Nourishing the body: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Posted on May 12, 2011

Now that we have taken about 25 steps forward in my last blog, I thought we’d take about 15 back! A friend of mine wanted a sample menu plan of how I eat, I hesitated at first, because what I like, and what works for me, might not work for everyone else. This is what a typical day for me would be like, I focus on ingredients that are going to provide me with  energy and taste great. I think the recipes alone are delicious and worth sharing, so here they are.

Breakfast: In the summer I usually have the Blackberry – Banana Slim Down Smoothie or the Strawberry Waffles that I blogged about previously, but sometimes I like to switch it up!

Personal Spinach Frittatas

8 eggs

1 cup 1% low-fat milk (Organic milk is very important here and usually don’t do the whole low-fat thing, I’m sure soy milk would work here too)

2 ounces sharp cheddar

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup medium red onion

2 cups baby spinach

1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400

Coat 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, whisking well. Add milk and cheese, set aside.

Heat olive oil in a small saute pan. Add onions, chopped; cook until softened (5 minutes). Add spinach; cook until wilted (2 minutes). Drain water from pan; cool.

Add spinach mixture, salt & pepper to egg mixture. Pour  mixture into prepared muffin pan; bake until tops are puffed and golden (30 minutes)

I wish I had taken a picture of these when I made them, they are quite cute! These are also super easy to make and will stay good in the refrigerator for a day or two. The last time I made these I had two, with a Food For Life 7 Sprouted Grain English Muffin with a little organic grape jelly, some watermelon and a cup of coconut milk. This recipe is from Health magazine http://www.health.com May 2011 issue. I should also add, that I usually cut this recipe in half when I make it, it yields about 6 Frittatas ( or 12 for the full recipe).

Green Smoothie

When I’m feeling a little sluggish, I will have a green smoothie for breakfast, it’s packed with antioxidants that will help you lose weight and give you a nice glow. I have to say, it took me a long time to build up to the idea of spinach in my smoothie, but you really don’t taste it.  A variety of fruits could be used here, but this is my favorite combination!

1 bananas

1/4 cup frozen peaches

1/4 cup frozen mango

1 cup of spinach

1 cup of coconut water

ice

Lunch: Lunch varies for me, it really depends on what I have going on and what’s in the fridge. This past Winter I ate the Antioxidant Salad almost every day, it’s unbelievably  satisfying and packed with antioxidants. I think it helped me to not get sick!

Antioxidant Salad

3 ounces baby mixed greens ( I have used spinach many times)

2 ounces grapes

1 ounce celery, thinly sliced

2 ounces  of walnuts

1 ounce dried cranberries

1 ounce blue cheese ( I have used Gouda, sometimes I prefer it)

4 mint leaves

1/2 ounce red onion, thinly sliced

2 ounces cucumber, diced

1/4 cup strawberry, diced

1/4 cup blueberries

2 ounces bottled pomegranate vinaigrette

kosher salt & pepper to taste

* variations: In the Winter when I cannot find strawberries, I use pomegranate and do without the grapes. You can also make your own dressing; 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar infused with either acai or pomegranate.

If I am in a hurry or don’t feel like a salad, I usually have either a few slices of turkey, Gouda and avocado on a Food for Life English Muffin (they are full of fiber and protein) or I will have what I think is called an express plate;  an apple, ounce of cheddar cheese, rye crackers and either a few slices of turkey or a boiled egg. The express plate is full of resistant starches, carbohydrates that convert quickly to energy and keep you full longer.

Dinner: Dinner is usually something a lot less hippie and natural looking since , I have to feed a  hungry man, who eats for 3 people, and loves Pasta and meat. To compromise I usually make something along the lines of whole wheat pasta, turkey burgers, pizza or grilled steak tacos. My favorite right now are turkey burgers, Travis ate 2 of them last night, so I guess they’re good! This recipe is also from Health magazine, developed by my favorite person ever, natural foods chef, Bethenny Frankel . I put these burgers on a whole wheat hamburger bun, with a little mayo, jack cheese and avocado.  Personally I think they are better than regular burgers!

Turkey Burgers

1 lb extra-lean ground turkey breast

1/2 red or yellow pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

A dash of Tabasco or Louisiana hot sauce

*I add red onions and pickled jalapenos

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Make 4 patties; put them in the broiler on a foil-lined pan coated with cooking spray. Broil patties until done (5-6 minutes on each side)

Each one is 126 calories – 59 calories fewer than a regular turkey burger and 132 calories fewer than a regular hamburger. – Bethenny Frankel

Majority of recipes I get are from either Health magazine or the Whole Foods website. Other cook books I really like include:

1. Cook This, Not That  by David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding. Full of pizza, pasta & burger recipes under 500 calories, I switch out ingredients for organic ones. The latest version has great recipes under 350 calories. We cook out of these books, so much there are splatter marks on all the pages.
2. Anna Getty’s; Easy Green Organic. I was lucky to find this half price when Border’s was going out of business here. I love the recipes in this cookbook!
3. Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels – Jillian tells the benefits of the ingredients in each  tasty recipe.
4. Robin to the Rescue by Robin Miller. I also picked up this cook book at Borders, it has really great recipes that max take about 30 minutes.
5. http://www.Bethenny.com – LOVE Bethenny’s recipes!
6. http://www.WholeFoods.com. You can search by breakfast, lunch, dinner or type of dish (i.e muffins, drinks)  Most of the recipes make will make your mouth water just reading them. Whole Foods also has a great iPhone app, that allows you to enter ingredients you have on hand and will show recipes to make.

If anyone read my previous blog and felt overwhelmed by all the things you should avoid, I hope today you feel the opposite. The easiest way to avoid unwanted additives and preservatives is to follow the advice of  writer and activist, Michael Pollan:

Rule No. 12: shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle. – Michael Pollan