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Tuscan-Style Picnic Menu A rustic, Italian-style meal al fresco is heavy on fresh produce. You can also include an antipasto spread with meat, cheese, olives, and roasted veggies to snack on. Chicken-Pesto Flatbread Sandwiches Want an easy way to do individual servings for your picnic? Try these hearty flatbreads with fresh mozzarella, baby arugula, and pesto-tossed rotisserie chicken nestled inside. Pair these sandwiches with any of your favorite veggies (or even some pasta salad) and you’re good to go!...

Take out the trash and recycling. Summer temperatures plus a bag full of garbage can get stinky really fast. “Often, we find previous guests have forgotten to take out their trash or replace the trash with fresh lining. It’s so important to handle, because it can put a damper on any vacation. Take a minute to check all the trashes, remove what was left, and replace with fresh liners,” says Witulski....

If you’re quarantined with your sweetie, there are plenty of virtual Valentine’s Day date ideas that are even better than a night out on the town. If you can’t be together in person this year, I also have some suggestions that’ll make you feel like you’re spending the holiday with each other. This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday, so choose two or three of these ideas and plan the ultimate day together....

That being said, a number of ingredients and meal regimes do have legitimate backing from health professionals. One superstar example is the anti-inflammatory diet. “Science has linked chronic inflammation with the most deadly diseases in the United States: heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke,” explains Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN. “Inflammation is also at the root of other debilitating conditions, like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and osteoporosis....

Create an Incredibly Useful Nightstand Any sleep expert will tell you how important it is to keep everything you need for a good night’s sleep right by your bed. Reading glasses, books, an alarm clock, and a drink of water within reach means you don’t have to get out of bed to find them. This tiered cart offers just the right amount of space to keep all the necessities nice and organized....

For starters, walking is a low-impact activity, which means it will create less stress and strain on your joints, says Samantha Parker, MS, a certified yoga therapist and kinesiophobia and cognitive movement specialist in Washington, D.C. In terms of health, walking can help you lose weight and prevent a wide array of chronic issues, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancers, Friberg says. It can also improve your mood—especially if you walk outside—and decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress....

Fresh, frozen, canned, and dried are all great ways to add more fruit to your diet. Do aim, however, to eat whole fruit as much as possible to reap the most rewards. The Best Heart-Healthy Fruits These seven fruits are best for your heart and should be readily available at your local grocery stores. Apples Turns out an apple a day could actually keep the doctor away. Not only are apples a good way to add fiber to your diet and good-for-you flavonoids, but a couple of studies also found that people who regularly eat apples are less likely to develop high blood pressure....

So it’s not just trendy to change up your skincare routine for fall—it’s crucial for maintaining healthy, happy skin year round. Here are a few skincare tweaks you can make to fortify against the cooler temps and drier air, according to the experts. 1. For Super-Sensitive Skin, Hydrate With Elastin, Collagen, or Aloe Ann Lee, a cosmetic chemist and founder of Dermaesthetics Beverly Hills, says people with sensitive skin, or with conditions like psoriasis or eczema, might experience a burning sensation or feel overly sensitive for a few days (even weeks) during the transition of seasons....

The trouble is, colds can linger longer or get worse as a result of lifestyle habits (like eating foods that undermine your immune system) and behaviors, including those you might otherwise have thought were healthy. Below, experts dish on seven things that could make you feel worse or prolong your recovery from the common cold. RELATED: 5 Easy Things You Can Do to Make Your Flu Shot Even More Effective But do note: “Sleep may be more important for cold prevention than cure,” she adds....

So what are the kitchen trends that won’t make you cringe a few years from now? Stick with ideas that have been loved for decades. Neutral Paint Colors The classic white kitchen is sometimes critiqued for being boring—but there’s one solid reason to opt for this color: It will never go out of style. According to Houzz’s trend report, a whopping 43 percent of renovating homeowners opted for white cabinets....

