Blog Posts by Tips on Healthy Living

Make the most of fall: Just place some fresh veggies in a pan and let your oven do the work for you. Brooke Parkhurst and James Briscione, authors of Just Married & Cooking: 200 Recipes for Living, Eating, and Entertaining Together, share their step-by-step method for no-fuss roasting (and less cleaning up).

Want to whip up a fast and healthful meal? It's as easy as chopping up some fresh veggies, tossing them with a few seasonings, and letting the oven do the rest.

So while your oven is working overtime-the superhigh temperature concentrating and creating new flavors-you might as well grab your Scrabble board and a bottle of Morellino di Scansano, because roasting is the most effective and flavorful cooking method that requires approximately zero attention.

Simple Roasting Rules

A little oil or butter helps the vegetables color. Never forget the kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Try to cut all the veggies into a similar size so they cook evenly, though it's okay toRead More »from Roasting Revealed: A No-Hassle Way to Eat Healthy

The best reason for finding extra hours in the day is to spend them with people who are important to us. Here, 9 simple ways to make it happen, from One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity, by Debbie Macomber, who spends her free time with husband Wayne.

Eliminate Time Wasters
• Television. Did you know that, on average, the American adult spends 2.5 hours a day watching television? Just think, cutting television viewing in half would add 5 percent more time to your day. Eliminating television altogether would potentially give you more than 10 percent more time.
• Internet and e-mail. If we want to invest in the people we care about, we need to analyze where we spend our time. If Internet and e-mail are consuming more time than the people in our family, it's time to take stock.
• Chores. The mundane tasks we do each day eat up huge chunks of time. By investing some time and research into improving productivity and cutting needless steps, we can recoup

Read More »from 9 Ways to Find More Spare Time

Everyone likes to save money, but a bit of planning ahead can save you dollars and time at the supermarket. Follow these simple suggestions from Sarah Kallio and Stacey Krastins, authors of The Stocked Kitchen: One Grocery List…Endless Recipes and never toss away unused food again.

-Always check for sales, but especially on the more expensive items. Whether we are out or not, we always check to see if frozen shrimp, canned lump crabmeat, and the other items on the list are on sale. We bring them home and, when appropriate, put them right in the freezer.

-If possible, buy canned goods by the case. They stay good, almost, forever. If you have the room to store them, it's much more economical to buy them in bulk. We love our warehouse retail chains for this!

-We recommend buying ingredients in the sizes suggested on the list. We have paid close attention, making sure sizes are usable and the least wasteful. We've erred on the side of opening more cans rather than having

Read More »from 6 Easy Tips to Make Grocery Shopping Easier

Need some ideas for preparing healthier meals at home? Learn which cooking methods can help you whittle away your waistline with tips from The DASH Diet for Hypertension: Lower Your Blood Pressure in 14 Days-Without Drugs, by Thomas Moore, M.D.

Microwave: Microwaving cooks foods faster than most other methods. You don't need to add fat to meat, poultry, or fish, and you use little water for vegetables. Micro-cooking is an excellent way to retain the vitamins and color in vegetables. Follow the manufacturer's directions for best results.

Steam: Steaming is a good method for cooking vegetables without using fat. Try this method for both frozen and fresh vegetables, including asparagus, broccoli, carrots, spinach, and summer squash. Use a vegetable steamer or colander to hold the vegetables and place it in a pot with a little boiling water. Cover and cook the vegetables until they are just tender to preserve their color and vitamins.

Braise: Braising is used mainly for

Read More »from Eat Smart with 9 Heart-Healthy Cooking Techniques

By Sian Beilock
Author of Choke

Close the gap between practice and competition. Meaning, practice under stress. This gets you used to the pressure so competition is not something you fear. Also, by understanding when pressure happens, you can create situations that will maximize the stress in your opponents (say if you are on the playing field). Interestingly, this practice doesn't have to mimic the exact pressures you will feel in a do or die situation. Even practicing under mild levels of stress (e.g., your friends and family watching you) can help you get used to the real pressure when it comes your way.

Don't dwell. Take that past performance and change how you think about it. See your failures as a chance to learn how to perform better in the future. There is research with Canadian National swimmers suggesting that dwelling on past failures can send the mind and body into a helpless state and, as a result, you are not able to get as motivated for subsequent

Read More »from 4 Tips for Performing under Pressure

When you're in college-or really, at any time in your life when you're thrown into a new environment or stressful situation-it can be difficult to eat well. Skinnygirl founder and reality star Bethenny Frankel shows how to make healthy choices without dieting or giving up your favorite foods. From A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life.

Turn the "freshman fifteen" (or the "midlife fifteen"?) into a myth with these three principles:

1. Stock that tiny little refrigerator and small kitchen of yours with fun yet healthy snacks. Some good ideas include:

• Handful of raw nuts and dried fruit
• Hummus or nut butter on whole-grain bread
• Frozen edamame (most supermarkets sell it now)
• Whole-grain pretzels with a small piece of cheese
• Sliced turkey with a bit of mustard (excellent high-protein snack)
• Natural meal bars (I'm not a fan of these in general, but there are a few great ones-choose the ones with ingredients that you can

Read More »from Bethenny Frankel on How to Avoid the Freshman 15

By Deborah Goldstein

Whatever your feelings about Levi Johnston, you can't argue that he never fails to bring the drama. Especially now. Johnston's new memoir Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs shares his side of the story. And as you might've guessed, his version varies just a smidge from estranged baby mama Bristol Palin's published account.

Johnston does more than kiss and tell in his new book-he drops the bomb that a teenaged Bristol wanted to get pregnant, in a fit of jealous over her mother's pregnancy in 2008.

Here, he describes her plan and shock over Sarah's pregnancy, allegedly hidden from the public for seven months.
"I'm the one," Bristol said, who should be having a baby. Not Sarah.
The Palin kids call their parents Todd and Sarah when things are tense.
Bristol looked at me. Let's get pregnant.
I'm not ready, I remember thinking. I'm just a kid.
I stopped stroking her hair."

On initially wooing Bristol:
"I'd

Read More »from Pillow Talk with Levi Johnston: Bristol's Pregnancy Was No Accident

It's hard to admit this, but soon, you'll need a warm coat. Start shopping now (before all the good ones are gone!) with this in mind: The ideal coat is a classic, fitted shape in a three-quarter length and neutral color, with flattering pockets and cuffs that land at the wrists. Learn 17 more coat-shopping tips from Wear This, Toss That! Hundreds of Fashion and Beauty Swaps That Save Your Looks, Save Your Budget & Save You Time, by style expert Amy E. Goodman.

KEEP

• A lapel that's face framing -- it should be the opposite of your face shape. If you have a heart-shaped or square face, consider a rounded lapel to soften your facial structure. If your face is round or oval, a defined lapel will complement with its angles

• A coat that allows for movement. Nothing should be tight, including the back, front, and rear

• A length that flatters your legs. If you have thick calves, go for a mid-calf length or longer, bisecting your trouble area

• Sleeves that

Read More »from 18 Shopping Tips for Finding the Perfect Fall Coat