Since I make my sandwich obsession so public, my friends and family are always passing along recommendations and recipes. I was especially tickled by an article my mom tore out of an old Esquire magazine from 1989, entitled "New Hope For the Bread." My dad and I share a love of Esquire, so these sandos are well-suited to Father's Day. The '80s sandwich tribute included such forward-looking recipes as an open-faced polenta sandwich and a breadless one eerily similar to my eggplant grilled cheese. I chose the simple sardine and arugula sandwich (arugula in '89! who knew?) to showcase this super-healthy, sustainable fish. It was tasty but there were some things I'd do differently, find out what and read more

How do I love beets? Let me count the ways. They are ridiculously easy to roast, they add a surprising and novel texture to Summer salads, and they have an exotic flavor that pairs well with Mediterranean food. Plus, right now, they are in season and especially divine.

Inspired by a salad I recently ordered at a restaurant, I wanted to capture the graceful contrast of buttery avocado, silky beets, and sweet toasted almonds. As condiments, I used only spreadable goat cheese and vinaigrette, which I tossed with the almonds and mixed greens. The bread I bought at my farmers market was perfect: California "black bread" that tastes like sweet pumpernickel. To make your own sophisticated beet sandwich, read more

Even for the most fitness-minded among us, honeymooning and exercising aren't necessarily a match made in heaven. It's hard to get motivated to exercise on vacation, especially after your wedding. But just because you're ditching your gym routine doesn't mean you can't balance your relaxation and indulgence with some sensible habits. Here are some tips for staying healthy even when you're over the moon.

• Schedule active activities. Probably the most obvious tip, but not to be forgotten. When planning your itinerary, consider tourism that will get you moving, whether it's a scenic hike or a bike tour. Staying beach-bound? Bring along some props, such as a Frisbee or paddleball set, which will engage you and your new mate.
• Explore on foot. If you're vacationing in a city, forgo taxis and transit for walking. As long as you make sure to stick to safe areas, walking is a calorie-burning way to feel good about your vacation indulgences, and it's a great way to see a city too.

To see five more ideas, read more

One way to ensure you get your five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables every day is to pack precut veggies as a healthy snack or accompaniment to your lunches at work. To save yourself some trouble, wash and chop a large quantity of vegetables on Sunday night, then store them in the fridge to dole out each day.

Though some vegetables, like cucumber, may not keep for a whole week, many other chopped vegetables will stay fresh for days. I like to mix carrot sticks with celery spears and sliced red bell pepper. You can also wash a few sugar snap peas and cherry tomatoes on Sunday night and store those too; they don't even need chopping! Just 15 or 20 minutes of work, and you've got portable salads for the week.

Do you pack fresh veggies for work? If so, what are your favorites?

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Grilled cheese sandwiches are typically a wintertime comfort food, but add some summery farm-stand flavor, and this favorite sandwich adopts an easy, breezy attitude for the warmer months. I got the idea for this recipe when I scored a jar of delicious strawberry and meyer lemon marmalade from Blue Chair, which has an effervescent citrus flavor and a hint of rosiness. With fresh green pea sprouts, it transforms the grilled cheese from classic cold-weather meal into a tribute to Summer farmers markets.

If you can't find this brand of jam, try mixing a lemon or orange marmalade with traditional strawberry jam for a similar fruity flavor. The aged Irish cheddar provides a perfect salty counterpoint. To get the recipe and step-by-step photos, read more

With this grilling-centric holiday upon us, I'm looking beyond burgers and dogs and drooling over gourmet sausages. I love the traditional toppings of grilled onions and red peppers, but rather than use a bun, I like to split the sausage in half and toss the goods onto some fancy-schmancy artisan bread for a surprising sammie that tastes like Summer. I'm lucky enough to live near Rosamunde Sausage Grill, which sells a delicious chicken-cherry sausage, but I recommend any salty-sweet combination, such as chicken-apple sausage, for this recipe. To see how it's made, read more

A lot of you 'fessed up that you neglect stretching, but I can't imagine not stretching as part of my fitness routine. From complex yoga poses to the simplest hip openers, stretching makes me feel relaxed and refreshed and keeps me from getting sore or stressed out. I particularly love stretching my hamstrings, but tell me: what's your favorite part of the body to stretch or your favorite stretch to do?

