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Lose 8 Pounds in 2 Weeks from health.com

You Really Can Have It All This 1,350-calories-a-day diet, complete with healthy recipes, can help you lose weight fast:

Breakfast About 400 calories (choose one daily) Open-Faced Caprese Omelet Bulk up your omelet with veggies and cut back on the eggs and cheese to net an almost 200-calorie save. Whisk together 2 large eggs; gently cook on medium-low heat in 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil to make an open-faced omelet. Top evenly with 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese during cooking. Slide omelet onto a plate, and top with 1 sliced medium vine-ripened tomato. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with sea salt to taste, and garnish with 8 fresh basil leaves.

Nut Butter and Nectarine Open Sandwich By trading a bakery-size bagel for an English muffin, you'll slash 210 calories from your morning meal. Spread 1 tablespoon roasted almond butter onto each of 2 toasted whole-grain English muffin halves. Very thinly slice 1 nectarine and arrange on top; sprinkle with a pinch of ground ginger or cardamom.

Granola Yogurt Parfait Use plain yogurt instead of a sugary one—and save up to 70 calories. Layer 6 ounces plain fat-free Greek yogurt with 2/3 cup granola mixed with 1/2 cup puffed wheat cereal, and 1 sliced peach.

Grab-and-Go Egg Sandwich Need to eat on the fly? Swing by a restaurant drive-through and order 1 take-out egg sandwich (around 400 calories), such as Wendy's Artisan Egg Sandwich with Applewood Smoked Bacon. By choosing bacon instead of sausage, you're cutting more than 100 calories from your breakfast. Enjoy with 12 ounces unsweetened iced tea with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Lunch and Dinner About 400 calories (choose two daily) Turkey Cheeseburger With Guacamole This stacked burger is piled high with veggies and is half the calories of a regular one. Grill or pan-grill 1 small (3-ounce, about 93% lean) ground turkey patty; sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve on 1 grilled whole-grain bun smeared with 1 1/2 table-spoons guacamole and topped with a 3/4-ounce slice of sharp cheddar cheese, 2 large red onion slices, 3 large heirloom or beefsteak tomato slices, and 2/3 cup packed baby salad greens. Serve burger with an additional cup packed extra baby greens, splashed with champagne vinegar.

Peppery Linguine With Pesto Mixing pasta with veggies and pesto saves about 400 calories, versus digging into a heavy Alfredo entree. Toss 1 1/3 cups cooked (2 ounces dry) whole-wheat or spinach linguine with 2 tablespoons each of the pasta cooking liquid and basil pesto Then mix with 1 cup thinly sliced red, orange, and yellow bell peppers; half of a small, very thinly sliced (crosswise) Serrano pepper; and sea salt to taste.

Sushi and Salad To choose rolls wisely, steer clear of words like "tempura" and "spicy"—these cooking preparations can easily double your calorie count. Have 1 tuna roll and 1 avocado roll, served with 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Enjoy with 1 side seaweed salad.

Chicago-Style Chicken Hot Dog Sink your teeth into this leaner poultry frank—it has 150 fewer calories than the typical dressed-up dog. Spread 2 teaspoons mustard on 1 whole-wheat hot dog bun; top with 2 tablespoons drained sweet pickle relish and 1 grilled or boiled organic uncured chicken or meatless hot dog. Add 2 sliced cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons minced sweet onion, 1 tablespoon minced green bell pepper or bok choy, and a dash of celery salt. Serve with 1/2 cup store-bought potato salad.

Lobster Wrap Made with a tortilla instead of a buttered bun and with a lightened-up mayo mixture, our version of the typical lobster roll is 300-plus calories lighter. Top 1 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortilla with fresh lobster salad: 2/3 cup cooked, chilled lobster meat, 1 tablespoon each mayo and fat-free plain Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon, 1/8 teaspoon each hot-pepper sauce and grated lemon zest, and a pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with 3/4 cup sliced Boston lettuce or other leafy greens, and roll up. Eat with 1 cup red bell pepper strips or zucchini slices, raw or grilled.

Grecian Cobb Salad With Lemony Hummus Dressing The ultimate girlfriends' summer lunch out—have a skinny version (430 calories less than usual) together outside. Top 3 cups packed mesclun with 2/3 cup each sliced unpeeled English cucumber and grape tomatoes; 3 ounces grilled seasoned chicken breast strips; 3 tablespoons each thin strips sundried tomatoes (rehydrated) and crumbled feta cheese; and 1 tablespoon pan-toasted pine nuts. For dressing: Whisk together 3 tablespoons hummus, 1 tablespoon water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pizza Gone Glam Instead of picking deep-dish, order up 2 medium slices of regular cheese pizza (or heat a 400-calorie portion of your favorite frozen one like Amy's Kitchen Cheese Pizza)—and save 150 calories. Then fab up the pizza with your favorite seasonal veggies, such as 1/2 cup each sliced baby bella mushrooms and fresh baby spinach or arugula; sprinkle with Italian seasoning or truffle sea salt to taste.

Snacks About 150 calories (choose one daily) Endive Boats With Baba Ganoush Swap potato chips and French onion dip for this refreshing and low-cal snack. Fill spears from 1 head Belgian endive with 2 tablespoons store-bought all-natural baba ganoush. Garnish with fresh parsley. Free anytime snack 2 cups raw (or 1 cup cooked) veggies; season with ground black pepper and sea salt to taste.

