One of the best things I've ever done was to see a Registered Dietitian (found in the yellow pages, or through a diabetes treatment center) and get an eating plan designed just for me. In my case, I am prone to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) if I don't eat often enough, or if I eat too many high-glycemic carbs. I also have diabetes in both sides of my family. At the time I saw her (5-6 years ago), I was about 30 lbs. overweight as well, not sleeping well, sluggish, and at high risk of diabetes in the future. She gave me a 1600 cal/day eating plan consisting of 3 meals + 3 snacks. It incorporates the diabetic exchange eating plan and exchange lists but tailored for hypoglycemia. Following this way of eating (I don't like to call it a "diet", since "diets" are typically a temporary way of eating with the single goal of losing weight) teaches proper portion sizes, meal planning, and a good balance of all the nutrients. What's more, anyone can do it; it's not just for diabetics or those like me prone to hypoglycemia, but for anyone who wants to learn to eat healthier to control their weight, whether to lose, gain, or maintain. Therefore, it can be followed for the rest of one's life. It incorporates wholesome, healthy foods including nuts, potatoes, grains, rice, and other foods that people think they need to avoid like the plague just to lose weight. But again, it's not a silly, crazy, fad diet. It's just the way we should eat. Eventually, it becomes second-nature, and it is now "just what I do" without giving it too much thought. It is also important to eat often enough that the body doesn't get too hungry, at least 3 hours apart, and to make healthy food choices, nutrient-dense foods packed with vitamins and minerals. In addition, I've made regular exercise a part of my life. I ALWAYS take stairs (unless I'm with someone who won't), and we ride bikes and walk most days of the week. I've lost 45 lbs., and I feel stronger and better than I have in years. I have more energy than I did 15 years ago, and I'm over 50. My hormones don't bother me anymore. I sleep very well (prior to this I woke up every night and didn't get back to sleep). I'm no longer overweight so I just continue the same way of eating, but adding some foods to maintain my weight, or adjust based on increase/decrease in exercise. Again, it's not a diet... it's a way of life. I do it one day at a time... I make healthy choices today, and pass up temptations (like fries) by saying "maybe next time". Next time, I do it again. I do eat those foods but only on rare occasions. And, I don't view them as "fattening" or evil foods... just not healthy ones, and I make a healthier choice instead. It's all about health and nutrition, not weight or clothing size. The weight will come off and the clothes will fit better over time, but the individual daily choices should be made with the goal of better health. And another good thing about regular exercise, especially vigorous exercise such as cycling, is that it requires high-glycemic carbs for energy. That's when I eat those goodies, just before, during, and after a ride. Otherwise I limit them to just occasionally, and just one. Like gibby3000, after years of eating this way this is now my preferred way of eating. I automatically reach for healthy choices, not junk. I eat what I should, then stop. It's not a diet -- it's just the way I eat now.

