Haven't decided which Thanksgiving recipes you'll be trying out this year? Whether you're counting your calories, trying to avoid a binge or just stick to your normal healthy eating habits, we've pulled together a list of light, low-fat and vegetarian recipes for you to try out this holiday season.

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Got a favorite Thanksgiving recipe you want made-over? Nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot will revamp your favorite meal with a healthy twist. Plus, check out her low-fat pumpkin pie recipe.

When the mercury rises, who wants to turn the oven on? And, while grilled food tastes great in the summer, even standing near a hot grill can be unbearable when the weather is hot.

If the heat has you down, perk up with some delicious -- and healthful -- no-cook meals. Some ideas:

• Tomato-Watermelon Soup. Chilled or at room temperature, this blended soup is a unique taste, and it's rich in lycopene.
• Artichoke and Beef Lettuce Wraps. Roast beef from the deli is tossed with artichoke hearts, chickpeas, zucchini and other healthful ingredients in this tasty lettuce wrap.
• Salmon and Cucumber Boats. Skip the bagel -- instead pair lox with cucumber and fiber-rich triangles of pumpernickel.

It's also helpful to think ahead when you know you're not going to want to cook. When cooking dinner one night, think ahead and see what you can cook for later in the week. For example, if you're baking chicken for dinner, bake an extra piece or two for use in a cold chicken salad later in the week. Or, save a bit of grilled salmon and use it on top of a mixed greens salad another night.

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I'll admit it. I'm addicted to the Food Network. I work from home, but I miss the noise of the bustling busy office environment I used to work in. To compensate for the silence, the Food Network is on quietly in the background almost all day.

Though I love to watch the shows, I rarely make the foods I see. But over at Vitamin G, they're wondering if the Food Network is making it harder for us to eat healthfully. A lot of the commenters agree with the theory. Says one person: "Those shows instantly make me hungry, even if I just ate a meal and normally wouldn't be! I can't watch them or I would get as big as a house."

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Want to melt off the muffin top? Can those cankles? Well, you know you can't do it all by working out. Even though fitness is definitely important, you're not going to lose a bunch of weight unless you modify your diet. And, if you ask the authors of Skinny Bitch, there's no better diet to follow than a vegan one.

In case you didn't know, veganism is really the driving force behind the Skinny Bitch books. The girls have now come out with workout videos, but the diet was the first step. And, in my interview with them, they dished on how they went vegan and gave tips for helping you make your diet a bit healthier. Check it all out in the gallery below!

Also, be sure to check out the first part of my interview with Rory and Kim.

The beauty of a "before" picture is that it allows you to really appreciate how far you've come. Not there yet? Are you walking around in the body you'll one day refer to as your "before"? Watch this video and get a move on. Life is too short to spend one extra second in your "before" body. Pay close attention, take action and zoom on into your "after" body.

For fabulous cooking tips, creative workouts and more fun quick information from degreed experts in health and fitness, visit SportsHealthExercise.org.

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On a chilly winter day, hot soup often hits the spot. My problem with soup is that it rarely fills me up. Mind you, I'm a little lady and I still don't find a bowl of soup satisfying. I can't imagine how hungry a big guy would be without adding a large sandwich on the side.

I have a solution, though! For a long time, I've been adding other ingredients like cooked vegetables to canned soups to keep the calories low, the meals hot and my tummy full. It's really easy and quick and actually allows soup to become a meal in itself.

I've added my Easy to Make - Soup Dinner recipe to the online recipe book at Fitzness.com on page 32. I hope you'll give it a try!

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I have a weird fear to confess. Back when I used to work in an office environment, I was always afraid to leave my slow cooker on while I was at work. Silly, isn't it? It's about as sensible as saying I'm afraid to put clothes in my washing machine. (I'm not afraid of that. Really. I'm not totally weird ... just a little bit.)

Now that I work from home, the slow cooker is my best friend. Sometimes I'll take a break from work mid-day, get dinner going, and then I get to enjoy the delicious smells of dinner cooking while I'm typing away on my computer.

Cooking Light has a series of healthful slow cooker recipes that I can't wait to try. The Vegetable and Chickpea Curry sounds delicious to me. How about you? Are you a fan of the slow cooker? If so, what is your favorite slow cooked meal?

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I'm a big fan of Mexican food, but not a fan of all the fat that usually goes along with it. That doesn't hold me back from enjoying it whenever I want, though. I just order or make each dish in a much smarter and healthier way.

Homemade Tortilla Chips are a staple item and the great news is, they're painfully easy to make. I whip up a batch quickly and serve them with salsa (which is naturally nonfat) or my Fat Free Mexican O-Layered Dip.

Both recipes are available in my online recipe book at Fitzness.com, and I hope you'll give them a try. Other fun toppings to add to your chips are lean grilled meat, veggies, low fat or nonfat cheeses and sour cream.

Just like any other style of cooking, whenever you ditch the oil, butter and fatty sauces ... you'll end up with a much healthier meal. Ole!

