Last week was super-busy for me. I had bills to pay, people to see and a very cluttered house to clean. I never felt like I could get ahead, let alone give myself time to fix dinner. When I need to eat and get on to something else, I find it hard not to reach for the phone and just order pizza for delivery. But in the time it takes me to order and actually get the pie, I could make an ultra-quick recipe (and I also wouldn’t feel guilty for ordering pizza).

I was late for my plane over the holidays but that didn’t keep me from taking a few extra minutes to place my order. I was standing at the Dunkin’ Donuts counter in JFK, weighing two numbers: 2.16 and 510. Which one do you think was the number of calories in the muffin?

I’m getting ready for Week 3 of my 500-calorie dinner challenge where I’m cooking 500-calorie dinners from new book, EatingWell 500-Calorie Dinners, 5 nights a week for 5 weeks. The recipes I’ve been making for Week 2 have been going smoothly (and deliciously). I think my secret to success this week has again been planning ahead. (It’s one of the 6 secrets to weight loss too.)

Is sugar just sugar, even if it's high-fructose corn syrup? I thought the answer was no, that high-fructose corn syrup is worse than regular sugar or honey or even plain corn syrup and I should avoid it. And let's not even get into sugar substitutes.

But last night I was watching TV and saw a commercial from the Corn Refiners Association saying that high-fructose corn syrup is no worse for me than regular sugar. (See the commercials for yourself at sweetsurprise.com.) Could it be true?

As part of my pledge to eat healthier this year, I’ve decided to cut back a little on my meat consumption—a tall order for such a carnivore. I dug through my recipes and pulled out some vegetarian recipes that will help me make eating meatless delicious. Spinach-&-Cheese-Stuffed Portobellos is a favorite of mine because the oven-roasted mushroom caps come out juicy and tender, almost meaty, so I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.