Apr 22 – I bought some fresh herbs to grow on our windowsill. A week later, the oregano is nearly dead. I am not a gardener.

Apr 23 – I tried Mark Bittman’s recipe for whole grain flatbread. I think it’s going to be a new favorite recipe because it’s incredibly easy, and so tasty. I’m going to try to halve the oil in the recipe in half next time, though.

Apr 24 – Fish tacos to the rescue on Tuesday night. I really didn’t know what to do for dinner, and then I remembered this old standby recipe for fish tacos. So easy, totally delicious, and light. I didn’t make the sauce, or the chipotle tortillas. I made a kind of rutabaga slaw to go with them, which was ok. I am definitely bringing fish tacos back into the regular dinner rotation.

Apr 25 – Shepherd’s Pie, with lamb sausage and leftover mashed potatoes. See the greens in the mashed potatoes? That’s how I make mashed potatoes healthy.

Apr 26 – This is part of my routine almost every single night of my life. I don’t always read on my Kindle, but I almost always read before bed.

Apr 27 – I went to the Internet Archive in San Francisco on Friday for an all-day plenary session for the Digital Public Library of America. It was inspiring, and a fun way to spend the day. The Internet Archive is a quirky place: Apparently, they build a sculpture of their archivists when they’ve worked there for three years, and they are all lined up in the pews of the big church building where they make their headquarters.

Apr 28 – I did some recipe organization this weekend, and snapped this shot of our cookbook shelves. These aren’t all the cookbooks, but they are the books I love and use the most. Close to the kitchen.

I can’t believe I actually took a picture every day this week. I was actually fairly certain that I’d forgotten, like, half the week. Maybe I’m finally developing a picture taking habit?

Sean is in Boston this week, so it’s quiet in the kitchen, and I’ll probably end up eating a lot of salads this week. I actually did some big time dinner prep last night to try to make this week as easy as possible: I roasted a chicken and a bunch of vegetables, I cut up some jicama and carrots to eat as snacks, and I prepped as much fruit as I could so that I might actually be convinced to eat it this week.

Bonus picture: We went out for Mexican food last Friday night at La Penca Azul in Alameda, and it was spectacular. The restaurant was crowded and busy, and we had margaritas and tons of chips and quacamole, and I had a mole enchilada that blew my little mind.

It made me think about revisiting mole making. My first attempt wasn’t bad, but I know I can do better, and now I’ve got inspiration.

Toward the end of March I started realizing that I was eating a lot of sweets. And french fries. And more pizza than usual. My carefully developed healthy habits had taken a nosedive, and I was feeling it. I decided to declare April Health Month. My intention wasn’t to embark on a month of strictness and deprivation, but to remind myself how much better I feel when I’m eating more vegetables, and being thoughtful and conscientious about the amount of sugar, meat, and fried things I’m putting in my body. I re-read Mark Bittman’s Food Matters, and I started planning healthy meals.

I can’t say I’ve been super vigilant. Last week involved a burger, after all, not to mention a fair amount of beer. I even ate a donut. But I’ve also been trying out some new recipes that emphasize whole grains and vegetables, when they don’t exclude meat completely. This meatloaf is a perfect example. It’s a recipe from Bittman’s book for a grain-heavy loaf that includes meat as a flavor component more than anything else. I modified the recipe just slightly to account for what we had on hand. And I really liked it. It’s dense and hearty. There are a variety of flavors and textures. And I felt satisfied without feeling like I needed a nap. Total Health Month winner.

I served the not-so-meaty meatloaf up with some roasted potatoes and asparagus, and it felt very 1950s up in this place.

This is a very dense loaf. If you like your meatloaf light and airy, this might not be for you. This one is solid. But I love how colorful it is! The flecks of carrot and spinach are so festive. Bittman’s recipe recommends using this mixture for loaves, burgers, or meatballs, and I think that’s not a bad idea at all. If you fry your meatballs, they might end up absorbing more oil than normal, thanks to the bulgur, but I think they’d be great baked. You can use any meat you like, even fish, but I loved the ground turkey here. And if you really want to exclude meat, Bittman recommends substituting beans for the meat. I suspect that would be delicious.