Grilled Apple A La Yogurt Snack on this instead of apple pie—and save 250 calories. Core and halve 1 medium apple; cut each half into 6 wedges, and grill over direct medium heat until rich grill marks form (about 6 minutes per side). Microwave on high until fully softened (about 1 minute). Top with 3 tablespoons fat-free or low-fat vanilla yogurt, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs and a pinch of ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Shrimp Cocktail and Prosecco Indulge in this skinny app plus drink pairing. Enjoy 10 large shrimp and 1 1/2 tablespoons cocktail sauce while sipping 3 ounces prosecco. Red Grape and Aged Goat Cheese Skewers Nosh on this instead of crackers and Brie for a 150-calorie save. Start with 15 red seedless grapes and 1 ounce aged goat cheese. Slide 5 grapes onto each of 3 bamboo skewers; top each with a 1/3-ounce piece of cheese.

• Gwyneth Paltrow's $2,000 Groupon meet and greet sold out in less than 24 hours. Sixty people will get to attend the private Goop.com event on June 14 with a friend, and Gwyneth will give a private cooking class from her new cookbook, It's All Good. The Groupon also includes round-trip airfare from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada to New York, airport transfers, two nights at a Hilton hotel, spa treatments and dinner for two. Given the cost of the ingredients Gwyneth uses, she may still be losing money on the deal.

• A restaurant in Australia is offering a $120 egg-and-bacon roll this week as part of Bacon Week. The sandwich features award-winning bacon from Slade Point Meat Specialists, a pan-fried duck egg, semi-dried and smoked gourmet truss tomatoes, duck foie gras, caviar, creme fraiche, shaved truffles and English cheddar, squeezed between a handmade brioche bun. It will be served with a side of chips and shaved truffle aioli. 4Fourteen head chef Carla Jones said she doesn't believe many people will try the spendy sandy. That's probably a safe bet.

• We have tablets and smartphones, but where are the flying cars we were promised in the future? Turns out that they could be just two years away. Massachusetts-based firm Terrafugia has announced its Transition design, which is part sedan and part private jet. It has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. The vehicle will be small enough to fit in a garage, and won't need a runway, as its propellers can be rotated upwards for a vertical take off. You'd better start saving--and training--now: When the car hits market in 2015, it will cost $300,000 and require a pilot's license.

• New research funded by the National Institute of Health found that dogs can provide better social support and stress relief than friends and family. Owning a dog reduces stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol and raises the level of oxytocin, which is the same hormone released during breastfeeding. 

   

  Health benefits of dog companionship:

  • Increase longevity after heart attacks
  • Lower cholesterol and triglycerides
  • Improve blood pressure
  • Reduce irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)
  • Improve blood vessel (endothelial) function
  • Increase physical activity and functioning
  • Reduce medical appointments and minor health problems
  • Predict seizures
  • Alert to hypoglycemia
  • Decrease depression
  • Raise self-esteem
  • Boost levels of exercise and physical activity
  • Improve alertness and attention among elderly people who have pets

Here are 13 recommendations from Food Tank for ways to support the future of food, health, and agriculture:

Eat more colors
The colors of fruits and vegetables are signs of nutritional content. A richly-colored red tomato has high levels of carotenoids such as lycopene, which the American Cancer Society reports can help prevent cancer, as well as heart disease. The relationship between nutrients and color is also true for other foods. Eggs that have brightly orange-colored yolks are also high in cancer-fighting carotenoids, and are more likely to be produced by healthier chickens.

Buy food with less packaging
Discarded packaging makes up around one-third of all waste in industrialized countries, with negative impacts on the climate, and air and water quality. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s analysis of different packaging for tomatoes found that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) clamshell packaging increases tomatoes’ associated carbon emissions by 10 percent. The most effective way to limit the impact of packaging waste is to prevent it. Choosing foods with less packaging can also be better for our waistlines, since highly processed foods that are low in nutrients generally use more packaging than more healthful, less processed options.

Choose seasonal produce
Earth Day offers a great opportunity to bring more seasonal fruits and vegetables into diets. Many farmers markets, including the New York City Greenmarkets, offer guides about which products are in season. Locally sourced, seasonal products can also be found at major grocery stores. Another way to get seasonal foods is to sign up for a weekly CSA, which provides a mix of fresh, seasonal produce throughout the year. Other programs, such as Siren Fish Co.’s SeaSA in San Francisco, offer seasonal meats and seafood.

Get in touch with agriculture
This time of year, many people are starting to plan vacations. A great way to skip the crowds, save money, and get both children and adults in touch with agriculture is to book a farm-stay through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). WWOOF runs networks in most countries around the world, offering individuals and families the opportunity to directly support small-scale family farmers. Participants spend a few days or weeks living with a host family and helping with tasks around the farm in exchange for free food and lodging.

Get creative in the kitchen
Shopping at farmers markets, which often have a wide selection of less-ordinary produce such as celeriac, sunchokes, or kohlrabi, can prevent “food ruts” by helping consumers try new foods. When looking for inspiration, many popular recipe blogs, such as smitten kitchen, allow users to search by ingredient, as well as season.. Publications such as Diet for a Small Planet and the Boston Globe’s new Sunday Supper and More e-cookbook series also offer tips on reusing leftovers to reduce food waste.

from www.livinggreenmag.com

When you think of movies, you think of sandwiches, right? Well, even if you don't, Bon Appetit has taken the time to compile a list of the 13 best sandwich scenes in cinematic history, which are: