2 Keys to Eating Better

Getting more goodness into your meals could be as easy as these two steps: Plan ahead, and eat at the dinner table.

If you’re like many people, you have no idea what you’re going to eat for dinner until you rummage around the kitchen at 5 p.m. But you’ll eat more fruit and veggies if you’re a planner. That’s exactly what happened in a recent study when women decided in advance what they were going to eat and shopped for meals ahead of time.

When a Plan Comes Together . . .
Planning was key to healthful eating. But it also helped if the women ate dinner at the table and enjoyed cooking. (Time for that cooking class?) So make a plan, hit the store, and stick with it! Bonus: Adding more fruits and veggies to your diet could help you lose those stubborn holiday pounds. Get grocery lists, recipes, and track-your-progress tools for losing holiday pounds in our New Year, New You Center!

It’s Easy Being Green
Need help planning meals that fulfill your daily veggie quota? These easy and delicious veggie-crammed recipes make it a snap to plan ahead:

• Make a quick main dish using a delicious combination of mashed eggplant and shallots: Eggplant-Shallot Stew.
• Turn Saturday morning brunch into veggie time with this satisfying vegetarian tart: Leek and Gruyere Quiche.
• When you’re in a bind and need to turn freezer food into dinner fast, try this side dish: Vegetable Stir-Fry.

Sign up for the online version of YOU: On a Diet and you’ll get access to meal planners, shopping-list generators, and amazing recipes.