I, along with seemingly the rest of the world, went to see the Hunger Games this weekend. I read the books when they came out a few years ago and really loved them. The character of Katniss Everdeen was the perfect counterpoint to Stephanie Meyer’s Bella (yeah, I know everyone says that) (also I read too much YA fiction). The books capture all the things I love about dystopic fiction, and I was pleased that someone wrote a female character for whom there are bigger concerns in life than boys. Like, y’know, survival.

I realize going to see the movie on opening weekend, and eating chili cheese fries before the movie, and doing some unnecessary shopping before the movie are all very Capitol activities. And so, perhaps, was making this lamb stew when we got home. But, well, everyone is intrigued by the lamb stew. I can’t even count how many blog posts I’ve read about The Lamb Stew, and how many friends I have who’ve made their own version.

For those of you who are not Hunger Games aficionados, the story comes back, over and over, to starvation. People who do not live in the wealthy Capitol live with hunger every day of their lives. The children who are picked to fight to their deaths are often felled by hunger, rather than their competitors, in their game arena. Food is a focus of these books in the same way that food is a focus for anyone who is starving: a constant theme that runs just under the surface of every other activity. When Katniss visits the Capitol before being forced into the games, she is surrounded by more spectacle and wealth than she’s ever seen. Suzanne Collins does a great job of painting an extravagant scene, and a world where people strive to look as outlandish and unnatural as possible. But for a girl who has never had enough food, what stands out most is a meal.

Katniss talks about a lamb stew with dried plums. There’s no lengthy disquisition on the stew. It’s mentioned almost in passing. But as a reader, it sticks with you. You wonder how delicious this stew must taste to be more outstanding than someone with three inch gold eyelashes and purple skin. I wanted to make this stew from the first time I read the books.

I’m not sure what took me so long. The version of the stew that I conjured Sunday night was wonderful. I love lamb above all other meats, so it didn’t take much to please me. But the dried plums add a subtle sweetness that elevates this above a simple, meaty stew. I used potatoes for extra heft (I imagine a woman like Katniss would appreciate a stew that fills her up), and I seasoned the stew with Moroccan seasoning and paprika.

A stew like this is great for Sunday night because it takes a while to cook. You want it to have a long simmer over low heat to break down the sinews in the meat and make it silky and tender. The potatoes in this stew were nearly at the falling-apart stage; if you like firmer potatoes you can add them later in the cooking process.

Although this takes awhile to cook, it’s very easy to put together. I love cooking projects that allow me to spend most of the cooking time on the couch, reading a book or watching dumb television. I suppose that is just like someone from the Capitol.

If you haven’t read the books, I think you should, even if you don’t normally read YA, and even if you’re knee jerk reaction is to stay away. And if you have read the books, don’t be wary of the movie. Everyone involved did a great job bringing this, frankly, heart-wrenching and horrible story to life (and I mean horrible in the best way).

Lamb Stew with Dried Plums

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound lamb stew meat
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 small carrots, sliced
• 2 medium Russet potatoes, cubed
• about 1 cup dried plums (prunes)
• 1 tablespoon Moroccan seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
• 32 ounces chicken stock (plus enough water to cover the vegetables and meat)
• salt and pepper
• fresh mint

If needed, cut the stew meat into 1 inch pieces. Season them with a bit of salt.

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. When the oil is very hot, add the stew meat. Add only enough at once to just cover the bottom of the pot; you don’t want to crowd the meat. Let the meat cook for a few minutes before giving it a stir to flip the pieces over. Once the meat is browned (but not cooked through) remove it to a bowl or plate and cook the remaining meat. Once the second batch is cooked, you can add the first batch back to the pot.

