Breakfast and Lunch Ideas for Busy People

These tips come from Judy Fehlenberg, the nutritional expert member of our team.  Try them when you are pressed for time and still want a tasty and nutritious meal.

Too busy to think about what to make for breakfast or lunch? Try these easy-to-make ideas.

Breakfast

You do not need to eat the same breakfast day after day. Try one of these easy suggestions:

▪ Spread cottage cheese on a piece of raisin bread, top with a dollop of crushed pineapple, and broil for a few minutes

▪ Cook soy sausage patty according to package directions; mix Egg Beaters^®, diced red pepper, precooked soy sausage patty (crumbled), low-fat cheese, and salsa together; cook over low-medium heat in a skillet; then wrap egg combination into a tortilla 

▪ Mix low-fat pancake mix, according to package directions, but add a few handfuls of bran cereal and fruit before cooking

▪ Make Cream of Wheat^® according to package directions, and then stir in reduced-calorie jam and slivered almonds

▪ Make a bowl of old-fashioned oats, according to package directions, but halfway through the cooking time add ¼ cup (C) chunky applesauce, 1 diced banana, ¼ C raisins, and a dash of cinnamon; stir in ¼ C vanilla-flavored soy milk 

▪ Mix ground turkey, one or two slices of torn wheat bread, sage, a diced apple, and a dash of black pepper together; form mixture into patties; broil until cooked through

▪ Mix Egg Beaters and milk together; add some vanilla extract and cinnamon; dip thick slices of whole-grain bread into mixture, coating both sides; place into a baking dish and add peach slices to dish; bake for 15 minutes at 450° F, flipping halfway through baking time

▪ Mix 1 C Egg Beaters and ½ C lite whipping cream together; add diced bell pepper, fresh broccoli, reduced-fat Swiss cheese, and/or low-sodium ham to egg mixture; pour into a 9″ frozen pie shell, which has set out for several minutes to soften; spread with 1 tablespoon (Tbsp) yellow mustard; bake for 30 minutes at 350° F or until egg is set 

▪ Spread a whole-wheat English muffin with peanut butter; top with a sliced banana; drizzle with honey

▪ Top frozen whole-grain waffles with blackberries and lite maple syrup; add a dollop of reduced-fat whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon

Lunch

You can prepare all of these meals the night before. All you need is a refrigerator for storage or an insulated lunch box to keep the food cool.

▪ Mix cooked cheese tortellini with peas; stir in a dressing made from fat-free mayonnaise, mustard, and skim milk; chill well; serve chilled

▪ Marinate sliced cucumber, broccoli pieces, sliced onion, diced tomato, and sliced red or green peppers in honey mustard; serve vegetable/mustard mixture in a whole-grain pita pocket

▪ Mix a can of chicken with low-fat mayonnaise, a diced Granny Smith apple, a small handful of raisins, and a dash of black pepper; serve on a ciabatta roll

▪ Cook 1 C bulgur in 1 C boiling water for 5-10 minutes; mix in cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced onion, a splash of lemon juice, and fresh mint

▪ Mash a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas with a jar of sun-dried tomatoes (drained and chopped) and ½ C low-fat mayonnaise; spread on a whole-wheat tortilla, lined with fresh lettuce leaves; sprinkle part-skim mozzarella cheese on top

▪ Mix cooked long-grain rice, drained and rinsed canned black beans, and salsa together; serve chilled

▪ Combine cooked rotini pasta with cooked chicken breast, an assortment of your favorite vegetables, reduced-fat cheese cubes, and Italian dressing; chill well; serve chilled

▪ Mix your favorite variety of lettuce with chopped red onion, black or green olives, and feta cheese; drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar; serve in a whole-wheat pita

▪ Mix cooked pasta with canned salmon and baby tomatoes; drizzle with a basic vinaigrette or low-fat Italian dressing

▪ Mix Neuchâtel cheese and drained roasted red peppers together; spread on whole-wheat crackers; top with smoked turkey breast 

Portion Control

The basis for the Plate Method for Good Nutrition and Weight Loss is relying on portion control to limit the calories you eat.  It is very simple but not that easy.  There are people out there who have no trouble at all with portion control, but not many. For most of us, there is a big difference between what we need to eat, and what we want to eat. And a lot of the time, unless we're really strict with ourselves, want is going to win out over need.