Have you ever made and canned homeade applesauce? My folks are in the "needing heart healthy" treats category and they both love applesauce. I make it in half pint jars so it is good for just one or two servings. I make varieties too, like cranberry applesauce and blueberry applesace, and even strawberry applesauce. You can find gazillions of recipes on the web, I just wing it. To can, just ladle into sterlized canning jars, leave a half inch of air space, top with sterilized canning lids, and then put in a boiling water bath with water covering the tops of the jars over an inch, and boil for ten minutes to create a seal. Let cool for ten minutes more and then take out of the bath. Applesauce is one of the easiest things to can, because even with or without sugar, it is safe to can in a boiling water bath because apples are an acid fruit. That said, I always add a pinch of orange juice or lemon juice to my applesauce, I like the flavor better that way. I use and swear by golden delicious for applesauce, but I also like Empire and Cortland. Any kind of apple can make good sauce, some are just better than others. I often go to the "Eating Well" web site for ideas of healthy holiday gifts. I linked it below. You could probably find some applesauce recipes on that site too! Here is a link that might be useful: Healthy Holiday Gifts Eating Well

One very very basic simple suggestion is to fill up a portion side container of frozen mixed veggies (you know the ones in the freezer cabinet with lima beans, corn, carrots, green beans.) Top off with a couple pats of butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. This used to be my goto lunch when I barely had a minute to fix something to take to lunch. Easy to get a bag of frozen veggies and bag of frozen parmesan in the freezer for days like this. Also, glad to have a chance to post this recipe for a Lentil Mediterranean salad. Almost wish I wasn't now retired as I would think fixing a bunch on the weekend would work with leftovers for lunches during the weekday. I've included a lot of the comments, some of which had ideas for substitutions that I thought I might want to try. I already LOVE lentils (and so does DH). Not sure if those who don't like lentils would find this good but then this might be a good way to find out if you still don't like Lentils even if it is a recipe that comes highly recommended. There were a whole lot more comments that were all positive - only some included here: from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Mediterranean-Couscous-and-Lentil-Salad-13106 Mediterranean Couscous and Lentil Salad Gourmet : September 1995 Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time. Yield: Serves 6 ingredients 1 cup lentilles du Puy* (French green lentils) or brown lentils 3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar 1 1/4 cups water 1 cup couscous 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin) 1 large garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves 1 bunch arugula, stems discarded and leaves washed well, spun dry, and chopped 2 cups vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved 1/4 pound feta, crumbled (about 1 cup) *available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets preparation In a small saucepan simmer lentils in water to cover by 2 inches until tender but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes, and drain well. Transfer hot lentils to a bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Cool lentils completely, stirring occasionally. In a saucepan bring water to a boil and add couscous and salt. Remove pan from heat and let couscous stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon oil and cool completely, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl whisk together garlic paste, remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir lentils and dressing into couscous. Chill salad, covered, at least 3 hours and up to 24. Just before serving, stir in remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. reviews 11/29/09 jennaren from Alberta, Canada I usually use spinach and basil for this recipe, because my husband has a real aversion to mint. It's great with the variation, really clean flavours. However, last time I made it with mint and arugula exactly as written - even my husband loved it. The pungency of the arugula and the earthiness of the mint really bring the salad together. Great dish every time. 09/26/09 peeblesl from Austin, TX Oh man, how is this so delicious? Even my boyfriend had four helpings, and he hates lentils more than anyone I've ever met! I definitely recommend the French green lentils - they hold their shape so nicely and don't tend to go all mushy on you. Will me making this for lunch this week and maybe next week too. 09/25/09 A Cook from Toronto, ON This is my go to lunch now -- it's absolutely delicious, but after making this a few times, I recommend the following adjustments: 1. I agree with other reviewers: definitely double the dressing. 2. I use quinoa instead of couscous. Much healthier, and the texture works better in this. 2. Omit the cheese; replace the mint with cilantro (I'm not a huge fan of mint and I don't eat much dairy, but cilantro is lovely here). 