Quick nutritional fixes for a healthy heart.

• Position: Diet

Most people know that a heart-healthy diet includes olive or canola oil rather than butter, less animal protein and processed foods, and more fish, beans, whole grains, and vegetables. Recent trends indicate that people are shopping for less processed foods and that companies are responding by reducing the number of added ingredients, minimizing trans fats, adding more whole grains, and reducing sodium content.

"It is encouraging that heart-healthy eating habits finally are becoming much more prevalent but, nonetheless, preparing a healthy dinner while trying to squeeze in a little exercise and help with homework still presents a daily challenge," says registered dietician Susan Rodder, who offers these solutions to this common workweek dilemma:

"Fix and freeze" meals. If you do this as you unpack your groceries, you will have prepared at least one ready-made meal for the upcoming week.

"Slow-cook" Sundays. Use a slow-cook recipe to minimize food preparation and cleanup time--you will feel like it still is your day off, and there could be leftovers to pack for lunches.

"Meatless Mondays." This concept started during World War I to ration protein for the...