Stir in the onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and plums. Give the mixture a good stir, then add the Moroccan seasoning, paprika, and a healthy pinch of salt. Stir in the chicken stock, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, lower the heat until the liquid is just simmering. Cook the stew, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. You can add more water, if needed, to keep the vegetables just covered.

Once the meat is tender, the stew is ready. You can cook up some noodles or rice to serve it over, if you like. Season the stew to taste with salt, and pepper if you like. Garnish with fresh, chopped mint, and serve.

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• lamb stew with dried plums

I’ve always loved the idea of eating a great big luscious crunchy salad for dinner. But I’ve never been very good at coming up with creative ideas for main dish salads. I tend to get stuck at lettuce and carrots. And my basic vinaigrette is great, but it can get a bit monotonous. But there is a prepared salad from Trader Joe’s that I love: the Field Fresh Chopped Salad. It’s sweet and savory and fresh and crunchy, and I got in the habit of buying it for solitary dinners and occasional lunches. Then I looked at the ingredients. The poor chicken in this salad is full of so many preservatives, and I know the vegetables could be fresher and more full of flavor. So I decided to make this salad myself.

I’ll be the first to admit the photos are kind of lackluster. But the salad was not. It was everything I hoped it would be: bright and crunchy, with a nice balance of textures and flavors. I thought the sweet basil dressing would be the hardest part to get right, but I managed to hit it nearly spot on. This will definitely be making additional appearances in our kitchen.

I love a salad like this for dinner because it’s light, but not so light that you feel like you have yet to actually eat dinner. I served it with some toasty whole grain sourdough, and we both went to bed satisfied. If you’re looking for a healthy dinner (maybe you had too much beer and corned beef last weekend?), this salad is just right.

The dressing is really the cornerstone of this salad. I didn’t do a lot of precise measuring, so I suggest tasting as you go, and adding more of whatever you think will make you happy. The dressing should be a little sweet, a little tangy, and a little herby.

The other trick is to cut the vegetables into small, evenly sized bits. This is a chopped salad, so you don’t want huge chunks of vegetables you have to gnaw your way through. Likewise, give the lettuce a thorough run through with a knife, so you’re not trying to skewer huge leaves with your fork. The cabbage should be sliced into ribbons, and then into inch-long bits. The nuts should be nicely chopped. This isn’t a salad that should feel like a bowl full of separate ingredients, but rather, as though everything is melded into a seamless whole.

Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Chicken

Adapted from Trader Joe’s

We had half a leftover rotisserie chicken in refrigerator which was perfect for this salad. If you don’t, you can just poach, roast, or grill a boneless, skinless chicken breast.

This salad is open to a lot of variation. I actually forgot the corn and green onion, and it was still awesome. Try quinoa instead of the couscous for more protein, or perhaps even substitute tuna for the chicken, if you like that kind of thing. Let me know about your variations in the comments!

For the dressing:

• about 1 loosely packed cup of chopped basil
• about 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1-2 teaspoons agave nectar
• juice from half a Meyer lemon (a regular lemon is fine)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• a pinch of salt
• a few grindings of black pepper
• about 1 tablespoon water

For the salad:

• about 2-3 cups mixed greens or romaine
• 1 quarter of a large cabbage (any kind you prefer)
• 1 medium chicken breast, cooked
• about 1/2 cup Israeli couscous, cooked and cooled
• 1/2 of a large red pepper, diced
• 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon dried currants
• about 3 tablespoons grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup cold cooked corn (if it’s very fresh, you can use raw)
• about 2-3 tablespoons chopped green onion

Put the chopped basil, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of the agave nectar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Blend well and taste. Add more lemon juice, salt, or agave nectar to adjust the flavor. Thin with water, or thicken with more mayonnaise as needed. Remember that the dressing will thicken a little in the refrigerator, too, if you refrigerate it.

Chop the lettuce and cabbage in to small pieces. Mix all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Dress with about half the salad dressing, adding more if needed. You can add a bit more cheese to the top if you like.

