HealthNotes

Celebrate the Arrival of Spring

As you rejoice in knowing that more warm days are coming soon, let these fresh ideas for the season put a spring in your step:

Get ready for longer, warmer days by lightening up some of your favorite meals

• Add some color to your day with local blooms and some greenery in a pretty vase somewhere you’ll be likely to enjoy it often.

• Even if it’s wet, get outside for some fresh spring air to clear your mind, body, and perspective. (Seasonal allergy sufferers, read Get a Jumpstart on Your Hayfever to make sure you can enjoy the outdoors all season long.)

• Bring the outside in your kitchen with a window box for growing herbs. Whether you grow your own, or buy them fresh from your grocery, look at Discover the Pleasure of Cooking with Fresh Herbs to learn how to get the most flavor and life. Try a new recipe featuring a new herb each time, such as basil in Bowtie Pasta with Zucchini and Mozzarella, or try a new combination, such as mint, parsley, and cilantro in Couscous Salad.

• Get ready for longer, warmer days by lightening up some of your favorite meals. Toss our Spring Vegetable Ragout with some penne pasta for a light and easy midweek dinner. Lighten up a spring lunch with Asparagus in a Tangy Pasta Salad. And there’s no better accompaniment to a bad case of spring fever than a delicious Papaya Creamsicle Smoothie.