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With groceries at such a high price, sending any leftover down the disposal is like throwing money away. So be more economical with your food and try these clever ways to use every last bite:

• Rice. Have some steamed vegetables left over from tonight's side dish? Or maybe you just have small bits of fresh veggies waiting in the crisper. Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, onion, corn, green beans and peas make a great addition to steamed brown rice.
• Omelet. Leftover vegetables can also be added to an omelet for a quick, healthful and easy meal.
• Pizza. Leftover protein such as chicken, ground beef or sausage makes a great pizza topping. Try a BBQ chicken pizza or come up with your own unique combination. It's hard to go wrong.
  
• Potato cakes. Leftover mashed potatoes can be made into tasty potato cakes.
• Soup. It's pretty hard to go wrong with soup. Use up leftover vegetables and add them to a broth base along with barley or another whole grain.
  
• Calzone. ParentDish's Rob Barrett shows you how to turn almost any leftover into a delicious calzone.
• Salads. Tuna, chicken, beef, cut veggies, nuts and fruit are all great salad toppers.

Using and reusing leftovers is an economical way to go. But remember safety and ditch those leftovers when it's time.

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Grocery costs are a bit crazy right now. I was forgiving of it when fuel costs were also outlandish ... after all, food has to be transported so fuel costs directly effect grocery costs. But now the fuel costs are down and grocery costs are staying high. I don't know about you, but I think it's totally unfair.

In these tight economic times, we all have to be penny-pinchers. Since meat is one of the most expensive grocery items to buy, it only makes sense to cut back. Beans and tofu spring to mind as meat-replacements -- they're inexpensive, filling and high in protein. Another great option -- though not high in protein -- is mushrooms.

Swapping mushrooms for meat isn't only economical, it's healthful, lower in calories, filling and completely tasty. Try them in lasagna or grill up a marinated portobello as a burger. A recent study found that when participants ate meals where mushrooms replaced beef, they consumed an average of 420 fewer calories. Great news if you're trying to lose weight!

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Sometimes, it's not just what you eat, it's how you prepare it. If you want a french fry, a baked version is undeniably healthier than a deep-fried version.

The queen of all things domestic, Martha Stewart, has recipes for every healthy cooking method:

• Baking. When you bake foods rather than fry or other fat-adding cooking methods, you can reduce your overall calorie intake. (Now if only cakes and cookies could be considered healthful just because they're baked.) Some of the healthy baking recipes on Martha Stewart Living include Walnut Crusted Chicken Breasts and Parmesan Coated Sweet Potato Fries.
• Steaming. When vegetables are just lightly steamed, you can retain many of the nutrients. Some recipes to try are Steamed Broccoli With Miso-Sesame Sauce and Green Beans With Golden Raisins.
• Stir-Frying. Stir-fries are such a quick and easy go-to meal. And you have complete control over how much fat you add to the dish. Try out Brown Rice Stir Fry.
• Sauteing. When you use healthy fats like olive oil, sauteing can be a light and healthy way to cook. Give Cinnamon-Spiced Moroccan Chicken and Saute-Steamed Swiss Chard a try.

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It must be fun to work at Cooking Light magazine -- concocting all sorts of healthful recipes and taste-testing all of them. Wait a minute. Maybe that's not so great. Even healthful recipes can land heavily on your hips if you do too much taste testing.

So, in lieu of trying it all myself, I'm happy to accept Cooking Light staffers' picks of the best recipes from 2008. There are 46 recipes in their Greatest Hits of 2008 list -- here are some of the recipes that are tempting my taste buds:

• Seafood Risotto. The three S's in this dish make me a bit weak in the knees: Shrimp, scallops, and saffron. Yum.
  
• Golden Winter Soup. Soup is a favorite in my house, and this one sounds particularly comforting.
• Korean Spiced Beef and Cabbage Rolls. My mother used to make a meat and cabbage "pie" when I was a kid, and I loved it. The Korean spices in this recipe would put a unique twist on a familiar taste.

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What comes to mind when you think of kid recipes? Growing up, I know I was relegated to making cookies and cupcakes -- Mom just didn't trust me with much else. But the definition of what kids can and can't cook is changing, according to the New York Times. Now kid-targeted cookbooks offer up recipes like roast chicken, brisket and other main dishes.

It's not just a move that will benefit lazy parents -- it's a healthy one too. After all, kids who only know how to make cookies could end up eating a lot of cookies. And teaching kids how to cook healthy foods for themselves at an early age is a way to get them interested in fresh food and taking part in preparing it.

What do you think? Would you want your little one cooking up a chicken?

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Have you ever had food poisoning? Get the down-low on the dirtiest foods.

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Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis knows her way around a kitchen -- especially when she's cooking up one of her tempting Italian dishes. But how does she stay as slim as she is when she's eating pasta and other not-so-light foods?

De Laurentiis says: "Food is not the enemy." In fact, she readily admits that she's addicted to chocolate and doesn't think she could give it up. De Laurentiis swears by portion control and says, "It's not food; it's how much you eat." De Laurentiis enjoys pastas and other heavier foods in small portions and makes sure she eats more greens than carbs.

De Laurentiis also believes in enjoying food. She says good quality ingredients enhance your enjoyment, and she recommends buying ingredients that are in season for maximum flavor.

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