Despite good intentions to prepare a nutritious breakfast, it's often tempting to grab something on the run, only to fall flat when it comes to nutrition and energy. Yet making a nutritious breakfast is as easy as 1-2-3, according to Chef Devin Alexander, a health and wellness expert and best-selling author.
"When you start the day with coffee and a pastry, your blood sugar peaks quickly and then it crashes, which may send you for another sugary snack, adding empty calories, fat and sugar to your diet. But if you include three simple components - protein, whole grains and fruit - you'll kick-start your day and feel satisfied until lunch," she says.
Here are three simple steps to a better breakfast:
Step one: protein
A key component of a better breakfast is protein. The Institute of Health's Dietary Reference Intake recommendations allow anywhere from 10 percent to 35 percent of total calories for normal healthy adults.
"Most Americans struggle to take in enough protein to make up 35 percent of their daily calories," Alexander says. "One way to stay satisfied all morning is to add protein to your diet as part of breakfast."
A recent survey of bacon-eating consumers found that bacon is the most popular breakfast protein, with taste cited as the number one factor that sets it apart from sausage and ham. Despite a love affair with bacon, however, 40 percent of respondents also listed fat content and sodium levels as their most important concerns when selecting bacon.

Ideally, you'll have a few days notice to get everything in order when you're hosting guests. But everyone knows that's not always the case. Drop-ins happen and you can make a choice between panicking or embracing the spontaneity of a last-minute get-together with your friends and family. The key to being an unflappable host is having a simple process to get your home guest-ready in a hurry.

You don't have to be a neat freak or Michelin chef to make an impromptu gathering at your house a success. You simply need to prioritize what is most important to get done, and rely on some help from modern technology to speed up the process. Here's a guide for entertaining on a dime that will make unplanned visits more pleasant surprises rather than major inconveniences:

• Enlist a full-time housekeeper. Maybe you don't have the means to put someone in charge of keeping your house clean, but you can put gadgets on the job full-time. Rather than spending time to clean floors yourself, let a robot do the work for you. iRobot Mint, which features both a sweep and mop mode, can effectively handle the job of cleaning your hard floor surfaces all by itself. Mint works with cleaning cloths made by brands like Swiffer, as well as its own specifically designed microfiber cloths that can be reused hundreds of times. It automatically cleans along walls, around furniture and into corners, while avoiding stairs and carpet, so there's no need to supervise while it does its job.

• Get into party mode with the touch of the play button. Connect your home stereo system with bluetooth-enabled technology that can allow you to cue up the tunes simply by giving the orders through your smart phone or another connected device. Curating party playlists can be a fun activity during your downtime so you can be all set to go when you get the call that guests are on the way.

The holidays are a busy season. From cooking and baking for family and friends to holiday shopping and preparing for time-honored traditions, the season will pass in a blur. Regardless, it's also the time of year when everyone has holiday cookies and extra-special meals on their minds.
While dreaming of countless delectable treats, like homemade eggnog and royal icing, there is also a risk that at-home cooks and bakers strive to avoid: salmonella. Renowned baker and author of The Cake Bible and Rose's Christmas Cookies, Rose Levy Beranbaum, uses pasteurized eggs instead of worrying about the risk of salmonella when baking her holiday treats.

Beranbaum offers tips for baking this holiday season and her favorite iced sugar cookie recipe.
• Prep the kitchen. Put away unnecessary items, clean off the counter or table top and make sure that all of the tools and ingredients are available to make for a smoother baking process.
• Measurement is key. Unlike cooking, baking requires exact measurement. One important technique is the spoon-and-sweep method for measuring flour, which can settle. Scoop the flour into the measuring cup, ensure it is full and sweep off the excess with a knife.
• Be patient. Allow the cookie sheets to cool completely before using for the next batch to avoid flat cookies.
• Think through baking times. Looking for a slightly softer, chewier cookie? Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and reduce the baking time slightly
• Use high quality ingredients. Pasteurized eggs eliminate the risk of salmonella - and they add a little fun and excitement back into the kitchen for anyone who enjoys a quick taste of cookie batter or using eggs in raw preparations like Beranbaum's royal icing recipe.

Families everywhere anticipate the holiday season months in advance. If you have visions of delicious dishes and happy guests dancing in your head, you're certainly in the right spirit, but is your home ready to make that holiday daydream a reality? By prepping your home - and especially your kitchen - for the celebration, you'll be better able to focus on the joy of your get-together.
When planning a party, the kitchen - as the heart of any gathering - is a good place to start. And, with holiday celebrations so often food-focused, ensuring that your kitchen is up to the task should be your first order of business, says Laura Johnson, home economist and kitchen expert at LG Electronics USA. First, it's -good to think about the details of your soiree. How many people will be attending? Do any guests plan to contribute dishes? Knowing how much food you'll need, and what folks intend to bring, will help you determine the demands that your cooktop, oven and refrigerator will need to meet.