It’s not merely the transition from playtime to the work and school week. Many of us stay up later on weekend nights and sleep in during the day, messing up our circadian rhythms and making us grumpy and irritable when the alarm goes off on Monday morning. The stress of starting the week may even affect our health. In fact, a 2004 study found that blood pressure tends to be highest on Monday mornings, while another concluded that Monday is the most common day of the week for heart attacks....

Fortunately, those aren’t the only perks that you can score when you own an EV. Check out these electric vehicle benefits that may just convince you to take one for a test drive (or bring one home with you). 1. You can fill up an EV as easily as you charge your phone If you have an outdoor outlet or charger available at home or at work, all you’ll have to do is plug it in, and your car will be charged and ready to go—no more visits to the gas station, ever....

Cook Your Freezer Kimchi and Beef Wontons This simple recipe packs umami-rich kimchi, frozen riced cauliflower, and seasoned beef into tiny packets of deliciousness. Eat them doused with shallot sauce or turn any leftovers into a quick soup by serving with chicken broth and vegetables. Get the recipe. The Staple: Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Ramen This quick vegetarian dinner is as simple as tossing a package of ramen noodles with a flavor-packed spicy peanut sauce, which slicks each noodle with layers of flavor....

Understanding Acupressure Acupressure has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and is based on similar principles as acupuncture (but without the needles), starting with meridians. Meridians are natural pathways in the body that allow energy, or qi, to circulate. But when qi becomes blocked, pain and sickness can ensue. Using physical pressure to stimulate certain points along these energy pathways (there are 365 classical acupoints, but others do exist), you can help restore balance and allow your body to heal....

But that doesn’t mean you should give up on your dream couch or tufted ottoman. We tapped interior designer Sarah Stacey to get her tips when shopping for space-saving living room furniture, and where to start. “Always do a furniture layout on paper as well as proper measurements to determine exactly what size pieces are needed for the room,” Stacey tells Real Simple. “Make sure to allow sufficient room to circulate around furniture, especially if you’re working with a small space....

The Toppin Eight-in-One Cordless Stick Vacuum is made with high-power suction that picks up debris from all floor types. It features three suction power modes to accommodate every type of mess, and it has a four-level filtration system with a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) to trap even the smallest particles on your floors. It also comes with several attachments to help you clean upholstery, curtains, corners, and car interiors....

The relaxer is essentially a neck pillow, though it’s intended to be used for just 10 minutes at a time, as opposed to overnight. It’s made of a soft yet supportive material that cradles the neck as the user lies with their back flat on the ground. This position, chiropractor Shelby Simon, DC, explains, can indeed provide relief. “Much of our modern activity requires us to be in a compressed and slouched posture while using technology....

But as we’ve gotten older and learned more about our skin, we’ve begun to reconsider the efficacy and safety of pore strips. We know that over-exfoliating and using harsh ingredients can be problematic, so are the adhesive strips that seemingly rip away the dirt on our noses a safe form of removing blackheads? We asked two dermatologists to answer all of our questions about this skincare classic. Are Pore Strips Bad for Your Skin “Pore strips are not necessarily bad for your skin, but it is important to have realistic expectations when using them,” says Marisa Garshick, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist....

For example, while freezing cookie dough is a well-known baking hack, did you know using egg yolks (as opposed to the whole egg) leaves you with a richer cookie? Or that the key to a perfectly fluffy cookie is a few teaspoons of baking soda? If you’re ready to take your cookies to the next level during the holiday season (and beyond), check out our professional-approved list of baking hacks and other tricks for even better Christmas treats....

Baking soda and baking powder are often used within the same recipe (especially for many types of cookies), which doesn’t help the baking soda vs. baking powder distinction. It’s important to know their different uses, though, lest you wind up with a minor baking disaster—or even a baking soda cleaning fiasco—on your hands. Read on to learn the difference between baking soda and baking powder at last; you’ll never confuse the two again....