Last week we asked our readers for their best tips for meal planning. How do you get dinner on the table, week in and week out, without getting bored? How do you stay energized and engaged with the act of cooking at home? Here are fifteen of our best and most universal tips for learning how to plan your meals. More

Do you love microgreens? These baby sprouts — just a few days old — of plants like basil, arugula, and chard have immense flavor packed into their tiny forms. Microgreens command a great deal of money at the store, and they are beloved by chefs, who use their intense flavor and delicate appearance to enhance expensive restaurant plates. But you can grow microgreens at home with nearly no effort whatsoever, and the payoff is terrific. Here's how, courtesy of reader Claire, are instructions for quickly growing microgreens. More

While at the grocery store recently, I picked up a box of almond milk thinking that I hadn't tried it in cereal in quite some time and that it'd be nice to have around the house. I turned the box over to check out the sugar content and discovered a whole array of other ingredients and preservatives that I never realized were in most store-bought nut milks. It was time to make my own. More

During the holiday season there are bound to be local grocers offering special deals to help you save on your entertaining bill. But want to a know a secret? It doesn't get any fresher or cheaper than what's at your local farmers' markets right now. Is your freezer ready? More

How well do you plan your weekday lunches? And what do you do when you don't have time to pack a lunch - does it throw you off? When I have one of those multiple-snooze-button mornings, I usually end up buying lunch even when I have a perfectly suitable - yet unassembled - meal waiting in the 'fridge at home. A friend shared her last minute lunch secret with me and it's totally changed my busy weeks. More

A package of instant ramen is perhaps the biggest cliché item in the solo cook's cupboard. It often symbolizes depression or extreme indifference, the meal one cooks when one has hit rock bottom. Of course, none of this is necessarily true. Ramen can be delicious and good for you as well as a quick, fun thing to make. Read on for a review of the three ways a single diner can approach instant ramen. More

Good balsamic vinegar goes a long way when drizzled on fresh fruit, over ice cream, or on picked salad greens. However, it also costs a bundle. So the next time you find yourself trying to decide between the good stuff and, say, the rest of the groceries in your cart, try revving up a bottle of the cheap stuff instead with this simple budget tip! More

Do you use your freezer to preserve herbs, vegetables, or fruit? The freezer can be a powerful, overlooked method of preserving. I wrote an article for Vegetarian Times that appears this month in the July/August issue, all about preserving the good foods of summer by using the freezer. Pesto, peach puree, tomato soup — stash them away now for the winter! One of my favorite ingredients, a handful of fresh herbs from the garden, is one of the simplest things to preserve in the freezer, and I just learned a new, better way to freeze herbs: In oil! More

There are two approaches to cooking for one person. The first is to make a big pot of something (soup, stew, rice) and either freeze most of it or eat it throughout the week. This is, of course, an excellent strategy. But sometimes, for the sake of variety and specific cravings, an individual portion is required, such as an omelet, or a salad, or any variety of things that can be done with a chicken breast or a salmon fillet. This is where the onion becomes a challenge and the shallot a hero. More

One of my all-time favorite ice cream guilty treats is Magic Shell. You know this stuff, right? The chocolate sauce that hardens on your ice cream? It's expensive and has hydrogenated-thingummies, so imagine my delight when I found out it is very easy to make — with only two simple ingredients. More