Any time there's a gimmick to a weight loss plan, I immediately get skeptical. Not fair, really. I should read about the plans with an open mind. Call me silly, but I'm jaded after all the crazy diet plans that have been created over the years.

Good Housekeeping has a plan they're calling The Amazing Soup Diet. Basically, they have a seven-day meal plan. You start your week by making a big pot of a basic vegetable soup recipe. Then they give you healthy meal suggestions for breakfast and lunch. For dinner, you add some ingredients to the basic soup to give it some variety. For snacks, you can have a small portion of the basic soup at anytime; you can also snack on raw vegetables.

The Good Housekeeping staffers who tried it are very positive about the plan. I, however, remain a jaded skeptic. I love soup as much as the next person, but that's a lot of soup to eat. More importantly, I think any plan that requires you to eat certain things is a bad idea. To successfully lose weight and maintain the loss, you need to learn healthful eating patterns and establish an exercise routine -- and those habits have to last a lifetime. However, unlike other crazy diet plans, there's nothing in The Amazing Soup Diet that's unhealthful or potentially harmful ... and the soup does sound tasty.

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I don't know what the weather is like where you live but in my state, the weather is decidedly chilly. We haven't seen our first snowflakes yet, but the grass is tipped with frost each morning. When the thermometer takes a nose dive, warm and comforting foods are on my family's menu. I make a mean chicken noodle soup as well as a standard vegetable, but I recently tried something new that was a major hit with my son.

I heard about a taco soup, so I ventured forth without a recipe in hand. I made the broth with tomato sauce and organic beef broth. Then I added two cans of rinsed and drained black beans and a can of drained corn. I also added a packet of taco seasoning -- but it would be healthier to use seasonings that aren't as high in sodium. Once the soup was heated through, I ladled it over some crushed blue corn chips and topped it with a little cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, lettuce, and a little dab of sour cream. It was completely delicious! And other than the indulgences of chips and sour cream, it was quite healthful.

If you're feeling the chill, try out one of these simple soup recipes from Fitness magazine. Or check out Jacki's post on 12 great ways to supplement your soup.

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Food has a very definite connection with our emotions -- it can take us back in time and privide us with the comfort of familiarity when we need it. Chances are, we all have one dish or another that qualifies as comfort food -- what's yours?

eDiets recently revealed what they think are the top 10 comfort foods:

1. Macaroni and Cheese
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Ice Cream
4. Pizza
5. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
6. Tomato Soup
7. Popcorn (probably with lots of extra butter!)
8. Chocolate Shakes
9. Pancakes
10. Homemade Soups and Stews

Most of these will not only provide momentary comfort, they'll pad your waistline too. My advice? Avoid everything except tomato soup and find comfort in a good book and a steaming cup of herbal tea.

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When the temperature soars, the last thing you want to do is slave over a hot stove. Personally, I have many days when I'm perfectly comfortable in my own home then, after cooking dinner, I feel prickly and hot and miserable. If I didn't think it was so important to feed healthful foods to my family (not to mention avoiding the high costs of eating out), I'd skip it altogether.

Shape Magazine comes to the rescue with great ideas for healthy meals with no cooking required. With so many fresh fruits and vegetables available at this time of year, there's no shortage of no-cook ingredients available to you. Some of the ideas include chilled soups and stuffed fruits or vegetables.

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Now that it's fall, those of you with apple trees are probably trying to think of ways to use up the buckets and buckets of ripe fruit you've got falling all over your yard. Sure applesauce and apple pie are great, but there is only so much of each you can a) make and b) eat.

It would be a shame to waste all of your apples as the fruit offers a range of health benefits, so for a few ideas on what you can make with the bounty currently dropping off your trees, you can take a look at this piece for 10 ways to eat apples. OK, maybe only 8 as applesauce and apple pie are on the list. But the article also mentions apple cider, apple butter and apple cake (mmmm!). The fruit also is a great addition to salads and soup, and the piece offers links to a few tasty recipes for each.

What is your favorite apple recipe?

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There are all kinds of great things about summer (it's my favorite season) but one thing many people love is that it's naturally easier to eat healthier. Sure, there are Blizzards calling to you from the Dairy Queen down the street and all those holiday get-togethers with your aunt's famous potato salad, but some temptations will never go away. Dealing with them in summer is great though because fresh fruit and vegetables are at their peak. They're cheaper and they taste better, which means it's easier than ever to satisfy hunger pangs in a healthy way. Here's a list of six of the best summer foods for weight loss and for all-around good health this time of year:

• Chilled soups
• Watermelon
• Grilled veggies
• Salads (easy on the dressing)
• Low calorie/no calorie beverages
• Fruit-based desserts

I have yet to find a chilled soup I really like, but other than that I'm on board with everything else!

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