If you bypass tofu at salad bars, skip the meatless dishes at Chinese restaurants, and avoid edamame when you?re out for sushi, well, it?s time to give soy-based foods a second look. “Whole soy foods are a great substitute for meat,”says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Their healthy protein content makes them a good option even if you?re not one of the growing number of people going “flexitarian,”or opting to eat less meat. Here?s your guide to making this legume a regular and great-tasting part of your diet.

Soy 101
All soy products are made from soybeans, mostly grown here in the United States. You can buy whole soybeans dried or canned, or in the produce section or freezer aisle as edamame, the common name for soybeans picked before they?re fully mature. (Edamame can be purchased either in pods or shelled.)

Beyond whole beans, soy takes on a number of different guises. Roasted soybeans are sold as soy nuts or ground into soy nut butter. Soybeans can be
soaked in water, cooked, and filtered to
make soy milk and soy yogurt. Adding a coagulant to soy milk curdles it, producing tofu, which ranges in texture from “silken”(very soft) to “extra firm,”depending on how
much liquid is removed. Soybeans can also be
fermented into a paste called miso (the base for miso soup) or a cake
or patty called tempeh, which is often used in place of meat in sandwiches or grilled
and eaten on its own. Finally, soy can be found in many packaged foods—such as frozen meatless burgers, cereals, and energy bars—often in the form of “soy protein isolate,”meaning it?s mostly the protein from soybeans you?re getting.

The power of soy
Soy?s biggest nutritional claim to fame is its complete protein, one of the only plant proteins that contains all nine essential amino acids our bodies need from our diets to function properly. This makes it an ideal substitute for meat, poultry, and eggs. In fact, a half cup of cooked soybeans supplies about one-third of your necessary daily protein, for a mere 149 calories (versus about 230 for one serving of cooked ground beef). That protein and the fiber it contains make it incredibly filling. Plus, soybeans are cholesterol-free and lower in heart-unhealthy saturated fat than meat and dairy.

Soy also packs a number of phytochemicals, including isoflavones, which may work together to help fight conditions like cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and breast cancer. (Though you might have heard that women with a history of breast cancer should avoid soy, recent research suggests that?s probably not necessary, says Karen Collins, RD, nutrition adviser to the American Institute for Cancer Research.) To score soy?s benefits, get up to three servings a day, mostly from less processed forms like soybeans, soy milk, soy nuts, and tofu. “When soybeans are eaten close to their original state, you get more of their good-for-you attributes,”says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet.

You may get slightly more nutrients from fermented soy foods like miso and tempeh, since the fermentation process can make those nutrients more absorbable by the body, says Blatner, but all forms of the legume deserve a place on your plate. Two exceptions: First, avoid soy isoflavone supplement pills and powders. Research hasn?t yet determined how much of it?s safe to take, says Collins. Plus, unlike whole soy foods, they don?t give you the full range of phytochemicals and other nutrients,
such as B vitamins, which help with bodily processes like metabolism and keep your DNA healthy. And though foods made with soy protein isolate (like soy burgers and soy dogs) do usually pack less saturated fat than their meat counterparts, they also tend to be loaded with sodium and additives, so don?t make them a staple.

Easy ways to eat soy
Look for simple places to swap soy in for other foods and drinks. Snack on soy nuts instead of cheese; use soy nut butter instead of peanut butter for a change of pace (you may not be able to tell the difference!). Soy milk is a great alternative for the lactose intolerant (just avoid sweetened ones, which pack extra sugars). Soybeans and tofu take a bit more prep, but not much. Here?s how to make them taste great, fast:

• Steam or boil edamame for 3 to 5 minutes. You can puree them into hummus instead of chickpeas, or just sprinkle the pods with sea salt, chili powder, Chinese five-spice powder, or any other spice you like, and squeeze the beans into your mouth.

