Try some flavorful salad toppers to add excitement to your usual greens. (Photo credit: Mike Garten)

It’s hot outside, and you’ve got about 50 million more fun things to do than ponder nutritious choices. So just … don’t. With our simple tricks and tips, eating well is as effortless as lounging by the pool.

PROBLEM: I have no time for breakfast

Solution: Here’s your hassle-free move for busy mornings: Blend 1/3 cup plain uncooked 100 percent whole-grain oats, 1 tablespoon nut butter and all the (fresh and frozen) fruits and vegetables you like. Pour that puppy into a travel mug and let it sit in the fridge overnight; the cold will “cook” it into a creamy smoothie bowl that’ll help you stay hydrated while filling you with fiber, protein and healthy fat. Taking it to go? Drop in some ice.

PROBLEM: I’m in a salad rut —any delicious ideas?

Solution: Switch up the components. Start with non-starchy veggies, but try a new leafy green (kale or mache); cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or broccoli; and eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, cukes, celery, snap peas, artichokes, fennel and asparagus — any or all of these will work as a base.

Add two scoops of a starchy vegetable, whole grain or legume (choose sweet potatoes, squash, quinoa, beans, lentils, chickpeas or edamame). For a protein, try canned salmon, tuna, sardines or shrimp as a substitute for steak or chicken. Then, sprinkle on nuts, seeds, sliced avocado and crumbled cheese for flavor. Lastly, try seasonal “newbies”: Figs, berries and apricots are amazingly fresh right now.

PROBLEM: Is it really so bad to nuke myself a meal?

Solution: Not if you steer clear of heavily processed choices. I often zap frozen veggies (which, since they’re picked at peak ripeness, are just as nutritious as fresh) with a lean protein such as rotisserie chicken, tuna or salmon. GH Nutritionist Approved pick: Green Giant Riced Veggies and Veggie Spirals. Pop them in the microwave (or cook ’em on the stovetop), and you’re fed.

PROBLEM: Help! I love sugar, but I know too much is no good.

Solution: You’re right. Regularly consuming excess sugar is linked to higher risk of obesity and chronic illnesses like heart disease, and it also can zap your energy. So, knowing how much sugar you’re really getting is key.

Drinks, breakfast foods and snacks are the top sneaky sources, and sauces, dressings, dried flavor enhancers and even savory munchies have added sugar as a preservative. Spend a day (or three) paying attention to labels and tallying your sugar grams. Your goal is 24 grams or less a day, whatever the source. Then, make informed decisions: If you love ketchup, that’s fine — just go easy on candy that day.

PROBLEM: The vending machine at work has nothing healthy.

Solution: Bring your own snack that can power you through the day, like GH Nutritionist-Approved pick Beanitos, which have beans as the first ingredient and are higher in protein and fiber than potato-based alternatives. Other options: Single-serving (1.5-ounce) bags of trail mix or nuts; a 1.15-ounce packet of nut or seed butter, or tahini with fruit; or baked veggie chips with hummus.

ON ANOTHER MATTER …

Ask the GH Cleaning Lab

GH’s resident home-care dynamo, Carolyn Forte, shares her best tips and favorite tricks to conquer your toughest messes and trouble spots.

Q: What’s the best way to sanitize a sponge?

A: Good Housekeeping tested several popular methods to see which did best killing three common types of kitchen bacteria – E. coli, salmonella and pseudomonas. No surprise: A five-minute soak in a mix of 3 tablespoons bleach and 1 quart water was the winner. It killed 99.9 percent of all three kinds of bacteria in both plain cellulose sponges and scrub sponges. Microwaving a wet sponge for two minutes and a dishwasher cycle with the heated dry option were the next most effective, but the microwave fell short of zapping all the E. coli, and the dishwasher missed the mark for salmonella and E. coli. Sanitize sponges at least weekly. Toss them when they start to fall apart.

Recalls Alert

The following products and vehicles were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Unless otherwise indicated, discontinue use of the products immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a refund.

For more information about the products, call the manufacturer or CPSC’s toll-free hotline, 800-638-2772. Only some cars or trucks recalled are affected. Contact a dealer for your model to see if it is included in the recall. The dealer will tell you what to do.

PRODUCT/VEHICLE PROBLEM

Amnon floor lamps, sold at Ashley Furniture Home stores, independently owned and operated furniture stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com, Ashleyfurniture.com, Walmart.com, Wayfair.com and other online retailer websites from February 2017 through April 2018 for between $160 and $300.

The incorrect label on the lamp states that consumers can use 40-watt lightbulbs in the product. However, the socket is only designed to support 25-watt lightbulbs. Use of incorrect wattage lightbulbs can melt the power switch, posing a burn hazard.

Consumers should immediately stop using and unplug the recalled floor lamps and contact Ashley Furniture for instructions on how to receive a full refund of the purchase price. Ashley Furniture is contacting all known purchasers directly. Ashley Furniture at 800-477-2222 ext. 129155 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST Monday through Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, or online at www.ashleyfurniture.com. Click on the “Consumer Notifications” link at the bottom of the page for more information.

2018 Honda Pilot and Ridgeline

2018 Acura MDX

The front driver and passenger powered seats in the Honda vehicles and the driver-powered seats in the Acura vehicles may have been assembled with improperly manufactured rivets. In the event of a crash, the rivets can break causing the seats not to be secured to the floor.

As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 207, “Seating Systems,” and No. 210, “Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages.” In the event of a crash, if the seat does not remain secured to the floor, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury. Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver seat frame assembly in Acura MDX vehicles, and replace the driver and front passenger seat slide rail frames in Honda Pilot and Ridgeline vehicles, for free. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 888-234-2138. Honda’s numbers for this recall are D0S and T0T.                                              

©Hearst Communications Inc.; Distributed by King Features Syndicate

—GOOD HOUSEKEEPING REPORTS: Summer healthy eating–