Ideas For Each Meal

Well, we are almost done with week 1! Everyone is doing a great job.

I know I talk a lot about how important the nutrition part of the program is, and it is. But, we need to be careful not to be so worried and overanalyze which foods are okay, that we just give up and eat whatever. You guys have had a lot thrown at you this week. Hang in there! This will all come together.

I wanted to give some ideas for each meal. First I will list foods that are good for this type of diet under each meal. Then I'll show you variations, meaning what I put together to make my protein/carb numbers. I'll use my protein/carb ratio as the example. It should be close to yours. For me it's 12 g protein/ 22 g carbs. As you can see you'll be combining foods to get those numbers.

(Disclosure: These aren't the only approved foods for our plan. I'm just sharing what I eat. If you find something that also fits, please share. The more variety, the better!)

Meal #1 - Breakfast, 12 g Protein + 22 g Carb. If you start the day right with a good breakfast, you are setting your day for success!

1. Eggs- easy on the salt, cook using non stick spray instead of oil.
2. Turkey Bacon
3. Whole Wheat Breads/Tortilla
4. Bagels/English Muffins
5. Low fat Cheese
6. Special K has a protein cereal called "Special K Protein Plus". It has 10 g of protein.
7. Oatmeal. Look closely at the labels to make sure you choose one that is not high in sugar.
8. Smoothies. I like milk, a few strawberries, use honey or 1/2 a banana for the sweetner.

Here's some variations of what I like to eat for breakfast:

**1 egg, 2 slices of turkey bacon, a slice of toast and 1/2 svg of fruit (fruits count as carbs).
**1/2 bagel, 2 tbsp Natural PB, 1/2 serving fruit. (PB and Almonds are great for protein, but only eat them for 1 meal as they are high in fat.)
**1/2 bagel with smart balance butter, milk (see serving size to fit your needs)
**Egg, cheese, english muffin to make your own "McMuffin"
**2 eggs, a little cheese, mushrooms, peppers, etc. for an omelet.
**Serving of Special K, splash of milk and 1/2 sliced banana, strawberry, or peach.
**Breakfast burrito in a whole wheat tortilla


Meal #2. Mid-Morning Snack. 12 g Protein + Veggie:

1. low-fat string cheese
2. Carrots/Cucumbers/Celery/Broccoli- easy "finger" veggies
3. Almonds/PB (if you had PB for breakfast, find a different protein)
4. Cottage Cheese- 13 g's of protein!!
5. rolled up deli sliced turkey
6. Protein shake (my shake has hardly any carbs and just proteins. I like to eat my carbs. I don't mind drinking my proteins!)
7. Tuna- I no likey, but if you do, it's a great source of protein. Make sure you buy the ones canned in water, not oil.
8. Boiled egg

Variations:

**string cheese, almonds and "finger" veggie.
**string cheese, celery with 2 tbs PB
**Cottage Cheese and Veggies
**2 slices of deli turkey rolled up with veggies
**protein shake with veggies.
**boiled egg, string cheese and veggies
**REMEMBER, you are eating foods with proteins only for this meal, so it may be a little limited.

Meal #3- Lunch. 12 g Protein + 22 g Carb + Veggie

Most of my lunches consist of salad (don't use iceberg. Go for romaine or other dark green leaf) or sandwich. If I have leftovers from dinner, I'll eat those.

Variations:

**taco salad- prepare ground turkey (or if you refuse to try the turkey, the leanest ground beef you can find) with taco seasoning directions. Toss with salad. To add carbs to the salad, you can cut a whole wheat tortilla into strips and broil for some crunch.
**grilled chicken salad (I usually marinate chicken in low fat zesty italian and then grill it on my george foreman grill. Slice it up and keep in fridge for salads.)
**Good salad mixins: garbanzo beans, black beans, boiled eggs, cheese, red onion, cucumber, tomato, tuna, whole wheat croutons (carb), deli turkey cut into slices, corn (carb).
**Sandwiches: your choice of low fat deli meat, cheese, lots of lettuce, sprouts, tomato, etc. Or you can make a wrap with a whole- wheat tortilla, and I love pita sandwiches too.
**Try using hummus on your sandwiches for a spread instead of mayo. I like the hummus with red pepper. Hmm Hmm good!
**REMEMBER: if you're having a salad, don't forget to have your carb serving as well.


Meal #4- Mid-Afternoon Snack. 12 g Protein + 22 g Carb

1. protein bar (look for one that fits your p/c ratio the best. Also watch the sugar. If my carb # is 22 g, and there is more than 10 g of sugar in the bar, that is a lot. I eat the Atkins bars and they only have 1 g of sugar.)
2. Milk (I will add a little low fat choc. syrup to mine to help my sweet tooth craving)
3. protein shake
4. whole wheat crackers- there are some that are pretty good like the triscuit ones. I can eat 15 of those (for the carb part of the meal) and that adds something nice and crunchy to eat.
5. Any other ideas from list above. Just make sure you get enough carbs and proteins!


Meal #5- Dinner 12 g Protein + 22 g Carb + Veggie

Protein: My dinners mostly consist of a marinated lean meat the size of my palm. I also like beans and shrimp (not together).

Carb serving dish of: brown rice, wild rice, couscous, whole wheat pasta, sweet potato, or whole wheat bread.

Steamed/grilled veggie: Remember that potatoes and corn are not considered a veggie!

You can get healthy dinner recipes from South Beach and Body for Life websites. I'll also be adding recipes.

Meal #6- Evening Snack (eat before 8 pm)- 12 g protein/ 22 g carb

Use any of the above ideas to get the right protein/carb ratio. Usually for my last meal I like something a little sweet. Here's a few of my variations:

** sugar free chocolate pudding(carb) with a scoop of protein powder. Makes a thick, delicious treat.
**A few slices of canned peaches (carbs) in a bowl. Sprinkle cinnamon and warm up in the microwave. Top with Special K Protein Plus and a splash of milk for a warm, crunchy treat.
**Milk (protein +some carbs) and Cinnamon Tortilla (carb): Broil a whole wheat tortilla until crisp (don't burn it!), spread with smart balance butter and sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar and some cinnamon. .

I hope this helps! Please do not hesitate to call, email, or chat with me in class with questions. I'm here for ya!