We are using tableware that is smaller than what is commonly used nowadays.  There is a significant body of work in the scientific literature that backs up the effectiveness of this approach.  Let me tell you about one such study.

So a couple of guys at University of Pennsylvania, Andrew Geier and Paul Rozin, actually get paid to study this stuff. They've conducted studies on "unit bias"--how people decide that a particular portion of food is the right amount, and how that influences how much food people eat.

In one study, they put a large mixing bowl of M&M's at the concierge desk of an apartment building. Below the bowl hung a sign that read "Eat Your Fill" with "please use the spoon to serve yourself" written underneath.

The tricky researchers sometimes set out a small spoon for people to use, and sometimes a large one.

When there was a small spoon, most people took a single scoop, even though the sign encouraged them to "eat their fill." But when the spoon was larger, they'd take a much bigger scoop and eat twice as many M&M's.

"It is more than just people afraid of appearing greedy," said one of the sneaky scientists. "They didn't know they were being observed. We have a culturally enforced 'consumption norm,' which promotes both the tendency to complete eating a unit and the idea that a single unit is the proper amount to eat."

So, dear readers, don’t underestimate the power of the plate to get you where you want to be.

Let me know how the plates are working.

Paul

Chili Recipe from Chuck Davis

The following recipe comes from one of our own, Chuck Davis.  I very much appreciate his sending it for posting.  Try it out.
 Paul

Veggie Chili

1 pound of really good ground beef (use the <8% fat ground beef)

1 whole big onion-chopped

2 green peppers- chopped (you can use one green and one red; it makes it more colorful)

5 stalks of celery- chopped

2 cans of tomatoes- stewed or reg or whatever style you like

1 can dark red kidney beans- drained

½ head of cabbage chopped fine

4 cups V-8 juice

¼- 1/3 cup vinegar

Cook the ground beef, onion, celery, salt and pepper, and peppers together until the meat is not pink. Put in a big pot. (5 quart+) Add the tomatoes and kidney beans, and then add chopped cabbage on top

Pour in enough v-8 to almost cover the veggies…cook over slow heat until the cabbage is clear. About 20 minutes before eating add the vinegar… it brings out the flavors. Makes 5 quarts…

This is a Weight Watchers recipe

The real reason dinosaurs became extinct

RECIPE FOR THE DAY

Recipe Makeover: Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

The Chef: Lisanne Kaplan, teacher and part-time graduate student, Lyme, Connecticut

The Recipe:  Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

The Story: Years ago, Kaplan flipped through a favorite cookbook to find an impressive breakfast she could make ahead for a family gathering. Her savory Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Casserole was a smashing success and soon became a family tradition. Today breakfast remains a favorite meal in the Kaplan house, “enjoyed in pajamas with mugs of good coffee and lively conversation,” she says. But with work, school, and activities with her children, Kaplan needs a make-ahead meal that will be a more healthful, energizing start to the day.

The Dilemma: This heavyweight casserole called for 11/2 pounds pork sausage, 11/2 cups full-fat cheese, and nine whole eggs. Each serving had 10 grams of saturated fat―more than half the average daily allotment, according to the American Heart Association―and a whopping 204 milligrams of cholesterol, or two-thirds the daily limit. And the sausage and cheese contributed about 900 milligrams of sodium (or 40 percent of your daily recommended intake) per serving.

