me wrong--boxed stuffing is good, but premade packages of stuffing are a real damper in the creativity department. (Not to mention they're loaded with sodium and other not-so-wholesome ingredients in the form of preservatives.)

Recipes to Try: Easy Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes

Homemade stuffing is ridiculously easy to make, but there are a few things you can do that would ruin a perfectly good stuffing. Here are a few mistakes to avoid when you're making stuffing from scratch, and tips to fix your stuffing.

Watch: How to Make Perfect Thanksgiving Stuffing

Mistake to Avoid #1: Cooking Your Stuffing in the Turkey
OK, so this tip really applies to any stuffing, but it's worth mentioning because it could destroy the potential to ever

By Wendy Ruopp, Managing Editor of EatingWell

We have an open-door policy when it comes to Thanksgiving: we welcome in anyone who turns up. Especially this year, when the wild fall weather has made travel planning difficult and unpredictable, chances are a lot more people will be staying closer to home. Their last-minute plans mean I'll want to cook a big turkey, to make sure we have enough. Chances are good that I'll go overboard (Thanksgiving math always trips me up--is it 20 ounces per person or 20 minutes per pound?) and that means leftovers.

Good--I love leftovers. They call for creativity and resourcefulness so it doesn't taste like you're eating the same thing night after night. Here are 5 dinner recipes that use leftover turkey in deliciously new, healthy ways.

Turkey Soup: My mom always ended Thanksgiving Day with a big pot of soup simmering on the back of the stove and I like to do that too. This year, try using your leftovers in this healthy recipe for Cream

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

I want to host Thanksgiving, but I'm not made of money. So instead of heading straight to the poor house after Turkey day, I'm going to shop savvy and save some serious dough on the big meal.

Here are a few tips to help save $150 on your Thanksgiving dinner:

Don't Miss: Budget-Friendly Thanksgiving Menu for $7 Per Person

1. Change the Day
Who says Thanksgiving has to be held on Thursday? There are plenty of advantages to celebrating it later in the week. From a financial standpoint, you can't beat the day-after sales. The most expensive part of Thanksgiving is the turkey, and once Thanksgiving is over, the grocery stores are ready to unload their extra birds for less. You may also find deals on other Thanksgiving supplies like canned pumpkin, cranberries and stuffing. And if you've got two sides of the family begging for your presence at their special dinner, you can keep everyone happy by attending one

By Wendy Ruopp, Managing Editor of EatingWell

An invitation to dinner is just about all the appetizer I need-I'm so happy to have someone feed me that I'm not fussy about what's on the menu. But if, when I arrive, there are little nibbles to start things off, it's a delightful bonus. Appetizers really take gatherings up a notch, showing an attention to detail I appreciate.

And hors d'oeuvres don't have to add a lot of time to your meal prep-here I've picked 5 no-cook appetizers that are practically ready in an instant. There's at least one thing these 5 easy appetizer recipes have in common: an instant (read: store-bought) foundation. The part you make rests on a tasty cracker, chip or toasted baguette you buy. Think of that box of fancy crackers as a lifeboat full of party-savers. You can top the crackers with just about anything and they'll keep the evening floating along.

Another great thing about these finger foods is that they won't break the bank: it's just a mini

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

I enjoy food WAY too much to always be on a diet. Instead of giving my eating habits an overhaul, I'm going to make small changes to what I'm already doing when I'm cooking to save more than 500 calories. Here are 5 little tricks that save calories at dinner.

Don't Miss: 10 Cooking Tips to Make Your Favorite Foods Healthier

1. Use a Nonstick Skillet
Cooking oil does a terrific job of preventing foods from sticking to the pan. It also does a terrific job at making your pants not fit. So in order to use less of it, consider using a nonstick pan. The smooth nonporous surface makes it harder for foods to stick and burn. You only need a tablespoon of oil to brown chicken in a nonstick pan, as in our low-cal Quick Coq au Vin recipe (see below). Just one small word of caution: nonstick pans get their nonstickness from perfluorocarbons (PFCs), chemicals that are linked to liver damage and developmental problems. But who

By Matthew Thompson, Associate Food Editor for EatingWell Magazine

For years, one of my favorite go-to quick-dinner tricks has been to grab a bag of pizza dough from the freezer aisle of my supermarket, a jar of marinara sauce, some cheese and a few veggies and whip up a delicious, homemade pizza.

But for all my years of using this easy freezer item (some supermarkets carry thawed dough with their specialty items instead), I was really surprised by all the other things you could make with whole-wheat pizza dough when the EatingWell Test Kitchen decided to devote a story to it in our September/October issue. It turns out that this item is surprisingly versatile--usable for everything from pies to sandwiches to "Hot Pocket"-style meals. It's truly the secret weapon of your freezer aisle. Check out these tasty meals you can make with it:

Salami & Spinach Stromboli--Traditional stromboli recipes are stuffed with tons of mozzarella cheese and Italian cured meats. In this healthy

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

You probably already know that tea is an incredibly healthy beverage. In fact, studies show that if you drink tea regularly, you may reduce your risk of Alzheimer's and diabetes, plus have healthier teeth and gums and stronger bones. But not everything you've heard about tea is true. Here are 5 myths about tea busted:

Must-Read: Health Benefits of Tea, Plus Buying and Steeping Tips

Myth 1: Adding milk to tea negates the health benefits. Although some studies have suggested adding milk to tea undoes its heart-healthy benefits, recent research says that's not necessarily the case... roughly the same amount of catechins (antioxidants linked with a reduced risk of some cancers) were absorbed from milk-tinged tea as from plain black tea, according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Myth 2: Peppermint tea is a good choice for tummy troubles. While a cup

By Wendy Ruopp, Managing Editor of EatingWell

On a late-fall afternoon, as the little light of the day leaks out through the darkening clouds, one of my favorite things to do is to warm things up inside by baking. When my kids were little it was one of those activities that made me feel like a good mom (especially when I reminded myself not to freak out about flour showers and random bits of eggshell). When I have apples (or pumpkin, squash, zucchini, bananas…) lingering on the counter, I am inspired to bake.

But how often have you been in the mood to bake a loaf of quick bread or batch of muffins, only to be stopped in your tracks by the multiple sticks of butter called for in many recipes? What's the point of taking one of the healthiest foods of the season so suited for muffinhood and turning it into a saturated-fat delivery vehicle? I've found some EatingWell recipes to avert that kind of fate for your fall fruits and veggies, so you can really enjoy baking up healthier