You get a 10 list today because I am eyeballs-deep in revising Claimed by the Wolf, de-listed by Amazon for what offense I do not know because I’m still revising it. (If you’ve been hiding under a rock, search #amazonfail and behold the fury of the interwebz. And if you’d like to strike a blow against censorship, please pre-order it from Books A Million. http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780312537425?id=4363052424764
Thank you.)

1. Instead of packaged snacks, buy nuts, fruit, baby carrots and celery. Baby carrots are ready to dip in ranch dressing and eat, celery just takes washing and cutting into sticks. A handful of nuts makes a great fast snack, and so does pretty much any fresh fruit. If you have healthy choices on hand that don’t require much or any preparation, it’s much easier to eat right.

2. Substitute whole wheat flour for white in any baking recipe. Add fiber and nutrients!

3. Substitute applesauce for shortening or oil in any baking recipe. Or go half and half to reduce the amount of fat.

4. Read labels carefully when shopping. High-fructose corn syrup turns up in the damnedest places, including canned vegetables.

5. Plan the week’s menu or at least a few meals before shopping; if you have all the ingredients and know what you’re making, it’s a lot easier to cook at home instead of grabbing fast food.

6. Don’t shop hungry. Much easier to resist temptation on a full stomach.

7. Start your morning with a good breakfast. Oatmeal is quick, easy, and inexpensive. It’s also good for your heart. Eating something nutritious early in the day is one very easy way to get your body off to a good start. Fruit and yogurt, a smoothie, whole wheat toast with peanut butter are all fast and easy. Breakfast doesn’t have to be a big production, but don’t skip it.

8. Do a little advance preparation to make cooking through the week easier. You can pre-cook rice, bake bread or muffins, grill meat, chop veggies. Double up on casseroles and freeze one. If you’ve already done some of the work ahead of time, it’s a lot easier to face cooking dinner after a busy day when you’re tired and hungry.

9. Institute a regular soup night. Ingredients go in the crockpot in the morning, and it’s ready at the end of the day. Serve with bread for an easy, fast meal that’ll help keep you and your budget lean.

10. If you really love something, eat the best and savor it instead of trying to live without it. This is assuming you don’t have say, diabetes, in which case this would be life-threatening. But as a general rule, I think denial is unhealthy and so is settling for a second-rate knock-off. If you’re going to have a donut, get the best donut you can find and live it up.