Blog Posts by Real Simple Magazine

Serves 2 | Hands-On Time: 20m | Total Time: 20m

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Ingredients

• 4 ounces penne (1 1/4 cups)
• 4 ounces green beans, halved crosswise (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup canned red or kidney beans, rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• kosher salt and black pepper

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the green beans during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and run under cold water to cool.
2. Toss the cooled pasta and green beans with the red beans, parsley, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Divide the salad between 2 containers and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Serves 4 | Hands-On Time: 25m | Total Time: 25m

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 4 thin pork cutlets (about 1 pound)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
• 1 bunch arugula, thick stems removed (about 4 cups)
• 1 apple, thinly sliced

1. Place the flour, eggs, and panko in separate shallow bowls. Season the pork with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Coat the pork in the flour, then in the eggs, and finally in the bread crumbs, pressing gently to help them adhere.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Meanwhile,

Five successful people, ranging from a noted psychologist to a legendary tastemaker, describe their most startling (and most revealing) blunders.
by Amanda Armstrong

1. Totally embarrass yourself.
After the publication of my book Reviving Ophelia, in 1994, I was invited to a prestigious party. I got all dressed up; I was so excited to make connections. I had a wonderful time and was elated as I was walking back to my car. Well, that is, until I felt something on the back of my skirt. While I had gotten dressed for the function, I had apparently sat on a stack of clean laundry, and a pair of underwear had affixed itself. I had spent the entire night that way! I was mortified, but at the end of the day, it just didn't matter. I went to other similar events after that, and as far as I could tell, that incident didn't change people's impression of me one little bit.

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Timeless Advice

Throughout your life, be sure to:

• Stick with a bone-friendly diet. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. Women should consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 400 to 800 I.U. (international units) of vitamin D a day. After menopause, they should consume more.
• Keep moving. Exercise may have a greater effect on bone strength than calcium consumption, according to recent research. The more impact, the better:

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Healthy number: Less than 120/80 mmHg.

Blood pressure refers to the force of blood against the walls of your arteries when your heart beats (systolic pressure, the top number) and during rests between beats (diastolic pressure, the bottom) and is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). "The lower yours is, the better," says Holly Thacker, M.D., director of the Center for Specialized Women's Health at the Cleveland Clinic. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is 140/90 mmHg or higher. Hypertension is called "the silent killer" because it often has no symptoms and, left untreated, can lead to stroke, heart disease, kidney damage, and vision and memory problems. (If your top number is between 120 and 139 and the lower is between 80 and 89, you have prehypertension, which also carries risks.)
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• What aging can bring: Forgetfulness, decline in mental agility, risk of Alzheimer's disease.

• What the research shows: "Doing things that hit both the left and right sides of the brain, like word puzzles plus mazes and visuals, has been proven to build brainpower," says Gary Small, M.D., director of the University of California at Los Angeles Center on Aging. Swedish researchers believe there's also a connection between physical activity and cognitive decline. Their study found that subjects who exercised at least 20 minutes two or more times a week at midlife reduced their risk of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia later by 60 percent. On the nutrition front, a study at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center showed that an essential omega-3 fatty acid counteracts the brain's production of neuron-damaging