The Solution: Since breakfast turkey sausage has about one-third the fat and half the calories of pork sausage, we use 12 ounces of the flavorful poultry sausage. This eliminates three grams of saturated fat, and using a bit less turkey sausage shaves 187 milligrams of sodium and 20 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. Instead of using nine large eggs, we combine three eggs with two cups egg substitute to offer a fluffy egg texture and taste without missing another two and a half grams of fat (one gram saturated) and 115 milligrams of cholesterol in each portion. The swap from whole milk to one percent low-fat milk trims another gram of fat. The last big change involves using a bit less cheese, and finely shredding reduced-fat extrasharp cheddar to better distribute the smaller amount and perk up the flavor. This cuts another two and a half grams of fat per serving. Since we halved the original amount of salt, a bit of ground red pepper adds a little spiciness and zest to the casserole while shaving some sodium. Using less sausage, cheese, and salt brings a serving to a more respectable 28 percent of your daily sodium allotment and a more healthful way to start your day.

The Feedback: Without exception, the Kaplan family agrees: Their traditional casserole is improved, with a fluffier texture and more pronounced egg and sausage flavor. No one missed the casserole’s greasy edge. “Using finely shredded sharp cheese was a great tip; the flavorful cheese was more evenly distributed throughout the dish,” Kaplan says. Her husband liked the more pronounced egg flavor, and her daughters ate more of the light version than they ate of the original.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Before | After
Calories per serving
346 | 184
Fat
25.8g | 6.8g
Percent of total calories
67 percent | 33 percent 





KEEPING A FOOD AND ACTIVITY DIARY

This simple task can be one of the most helpful pieces of assistance available.  There has been a tremendous amount of scientific study about record keeping and all evidence points to the usefulness of recording one’s food intake.  It is so important that I am going to insist that you begin with this exercise.  Here is how it works.

Carry the diary with you always.  Write down everything you eat or drink during the 24 hour period that day.  Write down the time you ate.  Estimate the amount of food or beverage you took in. It’s not vital that you are extremely accurate in your estimations.  People tend to under estimate the amount of calories they take in, but the point of keeping the diary is to get a better idea of your individual eating habits and to try to improve on them.  I have also found that recording your food intake serves somewhat as a deterrent to over eating.  Sure, one can intentionally omit or under report their intake, but what is the point of going through the time, trouble, and the expense of this program if you are going to cheat on yourself.  If you can’t do this initial exercise, then perhaps you are not ready to make the commitments necessary to be successful.

There should be space to include your physical activity for the day in the diary as well.  This helps to get you to feel that physical activity counts as well toward meeting your goals.

Remember the sites on your smart phone like Lose It! that make journaling that much easier.

Good luck with the diary keeping.  Believe me, it will really help.

Paul

The Path

THE PATH

During one of our conversations this past Thursday I remarked to one of you about how although the group has a relatively small number of health issues we are discussing, there is great diversity among  the participants with regard to severity of disease, understanding of the nature of their problem, and even commitment to actively engage the issues at hand.  This realization initially took me back a bit, wondering how to best fit a program like this to be of some benefit to each member of the group.  Then I remembered what one of my many previous golf teachers said as he compared my game to his.  He said we at different places along the same path of trying to improve.  (I must have taken a detour to the hooking the ball into the woods part of the path, but that’s for another day.)  That idea struck me as a way to visualize us as a group.  Think about our members walking along a common road toward living healthier lives.  Picture each of us moving along at our own pace, sometimes stumbling, sometimes sprinting toward the goals we have set for ourselves.  Also picture how we can lend a hand to those on the road with us who have had a misstep or who may have even lost their way. 

This experience will no doubt be enhanced by the communal effort put forth by its members.  I know we all lead busy lives and that time is indeed short enough as it is, but I truly believe that  sharing helpful experiences or information with those who need it will also enhance the experience of the giver.  Give it a try.

Have a good week.  Stay on the path, being careful to avoid the Krispy Kreme detour.

Paul