3. Omit the arugula and tomatoes. Instead, I throw in chopped green onions, chopped cucumber and chopped red pepper. I think it's nicer than with the greens, and the big batch keeps in the fridge better (one batch will last me most of a week). Delish, delish delish. 08/23/09 momesty from San Francisco Bay Area Made this for a picnic at a winery. The combination of flavors was excellent and everyone enjoyed this salad. Used small red lentils because that was all there was at home, but would recommend using regular lentils next time. 08/15/09 lucindah This was excellent, a good combination of flavors. The more mint and arugula the better. And healthy too! 08/10/09 A Cook from Cleveland, Oh Made this for the first time and was very pleased. It's a wonderful dish for a summer evening. I used brown lentils and they took much less than 15- 20 minutes to cook, I checked them after 12 minutes and they were already too mushy. The texture and appearance of the salad is better if the lentils are not mashed. 07/06/09 A Cook from Washington, DC I have made this salad many times over the years - it has so many wonderful flavors and textures and is so healthy. I took a previous reviewer's suggestion of using Trader Joe's "Harvest Grains Mix" in place of the lentils and couscous and really liked that variation. 06/14/09 hungrypeanut Cannot go wrong with this recipe. Used ISRAELI COUSCOUS which made for a much more beautiful presentation with the lentils. 05/19/09 A Cook from Mountain View, CA I've made this salad several times, usually as a side dish to chicken kebobs and Greek yogurt sauce. One substitute I like to make is replacing the lentils and couscous with the "Harvest Grains Mix" sold by Trader Joe's. This nutty mix contains the larger Israeli couscous, quinoa, red and green orzo, and split-dried garbanzo beans - a great combination! 04/23/09 radariii from UK made the recipe exactly as stated except double the garlic and it was a big hit. I got a few suggestions to perhaps add a bit of lemon, some olives, and maybe some cucumber for a little more crunch 02/26/09 kgrim from New York This recipe is just fantastic. Great combination of flavors. I followed the suggestion of several other reviewers and doubled the dressing, which turned out to be just the right amount. This is a wonderful alternative to the traditional side salad and a great choice for a potluck. 02/22/09 avbrown I thought this was great. I made it exactly as written. The only change I will make next time is to leave out the feta all together. I love feta but it didn't enhance this dish in my opinion and would be better left out. I am not a vegetarian and actually served this with grilled steak (gasp, I know). Loved the arugula and mint. Nice and healthy. 02/11/09 A Cook from Charlotte NC Great dish! Alot of flavor and really nice combination of ingredients. I fluff the cous cous after it sits with my hands rubbed with olive oil. It seperates it nicely and keeps it seperated. I used about 4 med. cloves of garlic and it could have taken more but was fine with that amount. The arugula MAKES it and is a great vegan dish if you eliminate the feta and add more tomatoes and cucumbers. I might try olives next time as well. I also added slivered scallions and cilantro as I didn't have mint. I couldn't really taste the cilantro (surprisingly). Makes enough for 8-10 generous servings and them some...but the leftovers will rock tomorrow! Cant' wait! YUM! 01/05/09 marcellene from Beaufort, SC If you need a good vegetarian lunch option, this is an excellent choice. I made it ahead and then followed the other reviewer's advice about adding the tomatoes and arugula right before serving. I also added a little extra olive oil and vinegar before eating. 08/26/08 tttterri from Wauwatosa WI I really love this salad. I made it exactly as directed except I added seeded cucumber and deleted the cheese. Impressed with how well it keeps over several days. I'm taking it to work for lunch and the only thing I've done to accomodate the salad is to slice and add the cherry tomatoes each morning when I package it. I highly recommend this salad. I'm very glad I found this recipe and all the great reviews. 08/25/08 tree1456 from Alameda, CA Wonderful salad! I added a bit more olive oil as it seemed a bit dry when I was ready to serve - try to find fresh, peppery arugula - it really makes the dish! MAde this with lamb kebobs and everyone loved it. 07/22/08 A Cook from Long Island This salad was delicious! People have made some suggestions about adding more dressing or veggies, but I thought the original recipe worked just fine...I could be wrong, but it seems that the dressing was meant to just give flavor to the bland lentils and couscous, and I don't care for food swimming in dressing. Obviously an easy salad to adapt to your liking though. Great for a summer side with anything grilled. 