• Because it?s so soft, “silken”tofu works well as a thickener for sauces, dips, and smoothies (try our Blueberry-Tofu Smoothie recipe). The denser texture of “firm”or “extra firm”tofu works best for stir-frying, grilling, or baking. Just remove extra moisture first so it?s not mushy: Lay a clean kitchen towel on a cutting board and place tofu on top. Cover with another clean towel and cutting board, then place a heavy pot on top. Allow it to rest for about 1 hour. Cut into cubes or strips and cook. Tofu will soak up the flavor of any dish it?s in; you can also marinate it as you would meat and poultry.

• Prepare whole soybeans the same way you would other beans: Cooked into soups or chili, added to Mexican dishes, or tossed cold in salads, they bring new flavor to your favorite dishes.

The first place to start? The refrigerator
First, ditch the soda—regular and diet (carbonation plus artificial sweetners equals bloat), and replace it with water and iced green tea. Better yet, try the CarbLovers Fat-Flushing Cocktail: Take 2 quarts brewed green tea and add the juice of 1 lemon, 1 lime, and 1 orange. Mix all ingredients together in a large pitcher. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you must keep soda and fruit juice around for your family, do yourself a favor and store them out of sight. That way, you’ll be more likely to grab something diet-friendly.

Invest in fridge- and freezer-friendly stackable containers so the healthy stuff—chopped veggies, herbs, sliced fruit, and all your make-ahead beans, barley, and brown rice—is easier to grab than fattening fare. These will keep your fridge clutter-free, and encourage you to cook CarbLovers meals in large batches that you can use for the whole week. Look for the “make-ahead” icon on some of the recipes. These meals can be made in advance of serving, and many are appropriate for freezing.

Your next stop is the countertop
This is a space that can make or break your diet. Keep your blender close to where you chop fruits or veggies so it’s always supereasy to prepare a healthy smoothie or soup. Set out a wooden block or hang a magnetic strip for chopping knives to make it easy to trim excess fat from meat and slice fiber-filled veggies and fruit.

Next to those slicers, use decorative hooks to dangle tools like an apple corer, a citrus zester, and a handheld squeezer (to add no-fat flavor to fish, pastas, marinades, and salad dressings).

Top your countertop with a big, beautiful basket, and use it to contain kitchen-table clutter, so you won’t be tempted to multitask during meals. (Also recommended: a bouquet of fresh flowers, just because you deserve it.) Cooking and eating without distractions will help you focus! Speaking of focus, plug in your iPod and listen to music that de-stresses you. Research suggests that ab fat cells expand in response to the stress hormone cortisol, but cortisol levels decrease faster in people who listen to relaxing music than in those who don’t.

De-clutter the pantry
Don’t keep unhealthy snacks around to tempt you into mindless munching while you’re cooking meals. Instead, keep airtight containers of dry ingredients like pasta and beans on the lowest shelves, so they’re convenient for everyday use (check them periodically for freshness).

An extra tip: grow your own oregano, thyme, and rosemary along your windowsill, and you’ll have an easy, no-cal way to jazz up healthy foods like grilled chicken and veggies.

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Your waistline has gone MIA and you’re ready to reclaim it—for health reasons, yes, but also because you want to look better (there, you said it). Happily, this is one area where vanity and wellness align. “Visceral fat, which surrounds the organs in your midsection, plays a big role in the risk of metabolic conditions like diabetes,” says Claire Wheeler, MD, an instructor at Portland State University’s School of Community Health and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Losing Belly Fat.

And contrary to what a
lot of people think, the belly is not a stubborn fat zone. “Unlike fat in other places, belly fat is earmarked to provide quick energy in the event you need to fight,
flee, or endure a famine,”
Dr. Wheeler says. “When
you engage in moderate activity (akin to fleeing or fighting) and cut calories
(as in a famine), most of the fat you lose first will come
from your belly.”

It’s ready to come off;
now give it a kick-start with
these strategies.