• Hilary Duff and her man raise awareness at AIDS Walk — FitCeleb
• Updated calcium and vitamin D recommendations for osteoporosis prevention — Nutrition Data Blog
• Food on the run: how to look beyond burgers — Daily Spark
• Make your own healthy frozen meals — Healthy Bites
• Is eating a bunless burger even worth it? — That's Fit
• Simple ways to make your headache go away — Vitamin G
• Five wallet-friendly workout tips — Vital Juice Daily
• The connection between Cheerios and cholesterol — Daily Dose

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My boyfriend who was also my best friend has left me, very cruelly. Ten days after the breakup, he started posting pictures of himself with a new girlfriend on Facebook! I hate my job in the family business and want to go abroad. My parents are extremely unhappy about this. None of my friends are here anymore; they have all moved out of town, either getting married or getting a career. I am lonely. I don't even have anyone to go watch a movie with.

Although I have a postgraduate degree, I am not confident that I will find a job in this economic climate, after three years of working in the family. My mom has been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst, which may or may not be malignant. Being the only child, now I am duty bound to take care of her, postponing my rebellious move out of the country. I am 26 and have no idea where my life is going. I have taken to popping Xanax and sleeping off my days; I prefer my dreams to my reality. I wake up at nights with a thumping heart and read novels as long as I am awake. Show me a way. Tell me what to do . . . please. I need help!

— Woeful With Wanderlust

To see what the bartender had to say, read more

With so many cocktails, beers, and varieties of wine to choose from, it's good to have one standby drink you don't have to think about. Something that every restaurant stocks or every bartender knows how to make — your signature drink, if you will.

That way, if you're feeling undecided, you can just sidle up to the bar and shout your usual order. I tend to change my signature drink every so often, but my go-to beverages include gin and tonics, a Manhattan, or a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Of course, I always need fresh ideas, so tell me: what's your signature drink that you usually order at a bar?

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Seems Jamie Oliver and Ryan Seacrest have more in common than a shared love of spiky hairdos. They also want to help Americans eat better. The British chef is preparing a new reality show produced by Seacrest, where Oliver will touch down in America's unhealthiest cities and give its residents good-food makeovers using local resources.

This isn't Oliver's first stab at improving the eating habits of everyday folks. In the UK, he has worked extensively on children's nutrition, including a 2005 TV series called Jamie's School Lunches, which prompted education officials to remake school meals. The idea struck a chord with radio host/TV producer Seacrest:

Seacrest said he talked about school lunches during a segment on his KISS FM morning radio show and was struck by the amount of listener response. Then he heard Oliver was looking to bring his public service campaign stateside. The resulting ABC show will not only tackle a city's schools, but workplaces and other avenues for change.

ABC has already ordered at least six hours of the show, which will focus on cities that have shown on up lists of "America's fattest." But ABC exec Vicki Dummer says the point isn't to make fun of Americans: "Jamie has been through this mission before. He will be an advocate for change, but not act like, 'I'm from Britain and you Americans are fat.'"

What do you think of this idea for a show? Do you think it sends the right message?

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Moms can be such pushovers. Sometimes all it takes are a few well-chosen words, like "I respect you," to make her day. So if you forgot to send a Mother's Day gift, don't despair: there's still time to send an ecard! Better yet, send one for a good cause.

The Respect Campaign, devoted to the prevention of family violence, has an easy-to-send ecard that gives you plenty of space to tell your mom — or anyone, for that matter — why you look up to her. So throw together a few elegant lines about what she taught you about respecting yourself and make your mom's day.

"She is home schooled. I'm a firm believer in staying in school but, in the business, it's gotten difficult for Ali to be in school."

— Dina Lohan, responding to concerns that 15-year-old daughter Ali has been playing hooky to hang out with big sis Lindsay

WENN.com

If you need your heart warmed before the weekend, get a load of this wedding story. A Washington DC couple, who started dating nine years ago while they were both living on the streets, just got married in a ceremony organized by the parishioners at Grace Episcopal Church.

Both White, 28, and his new bride, Nhiahni Chestnut, 39, attend Bible studies and a meal program at the church. When White mentioned to a fellow churchgoer how much he wished he could afford a wedding, everyone decided to pitch in.

"In good Grace church congregation fashion, everyone got behind the idea: one person managed flowers, I helped with the wedding rings, one woman made the cake, someone helped with the tux, and someone else with the bride's gown," [parishioner Margaret Davis] said.

Another churchgoer paid for a two-night honeymoon stay at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel across the Potomac River in Virginia.

Until White went to pick out his suit, he had never even seen the inside of a shopping mall, and when the couple met, both were living on the streets. Chestnut said, "I was basically living from day to day, trying to survive, and I wound up meeting him."

Sadly, the couple remains unemployed and homeless, but their love story kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
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