06/17/08 mish_lc I really enjoyed this recipe but would make a few changes next time. As others said, I doubled the dressing which worked out perfectly. I would add cucumbers or more tomatoes as well as using only 3/4 cup couscous or substituting quinoa. Otherwise it was a delicious blend of flavors, healthy and easy to make. 04/29/08 A Cook from Westport, CT This salad is beautiful and delicious. I used the food processor to chop the arugula (I used half a bag of prepped arugula salad.) Couldn't find mint, so I used about six stems of basil leaves; also chopped that in the food processor. It resembles taboule; I will try it with mint next time. Loved the suggestion of using precooked lentils from Trader Joes. I also needed to double the dressing. 04/09/08 taniquaa from San Diego, CA I made this dish on Easter for 24 family members. I added cucumber and increased the tomatoes a bit for more color. This recipe got so many compliments at the table, from the picky kids to my 90-year-old grandmother. Everyone asked to take leftovers home and for the recipe. Healthy, light, and delicious! I absolutely recommend this recipe. 03/19/08 A Cook from San Francisco I used Israeli couscous, which mixed with the lentils, were tasty and satisfying. 03/14/08 chungclan from Cincinnati OH Really delicious, but more labor intensive than I expected, with cooking couscous and lentils separately, and a fair amount of chopping to do. Will definitely make again. 10/16/07 A Cook from NY My family and guests could not stop eating this...really delicious. Used frisee instead of arugula and it was very good. 09/17/07 A Cook from Ventura, CA This is really tasty - addictive. I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of using whole wheat couscous. Also delicious leftover. 07/31/07 erflores This was really good. I used quinoa instead of cous cous to add more protein and I also added cucumber to give it more of a crunch. It turned out well but I agree with the other reviews that it needed more dressing so I doubled the dressing myself. My husband loved it and more importantly I loved it too since I'm always looking for easy, healthy, filling meals. It's a keeper! 07/01/07 stravis2 from Tampa, FL My husband loved this so much, he asked me to make it again the next day. I obliged, but made some changes to the recipe based on the outcome as written. I used red, green, and brown lentils (no big difference). I doubled the Israeli couscous and the sauce (it seemed a little dry the first time, but nice and moist the second - big difference). I subbed spinach for arugula as someone else suggested. I used grape tomatoes and a French feta. The French feta I purchased at a Mediterranean market and boy, is it tasty! 03/21/07 hikergirl31 from longwood, FL. WOW! I spent two years in Israel and gained 15 pounds from the food. This dish brought me back to the delicious land. The fresh mint, and arugula really made it super fresh tasting. This dish says it serves 6 but i brought it to a party and it was enough for 20 with leftovers... Everyone loved it. 02/17/07 andynbron I've been making this since the recipe appeared in 1995. It is a great recipe, and it is so refreshing! I usually make this exactly as written, except I substitute spinach for the arugula. However, like others have suggested, you can substitute basil for mint (I prefer the mint and spinach combination). You can also substitute fresh mozzarella for the feta cheese--I used to do that because I didn't like feta, but now I love it so I only use feta cheese in the recipe. But the mozzarella adds a nice, very subtle flavor to the salad for those who would not eat feta cheese. This is definitely one of my favorite recipes, and anytime I make it people finish it quickly and always ask for the recipe! 02/04/07 A Cook from New York, NY This recipe is excellent. Get French lentils if you can; it makes a huge difference. I used a little less feta cheese than the recipe called for. Goes really well with herb roasted pork tenderloin. 01/21/07 A Cook from Los Angeles, CA This recipe is so delicious and easy to make!! If possible, use the French green lentils as brown lentils tend to fall apart. Green lentils keep their firmness and work better in this dish. I cooked the couscous in vegetable broth to give it more flavor and sometimes add diced and seeded persian cucumbers. This salad is great to take to parties or bring to work for lunch because it keeps for a couple days and the arugula doesn't get soggy. 08/29/06 missperkin from Scottsdale Superb. Great on a hot summer day since there is little cooking on the stove involved. The mint is a must, in my opinion. 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This is my first post on the cooking forum, though I've been a lurker. :-) These are not recipes but a few ideas that can easily be adjusted to lighter versions: Since baked apples were already suggested, pears poached in red wine could be an alternative (Bosc pears). Compote with fresh fruit in summer or dried fruit in winter. My favorite summer desert that is also low in calories is simply a fruit salad without any additives, just chopped seasonal fruit in rainbow colors. I let the mixed fruit sit in the fridge overnight to get lightly sweetened in their own natural juices. And a very quick and surprisingly delicious: 1 cup cooked quinoa sweetened with 1-2 Tb maple syrup. Nice in autumn.