Belly busters

Slipping into that waist-cinching pencil skirt (the one pushed to the back of your closet) requires exercising more and making smart food choices so that you’re burning more calories than you’re taking in—no surprise. What is surprising, though, is just how easy it is to make that happen. Try this: Every day, aim to get 30 minutes of exercise, spend no more than six hours sitting down, and keep your calorie count in the 1,500 to 2,000 range. “A woman who is moderately overweight (about 15 to 25 extra pounds) should lose 2 inches in the first two weeks—most will lose more,” says Dr. Wheeler.

Also helpful: eating more of the following, which target belly flab in particular.

Fiber
Getting your fill helps keep your stomach sleek, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Compared with people who only cut calories, those who also ate four to seven daily servings of whole grains (such as a slice of whole-wheat bread or half a cup of brown rice) lost significantly more belly fat.

That’s one more reason to be a (healthy) carb lover: “Not only does the fiber in whole grains help flush the digestive tract, leading to a flatter stomach due to less constipation, but it also helps you feel more satisfied,” says Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, the author of The Secret to Skinny.

Soluble fiber—the kind found in oatmeal and apples—appears to be an especially effective fat fighter. For every 10-gram increase in your daily consumption of the stuff, belly fat drops nearly 4% over five years, suggests research from Wake Forest University. “For the most benefit, get 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day,” advises Dr. Wheeler.

Dairy
Milk products do a belly good, helping it retain lean muscle and store less fat. Take it from the dieters in a University of Tennessee study who ate 6 ounces of fat-free yogurt with every meal and lost 81% more abdominal fat than those who cut calories alone. “Increasing calcium suppresses calcitriol, a hormone that promotes fat storage,” explains lead author Michael Zemel, PhD. Quashing calcitriol also lowers your fat tissue’s production of cortisol, the hormone known to increase visceral fat.

What’s more, a recent Harvard University study makes the case for vitamin D and calcium as weight-loss aids. Researchers gave one group three daily glasses of orange juice containing calcium and vitamin D, while another group drank the same amount of unfortified OJ each day. After four weeks, the vitamin-D-and-calcium group lost nearly 10 times as much belly fat as those who drank regular juice. For that get-slim boost without all the calories in three glasses of OJ, supplement daily with 450 IU of vitamin D and 1,500 milligrams of calcium.

Fruits and veggies
According to a University of Florida study, people who ate more of their overall diet from plant-based foods were slimmer. “Researchers developed an index—called the phytochemical index, or PI score—that ranks the number of calories consumed from plant-based foods compared with overall daily calorie intake on a scale of zero to 100,” says Cynthia Sass, RD, a New York City–based dietitian and author of S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim: Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds, and Lose Inches. “People of normal weight had PI scores 10.3 points higher, on average, than overweight or obese people,” she says. “And even though both groups consumed about the same number of daily calories, those with lower PI scores had larger waist circumferences.” Researchers suggest including plant-based foods—fruits, veggies, nuts—every day, ideally at the start of each meal.

Healthy fats
Not all fats make you fat. In fact, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)—found in some nuts and oils—help you stay lean. In a study published in the journal Diabetes Care, insulin-resistant people who ate a diet high in MUFAs avoided the fate of those on a high-carb diet, who saw fat mass shift toward their bellies.

Include plant-based fat—like 2 tablespoons of almond butter or a quarter of an avocado—at each meal, advises Sass. Likewise, adding just under 2 teaspoons of PUFA-rich safflower oil to your diet each day—without even cutting calories—reduces abdominal fat, suggests an Ohio State University study. Linoleic acid—a polyunsaturated, omega-6 fatty acid found in safflower, sunflower, soybean, and corn oils—helps increase the fat-burning hormone adiponectin, says lead author Martha Belury, PhD. “Use safflower oil in salad dressings or baking—anything in which the oil doesn’t reach the smoking point (as in deep frying),” she suggests. “That breaks it down.”

