It doesn't have to be another ill-timed chore to put a healthy dinner on the table. Try these time-saving ideas for getting that whole food meal prepared -- fast.

• Cook grains, pastas and legumes ahead of time and freeze in appropriate serving sizes. You'll always have them recipe ready.

We've been told that sandwiches may not be the best meal choice. Often slathered in fatty condiments like mayonnaise, or piled with enough servings of salty deli meat, laden with nitrites, to feed your entire family, they just don't seem to make much sense in a health-conscious world.

You don't have to give up eating sandwiches if you want to eat healthily -- really! You can make your sandwich and eat it, too... with a few alterations.

• Try sprouted grain bread, like Food for Life's Ezekiel Bread. The live grains make it a better source of protein and more digestible than most breads.
• Choose your portions wisely. Your sandwich doesn't have to look like something Joey from Friends would eat; start by using 80% of the fillings you would normally use, and cut down from there depending on your hunger.
• Use whole foods inside your sandwich: fresh veggies, naturally raised meats without preservatives (try Applegate Farms) and condiments like guacamole, salsa, mustard, even plain yogurt, in lieu of the mayonnaise.

You are what you eat, right? Since women have unique nutritional needs, like extra calcium and iron, it is important to address those differences through healthy whole foods.

If you need a little help knowing what the best foods are, Nursing Degree has put together a comprehensive list of the 100 best foods for women. What's nice about this list is:

• these are foods that are good for everyone, so we can serve them to our families.
• the list is segmented into categories: foods for overall health, bone health, skin health, weight loss, antioxidants, and other nutritional focuses.
• there are a variety of choices under each category, so you can pick and choose the foods you like.
• dairy is not stressed as the best food source for bone health, which is great for those who are allergic to dairy or simply don't believe it is a healthy food.

Source

We know that colorful foods are best; color provides a variety of nutrients our body needs. And let's face it -- it's much more fun for our taste buds that plain old potatoes and other white foods.

How about some refreshing summer cooler drinks that will give us a fair amount of nutrition, too? Whole Foods Market has some creative recipes that will enhance your seasonal fun.

Let's start with the green Minted Lime Freeze. If you love mojitos, this is a fabulous, frozen, non-alcoholic version of that fun drink. Fresh-squeezed lime juice provides vitamin C and the mint leaves are your leafy greens.