Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Georgia's Food Ideas for Beginners


Goal: Balance protein and carbs for healthy weight and overall good health.

Goal: Eat every 2 1/2, to 3 hours (awake hours)

Goal: Enjoy a variety of good food.

Goal: Drink at least 10 cups of water a day, more if you can, especially if you exercise.

Portion sizes and # of snacks per day may depend on your individual calorie intake. I am eating 5 small meals and 1 larger Family Meal a day. Below is a sample of my eating schedule along with some of the foods I enjoy, I would be happy to talk to you about adjusting this to meet your individual needs. The amounts given are the calorie needs for most women, interested in decreasing body fat. Men should double serving sizes. Call or email me if you have any questions. Georgia 801-885-1111

Meal# 1. Pre-workout snack 6:00 a.m. I am a morning exerciser so my first meal of the day is the Access Bar or Choc. Access Shake, this could be replaced by whatever you like to eat before exercise, or just start the day with breakfast and exercise later. If you exercise after kids are off to school, you could use the Access Bar as your second breakfast 15 minutes before you start.

Meal #2. Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Omelet - served with wheat toast or Carb chopper tortillas and water. See omelet instructions in recipe section of blog.

or 1/2 c. Cooked Cereal with protein powder– cracked wheat, oatmeal, 6 grain, cream of wheat, (check label for your serving size) served with one scoop vanilla protein powder, please refer to recipe section of blog

or 1/2 c. Cooked Cereal and 4 egg whites

or Attain Shake- This is a completely balanced small meal

or Low fat cottage Cheese, Yogurt and Berries- 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, mixed with about 1/4 cup of low fat yogurt (can adjust amount by looking at number of carbs) and your favorite berries. This has also become my new spread for pancakes and French toast.

or Whole grain French toast or pancakes can be made with added protein by adding protein powder to your skim milk or water when mixing them, and served with cottage cheese and yogurt topping.

or Hard boiled eggs (throw-out the yokes) with toast and always add a glass of water

Meal# 3. 12:00 noon String Cheese Wrap- 2 slices of low-fat Canadian bacon wrapped around a mozzarella string cheese, my husband, Kirt eats two with mustard

or Tuna (1/2 can) prepared with salsa or relish or low fat dressing serve with tomato and lettuce on wheat toast, multi-grain crackers, or baked wheat pita chips or baked carb chopper tortillas. I bake these myself by spraying them with Pam, olive or canola oil and adding a little sea salt, cutting them with my pizza cutter and bake them at 400 for 7-12 minutes, watch not to burn. My favorite is tuna mixed with low fat cottage cheese and eaten as a dip with the multi-grain tortilla chips from Costco.

or Attain strawberry, choc, or vanilla Shake mixed with water or skim milk. Kirt takes the powder measured out in a shaker cup to work with him and adds water from his water bottle and shakes when he is ready. Much healthier and cheaper than Wendy’s ($1.50, my serving size is $1:00 a serving). If he were around a blender he would rather mix it up with ice and skim milk and 1/2 banana.

or Egg salad made with already boiled eggs, celery, and seasonings, low fat and low carb dressing or salsa can be added serve on a carb such as those suggested above with the tuna. I love to make an egg salad sandwich between two flat buns.

or Proflex or Attain Bar w/ cheese stick

Meal #4 3:00 p.m.: Chicken or Turkey Breast, Sandwich or Wrap (pre-cooked, lean meat is great to have on hand, prepared and ready to grab from the fridge quick) serve with lettuce and tomato Serve on wheat bread, or in a carb chopper tortillas as a wrap.

or Meat and Bean Burritos – Please see Grandma Johnson's Burrito recipe in the recipe section of the blog. When made with a low carb. tortilla, they are a balanced protein and carb snack or meal. They taste great, are nutritious, and economical.

Meal #5 Dinner 6:00 p.m.: The dinner meal is a larger family meal, allowing you to double the portion and calories of the small meals eaten throughout the day. I think it’s best to serve something the entire family will enjoy together (who wants to cook two dinners? Not me!). Ideas here are unlimited. I have gone away from casserole style meals with hidden calories, fats and loaded with carbs. Simple meals of a palm-sized portion of protein, such as chicken, fish, and lean cuts of pork and beef. A palm-sized portion of carbohydrates, such as potatoes, squash, whole grain rice pastas and breads and plenty of veggys, green salads are great to add.

I have also discovered the use of spaghetti squash in place of noodles; I think they taste great, I usually cook noodles as well for the kids, but several of my kids prefer the squash.

I love the recipe book “Eating for Life” I got it on halfpricebooks.com; it has great ideas for dinners, snacks, and fun desserts.

Meal #6 9:00 p.m.: Kirt is an evening exerciser so this is when he eats an Access Bar; make sure there has been enough time following dinner to empty your stomach (at least 2 hours), to get the best effect from your exercise bar. If you have carbs in your stomach you will burn them instead of your body fat.

I will try to choose a snack that is high in protein. I will need the protein to build my muscle while I sleep. Probably my most favorite is cottage cheese with yogurt and fruit. I have recently discovered Greek Yogurt, a high protein yogurt. I buy the fat-free plain. I add my own sweetener, usually agava (a natural, low glycemic sweetener from a cactus plant), and berries for a balanced snack.

Proflex or Attain Shakes- Evening time is usually when I crave unhealthy snacks. These shakes mixed with ice and water, or skim milk tastes just like a yummy shake. I like that I'm getting the protein in before bed, and the crave blocker in the shake helps me feel full right up until bed time.

Mozzarella Popcorn- 2 cups popcorn sprayed with no fat butter spray and topped with 1 and 1/2 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese melted on top.

Protein Pudding -Sugar-free, fat-free instant Jell-O pudding made with one scoop protein powder such as Melaleuca’s Attain or Proflex shakes.




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