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Exhibit A: mason jar salads. Salads make an excellent weekday lunch. With the right combination of grains, protein, and leafy greens, they fill you up without weighing you down, and give you the energy you need to power through the afternoon. Packing the salad, however, is where it gets tricky. Dress the salad too early, and it becomes soggy by the time lunch rolls around—and storing the dressing in an extra container makes for clunky transportation (and the possibility of leakage)....

We’re obviously on board. But here’s the thing: not all smoothie recipes are created equal. Taste-wise, yes, but nutritionally speaking even more so. Glugging a bunch of orange juice or sweetened yogurt into your smoothie can leave you with a breakfast that packs more sugar than a frosted doughnut (not to mention the need to take a nap before noon). We consulted Luisa Sabogal, RDN, MS, CDE, for the best food groups and ingredients to use when blending smoothies for every dietary need....

Despite the kitchen being the most sought-after room in the home, it’s also one of the toughest spots to keep neat. And corner cabinets are often the most puzzling. The depth and width of corner cabinets, whether upper or lower, make them a challenge to configure. If you find yourself in a similar situation, use the following tips for organizing a corner cabinet complete with a few options depending on the style of cabinet and your budget....

Fortunately, some direct-to-consumer paint brands, such as Clare, are attempting to simplify the painting process by eliminating the trek to the paint store and curating the color options. Taking it one step further, Clare’s founder Nicole Gibbons recently expanded her product line to include trim paint colors—so you can now paint your entire home without a single trip to the paint store. So how do you take the guesswork out of picking trim paint colors, especially when you’re navigating the process online or even on your phone?...

The several different species of pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) are actually viola hybrids. (Johnny jump-ups, or Viola tricolor, and Viola ‘Jackanapes’ are closely related, similarly hardy, and usually sold in garden centers at the same time.) These beloved biennials, often grown as annuals, are perhaps most well known for their “faces”—the distinct markings on their petals that British growers began to breed for in the 1800s. However, pansies can also be single-colored or streaked....

Avoid Sudden Changes Both Hohler and Smith agree that the most important first step is to take a breath and resist the urge to make significant changes. Assessing where you are once on more solid ground emotionally is likely to be far more helpful. Unless there are deadlines involved, Smith advises, wait until you have a clearer perspective. “Renaming beneficiaries, changing your will, or updating insurance policies may require more immediate attention,” Smith adds, suggesting that hiring a financial professional to assist with these and more complicated matters will provide peace of mind....

Then I realized that if I made extra dinner the night before, I’d have an already-made meal ready to scarf down the next day when lunchtime rolls around. But here’s the thing: There’s an art to reheating leftovers. And by art, I mean a way to do it that can kill the potentially harmful bacteria that resides in already-cooked food. Here are the six major mistakes you might be making in the leftovers department, plus one myth we needed to debunk....

How to Sauté Mushrooms For four side-dish servings, start with about 8 ounces (3 cups) of sliced mushrooms and 2 Tbsp. oil or butter. To sauté mushrooms: Test Kitchen Tip: Make sure not to crowd the mushrooms in the pan, or they’ll steam instead of sautéing. A single layer with space between the mushrooms is ideal. Also, be sure the pan you’re cooking in is large enough. Start with Clean and Dry Mushrooms The steps for cleaning mushrooms are the same for almost every type, except morels (learn more on our page about how to clean mushrooms)....

Help is on the way! Let us show you how to save money on holiday shopping and feel more in control of your expenses. We tapped experts in finance and shopping for their best tips to save money during the holidays so you can gift yourself a little less stress. Prep Before Shopping Sort promo emails like a pro. Email subscribers often score exclusive deals, but no one wants to crawl through a flooded inbox....

First, Try Reducing the Liquid One easy way to thicken gravy is to simply reduce the liquid. Add any pan drippings you have to a small or medium-sized saucepan. Then, add in 1 cup of liquid, and simmer on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces by at least a third and the flavors are more concentrated. No time to simmer? No problem. We certainly don’t want your table full of gravy-loving guests to wait....

