By Samantha Cassetty Samantha Cassetty is a registered dietitian nutritionist. Published Jan. 15, 2026Updated Jan. 15, 2026 Reliable chicken can be at the center of just about anything: a healthy, satisfying braise, quick weeknight dinners, grab-and-go lunches, the party table. But that dependability can also make it the stuff of ruts. The recipes below illustrate…
Published Jan. 13, 2026Updated Jan. 13, 2026 Just as with ground beef, pork or chicken, there are endless ways to turn ground turkey into a fast weeknight meal. But turkey, with its low fat content and mild flavor, makes for especially delicious lighter fare. Whether you’re trying to cut down on red meat consumption or…
Published Jan. 13, 2026Updated Jan. 13, 2026 Just as with ground beef, pork or chicken, there are endless ways to turn ground turkey into a fast weeknight meal. But turkey, with its low fat content and mild flavor, makes for especially delicious lighter fare. Whether you’re trying to cut down on red meat consumption or…
By Ali Slagle Ali Slagle is a recipe developer and regular contributor to NYT Cooking who specializes in low-effort, high-reward recipes. She is also the author of the cookbook “I Dream of Dinner (so You Don’t Have To).” Published Jan. 12, 2026Updated Jan. 12, 2026 Plonk yourself anywhere in the world, and you won’t be…
In the second part of a monthlong series, Pete Wells and experts say the easiest way to a better diet is to surround yourself with the right foods. By Pete Wells A reporter for the Food section, Pete Wells was The Times’s chief restaurant critic for 12 years. Published Jan. 12, 2026Updated Jan. 12, 2026…
Congratulations, you’ve reached the final day of the Brain Health Challenge! Today, we’re asking you to do a few things that might feel a bit out of left field — like getting your blood pressure checked. No, it isn’t as fun as playing Pips, but experts say it’s one of the most important things you…
By Samantha Cassetty Samantha Cassetty is a registered dietitian nutritionist. Published Jan. 8, 2026Updated Jan. 8, 2026 Cooking at home remains one of the most reliable ways to eat well, giving you control over ingredients, portions and seasonings. It also makes it easier to build meals around whole foods instead of heavily processed options. But…
Welcome back! For Day 4 of the challenge, let’s do a short and fun activity based around a concept called cognitive reserve. Decades of research show that people who have more years of education, more cognitively demanding jobs or more mentally stimulating hobbies all tend to have a reduced risk of cognitive impairment as they…
Welcome to Day 2 of the Brain Health Challenge. Today, we’re talking about food. Your brain is an energy hog. Despite comprising about 2 percent of the average person’s body mass, it consumes roughly 20 percent of the body’s energy. In other words, what you use to fuel yourself matters for brain health. So what…
Pete Wells tells how he recovered from an out-of-control diet. And each week in January, he and experts will suggest ways to reset your own appetite. By Pete Wells A reporter for the Food section, Pete Wells was The Times’s chief restaurant critic for 12 years. Published Jan. 5, 2026Updated Jan. 5, 2026 Amazon lists…
