Classic Caprese Salad

Baked feta pasta is more balanced than it looks. Feta is actually lower in calories and fat than most hard cheeses, and the cherry tomatoes bring in a solid hit of lycopene and vitamin C. To lighten the dish further, use a whole grain or legume-based pasta — the sauce is rich enough that you won’t notice the swap. And don’t skip the fresh basil at the end — it’s not just garnish, it adds brightness that keeps the dish from feeling too heavy.

Research on home cooking habits consistently finds that cooks who plan meals in advance and deliberately cook in batches consume more vegetables, more whole grains, and fewer highly processed foods than those who make meal decisions at the moment of hunger. The brief investment of planning — deciding at the beginning of the week what will be cooked and how leftovers will be used — produces measurably healthier eating patterns over the course of the week, largely by reducing the decisions made under hunger and time pressure that tend to favor convenience over nutrition.