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the government has put a freeze on student loan payments and charging additional interest on student loan balances, which has helped many people stabilize their finances a bit. But this week’s announcement of a new student loan plan could help many of those families get a big step closer to a more stable financial picture. “This is a huge first step,” says Stefanie O’Connell Rodriguez, host of Real Simple’s Money Confidential podcast....

In fact, watering plants may be the number one priority for plant parents. Anyone who has progressed beyond gardening for beginners may want to look into pruning, deadheading, fertilizing, re-potting, and more, but plant-care newbies will want to focus on watering plants the just-right amount. It’s possible to both over- and under-water plants, so figuring out how (and how often) to water plants sounds deceptively easy. In reality, it does take a little know-how (and a lot of patience and experimentation)....

To zest a lemon, always start by washing the fruit under running water and patting it dry before using. Even if you’re just using the zest, it’s important to remove all the wax coating or anything else that might be on the outside before zesting. If you are planning to juice the lemon too, zesting should always come first. Trust us, trying to grate tiny quarters of a lemon is a challenge....

How to Quick-Clean a Shower Curtain Liner with a Magic Eraser A couple of months ago, I was preparing for a surprise out-of-town guest (and putting these speed cleaning routines to good use), when it suddenly dawned on me that my shower was a disaster. For most last-minute cleanings, the shower is an easy fix: close the shower curtain and keep your fingers crossed that curious guests don’t take a peek inside....

The device uses sonic technology to combine the gentle feel of a manual toothbrush with the deep-cleaning capabilities of an electric one. This results in an effective clean that won’t leave gums bleeding or irritated after brushing. Trust me, I gave it a try for myself after growing frustrated with my old electric toothbrush that often felt too strong for my sensitive gums. Spotlight’s sonic brush has three cleaning modes, so you can find a comfortable way to properly clean your teeth....

Without exactly meaning to, though, I found a cost-efficient solution that has all my dinner guests fooled. These stoneware-inspired mini bowls at Target fit in perfectly alongside my fancy set, and they happen to be only $4 each. To buy: $4; target.com. The Stoneware Mini Bowls, from the Target-exclusive home line Hearth & Hand with Magnolia, are sold individually and in a set of four and come in black or cream, with a matte finish and a rustic lip that gives off handmade vibes....

French toast is already easy to cook: Dunk stale bread into a custard base (typically eggs, milk, and maybe a splash of vanilla or cinnamon), and then sear it in a skillet with butter and oil until golden brown. But can it get even easier? The simplest swap we could think of for the custard base is melted ice cream. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it, because ice cream is simply a more delicious version of milk (or heavy cream) and eggs whisked with sugar....

However, like every other major life choice, the decision to rent vs. buy property deserves careful consideration. So we asked personal finance experts to help us navigate the often intimidating process. Keep reading for everything you need to consider and all the tough but necessary questions to ask when deciding between being a homeowner or a renter. Focus on What You Want You may have heard the common warnings that renting is wasting money, or that owning a home is the only way to build wealth....

Upon setting up the Koios air purifier and letting it run, shoppers were quick to notice improvements in their breathing and home environment. As one person wrote, “I can tell just from running it on full power for an hour that I’m already sneezing a lot less from springtime pollen allergies.” This isn’t just a fancy fan though, as this Koios machine has three built-in HEPA filters which can successfully remove airborne particles like mold spores, dander, and pollen from your home....

What’s even more shocking is that while women are paid less as a whole, women of color are paid even less—with Latinas on the very bottom of the list, according to Lean In. The latest data from 2019 shows that Asian women make 13 percent less than white men, Black women make 37 percent less, and Native American women make 40 percent less. And for Latinas, who earn a whopping 43 percent less than white men, the data is even more depressing: Not only does the pay gap between Latinas and white men begin early, but Latinas with a bachelor’s degree see the worst pay gap in comparison to white men with a college degree, and even though they ask for raises and promotions at rates similar to men, only 71 Latinas are promoted to manager for every 100 men who receive a promotion, Lean In’s 2020 data shows....