Does the week-old zucchini at the back of your fridge have the nutritional value of cardboard? If you are inclined to toss it into the garbage, you might want to reconsider. According to nutrition expert Lora Brown of Brigham Young University, refrigeration vastly improves the shelf life of most fruits and vegetables, and the loss of nutrients usually coincides with visible spoilage. "If you have to take it out of the fridge on a gurney, then throw it away," Brown told Yahoo! Shine. "But if the taste, color, and texture are good, the nutrient content will still be relatively high."

Related link: Nine fast, healthy breakfast ideas

Unless you are buying all your food straight from the farm, it is impossible to know how it was processed or how long it took to get to the supermarket. "Fresh" produce might be in transit for more than a week and then sit on the store shelf for days. For oils, nuts, and dry goods, it could be months or years before an item reaches your pantry.

Photo: ThinkstockBy Corrie Pikul

There are nutritious snacks at a holiday party, and there are foods that only seem nutritious. We sort the naughty from the nice.

Cheese

At every party you attend this year, there will be cheese. And around every cheese plate, there will be guests who don't realize how much of it they're eating. Tracy Gensler, a Best Life nutritionist, says this is one of the most common party mistakes she sees. An 80-calorie portion of cubes, slices or a spread is only about the size of two AA batteries, she says, and most people eat three to five times that amount (in case you're wondering, the calcium benefits are outweighed by the high fat content). The truth is, Gensler says, a once-a-year splurge probably isn't going to cause too much damage. But given the number of parties you'll attend this year at the homes of fromagophile hosts, it's best to be Cheddar-aware.

RELATED: Ways to Avoid Stress Eating During the Holidays

Photo: ThinkstockVegetable Platters

We park ourselves

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

How to make healthier holiday cookiesWhen the holiday season rolls around I eagerly break out my mixer and rolling pin and pump out tons of cookies. They're not just for me-I send them all over the country to my friends and relatives as gifts.
Recipes to try: Our Top Prize-Winning Holiday Cookies

But this whole baking extravaganza means that before they hit the post office I have tons of cookies lingering around my house. Since I care about my family's health (and my own), I've gotten savvier about making cookies that are better for you. Here are some tricks of the trade for making healthier Christmas cookies:

Tip 1: Cut Back on Butter
Butter is a popular ingredient when it comes to cookies, but we all know by now that it's loaded with saturated fat. There's no need to get rid of it entirely, but it is a good idea to keep it in check. Try substituting canola oil for at least some of the butter in your recipe or try recipes that call for fat

Diane FieldsBon Appetit

Good guests bring great gifts. Whip up a batch of these delicious homemade treats before you head out the door.

1. Almond Bark with Sea Salt
We like the rich flavor and look of Marcona almonds in this bark, but roasted almonds work nicely, too.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups roasted Marcona almonds (not in oil)
• 1 pound good-quality dark chocolate (62%-70% cacao), finely chopped
• Coarse sea salt (for sprinkling)

Preparation

• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or foil. Combine sugar with 2 Tbsp. water in a small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is dark amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Immediately add butter; whisk until melted. Add almonds; stir until well coated. Transfer to baking sheet, spreading

Red or white is typically the first question you'll be asked when you're about to order wine. As the category has improved and shifted from gauche to trendy, rosé even now gets thrown in as an option. But there's a fourth option you may have heard about. Hipster sommeliers around the country are putting orange wines on their lists. Be forewarned: these aren't the easiest bottles to find. And they rarely come cheap.

Related: Six Ways to Drink Wine Smarter

"Orange wine" is something of a misnomer, which is why it can be difficult to unearth. The term gets tossed around by wine geeks, but if you're looking for such a wine at your local bottle shop, you should be searching the whites section. Orange wine actually refers to white wine that has been aged for a period longer that normal on grape skins, seeds and stems, which are where the tannins live. The result is a wine with a coppery color and a tannic character. Think of it as white wine for red wine lovers.

Orange wine is something of a misnomer, which is why it can be difficult to unearth
There are

Kemp Minifie, Gourmet Live

There's no better gift than a homemade one, and with cookie swaps on the horizon, tis the season to rev yourself up for holiday baking. Cookies should be an enjoyable project, not cause for tearing your hair out. Here then, fresh from my own recent experiences, are five tips to keep you sane:

1. Roll out Your Dough Between Sheets of Wax Paper, Not Parchment
Wax paper peels easily off the top of the dough; then cut out the cookies and they'll peel right off the bottom sheet. Not true with parchment paper; no matter how cold the dough is, it clings.

2. Chill, Baby, Chill
The secret to neat and tidy edges? Chill the dough before and after you cut out shapes, and whenever it gets soft. Just pop the dough, supported on a baking sheet, into the freezer for 10 minutes to firm it up.

Related: Best Holiday Cookie Recipes

3. Metal Cup Measures Do Double Duty
When pressing dough into a pan for bars, use the smooth bottom of metal cup measures to pack it into an even

1. SECRET INGREDIENT: sour cream in chocolate cookies
Sour cream gives the cookies an irresistibly soft and tender crumb. Chocolate chips, chocolate sprinkles, and cocoa powder create a triple shot of chocolate flavor. Get the Triple Chocolate Cookies recipe.

2. SECRET INGREDIENT: peanut butter in chocolate chip cookies
Some people like oatmeal cookies. Some like chocolate chip cookies. Yet others prefer peanut butter cookies. This recipe combines all three! The peanut butter in the dough makes them extra rich and delicious. Get this delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Whether you prefer light and airy treats, or chocolate decadence, this week's episode of 'Tis the Season has the holiday cookie for you!

HONEY THYME LACE COOKIES:

Honey Thyme Lace Cookies with a dusting of granulated sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbps unsalted butter

2 tbps brown sugar

2 tbps honey

2 tsp chopped thyme (fresh)

2 tsp orange zest

pinch of salt

couple twists of black pepper

one tsp vanilla

2 tbps flour

'

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, put aside.

Melt butter, brown sugar and honey in a small pot til bubbling. Turn off heat.

Add thyme, orange zest, salt, and vanilla; stir. Whisk in flour. Spoon the batter onto the baking sheet into nickel-sized circles. Cookies should be three inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. Add one twist of black pepper on top of each cookie.

Bake in oven at 375 degrees for five to six minutes.

Optional: Add colored sugar or granulated sugar before cookies cool.

Let cookies