What to avoid

In addition to moving more and eating waist-friendly foods, aim to limit these fat magnets:

Alcohol
Folks who had three-plus drinks in a day—even infrequently—had more visceral fat than those who had the same amount monthly but spaced them out, according to University at Buffalo researchers. Tempted to have more than one drink? Choose light beer, wine spritzers, or diet mixers.

Trans fats
The type of fat in many baked goods and salty snacks may cause belly weight gain even if you’re not consuming excess calories. Skip anything with partially hydrogenated oils, says Dr. Wheeler. They can hide out in surprising places (like some bran cereals and low-fat ice creams).

Minor stress
Eating triggers insulin, and stress boosts cortisol. “When elevated, these two hormones work together to store extra calories you consume in the form of belly fat,” Dr. Wheeler says. In a study at the University of California–San Francisco, stress eaters showed higher levels of insulin and cortisol—and gained more weight—than those who didn’t eat when anxious. Next time you sit down to eat, take five minutes to relax first. A good place to start: Put away your gadgets.

All the right moves

Over 40 and flirting with perimenopause? That may explain those five stubborn pounds around your middle, just under the skin (a.k.a. “subcutaneous” fat). “As ovaries slow their production of estrogen, the body compensates by making more fat cells,” says Dr. Wheeler. Subcutaneous fat isn’t as bad for you as visceral, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Fight back with exercise.

Burn fat
Ab exercises tone, but you need cardio to torch the fat that’s hiding them.Try alternating the intensity, suggests Jessica Matthews, exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. Whether you’re running or using a cardio machine, do one minute at an intensity level of 8 or 9 out of 10, followed by two minutes at 5 or 6; repeat this pattern.

Build strength
Research suggests the bicycle maneuver tops the list of most effective core exercises. Lying down, hands behind your head, and knees at a 45-degree angle, extend one leg then the other in a slow pedaling motion, touching your right elbow to your left knee, and vice versa. Do two to three sets of 8 to 15 reps, every other day, and you’ll be well on your way to a thinner middle.

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• the complete idiot’s guide losing belly fat

Who hasn’t unwrapped a sandwich while driving down the highway or pulled a hard U-turn into a fast-food joint on the way home from a late meeting or soccer game? We practically live in our cars, so we need quick food, and please, we’d like it to be healthy.

Well, guess what: We surveyed the nation’s 100 largest fast-food chains, as defined by the number of locations, and found many are creating menus that look more and more like what we’d cook ourselves (if we had the time)—from nutritious soups and healthy salads to fresh whole grains and sensible desserts. Even better: They’re offering good-news Mexican, Asian, and Mediterranean fare.

Using criteria that was created with the help of our expert panel, we scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrees, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce to determine the 10 highest-ranking restaurants.

One big surprise: A traditional fast-food chain, McDonald’s, cracked our top 10. Sure, it’s the home of the Big Mac, but did you know it also serves a mean yogurt-and-granola parfait? Here, the standouts that are making grabbed food healthy food.

#1 Panera Bread
Over 1,230 locations nationwide (and in Canada)

This bakery-cafe-based eatery wowed our judges with a comprehensive menu of healthy choices for every meal. “Variety makes it easy for everyone to choose healthy,” praises registered dietitian and panelist Marisa Moore. What does that mean for you? For starters, you can pick from two whole-grain breads for your sandwich and have an apple with it instead of chips (though the chips are fine, too—they can be baked!). Half-size soups, salads, and sandwiches make it a cinch to control portion size. Also, most of the chicken is antibiotic- and hormone-free, a rarity for large chains.

Panera also won top honors for kid fare, dishing out RD-approved crowd-pleasers like squeezable organic yogurt, PB&J (with all-natural peanut butter), and grilled organic cheese on white whole-grain bread.

We love: Delicious, nutrient-packed combos like a half–Turkey Artichoke on focaccia bread with a bowl of black bean or garden vegetable soup.
Danger zone: Sticky buns and cheese danishes are on display at the counter.

View this article as a gallery.