Eating Healthy in PS: The diet thread

Great idea for a thread. I'll add a couple my favorite snack/small meals and look forward to hearing more.

Quick Pitzas:
saute onion and bell pepper
add some garlic (if you like) and pizza sauce (for quick and easy, the ragu pizza sauce is fine to me) then eat as is or put on a pita for a healthy pizza. Add other veggies if you like (eggplant, squash, broccoli). I can live off of these cheeseless pizzas and love it even without the pita when I'm out of them.

Fruit smoothies are underrated and really healthy when you make your own. I buy fruit when it's on sale then wash it, chop it, and put it in the freezer (bagged frozen berries make it even easier.) Then when I need a healthy snack, just pop a bowl-full of fruit in the microwave to thaw it some then blend it with some milk, yogurt, or fruit juice. Add a little honey if you need more sweetness. I love banana, pineapple and strawberry!

Get a little kitchen scale if you're really into changing how much you eat or loose weight. It can help you get used to what the real portion size is so you know exactly what you're eating. If you take meals with you, you can measure them out before hand to help prevent overeating.

Maybe later I'll dig out a chicken and rice recipe that is great to cook in bulk and eat off of for days and a little different than I've had before--loaded with cumin.

Flexichick wrote:
Of course, there's no substitute for alcohol, so don't mess with that ;-)

Drink bloody mary's to get a veg/fruit (where does tomato fall?) serving Use V8 for an even healthier drink. Drink you veggies!

A good place for "fast" healthy food is Second Helpings on 9th Street near 7th Avenue.

i have this great chili recipe that i love, and when divided into 5 portions, came out to a mere 5 weight watchers points. (that's very low). i'd divide it up and freeze it in single-serving portions. just make sure you eat it within a month or so, otherwise you risk freezer-burn.

it only takes about 30 mins to throw together and is a good thing to make on weekends, then eat on night one and freeze for future enjoyment...

BTW (and i am in no way affiliated with weight watchers) i joined the online-only program last year - which is very cheap and, i think, has free registration this month - and it was the best thing ever. if you do the "flex plan" you can find out the points value of anything you eat - and they have practically every brand out there in their database, so popular eating places and supermarket stuff is there too - and you don't have to stick to a weird, strict set of food like you do with south beach. i have a broad spectrum of bizarre and prohibitive food allergies, and i still did weight watchers with no problem. plus, if you only do the online bit, there are no meetings or anything to fit into your schedule, but there are message boards and tons of easy-to-understand info on the site. (but you have to join to see most of the good stuff). i'm not a big exerciser and i have an unbelievably limited set of foods that i'm not allergic to - including many of today's diet staples like cheese and all soy products - AND, i hate fish - and i still managed to eat a balanced (if not thrilling) diet on weight watchers, and lose weight.

anyway, back to my chili recipe:

serving it over brown rice adds calories/points, but i did it anyway, keeping the brown rice to a minimum, and still lost weight pretty easily and filling-ly. here's the recipe:

1 lb LEAN ground beef (90% lean or better)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
14 oz. diced tomatoes, with juice
19 oz black beans, well rinsed
1 chopped red bell pepper
1.5 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin (sold as "comino" at C-town)
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more, if that's the way you roll)
1.5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa power
1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 whole cloves
1 tablespoon white vinegar

STEPS:
1. in a large pot, over medium heat, combine beef, garlic, onions. (i find that breaking the meat into pieces makes this go faster). cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink. (about 5 mins)
2. while meat is cooking, combine all spices in one bowl and mix. also, open can of tomatoes and can of beans. rinse beans in colander.
3. dump all spices on meat-onion-garlic mixture and stir to coat evenly. add beans, tomatoes, vinegar, and chopped pepper. stir and cover loosely (leaving a little room for steam to escape)
4. simmer about 45 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.
5. yum!

i love fish tacos more than anything else.

and remember than while harder to work with, corn tortillas are FAR less fattening than flour ones.

i have to tell you, i was ALWAYS hungry on weight watchers. always.

the best i ever did was on a diet with a book called "the portion teller" by a nutritionist named lisa young. it was almost effortless, except for the exercise part. but you will never look at a bagel the same way. ever.

As a GI physician, I am always giving simple recommendations to my patients re: healthy eating habits. I recommend everyone to start their day with a high fiber cereal such as All Bran or Fiber one. If you have lactose intolerance then Lactaid milk or Soy milk should be used.

I personally like a Whole Wheat low fat tuna wrap for lunch or just a low fat tuna salad.

For dinner I have fish several times a week or grilled chicken.

I have lost 15 lbs recently on such a program and feel great.

I just worked up an appetite writing this and I think I'll go have some Cheese Doodles

The Best Dressing for everything including salad, grilled veggies, steamed veggies, fish, etc

Carrot Ginger Dressing (homemade!)

carrot ginger dressing

2 large carrots
3 pieces garlic
1 small white onion
3 inch piece of ginger
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

pulse in food processor until smooth

then add
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

pulse in food processor till well blended

then slowly stream in 1 cup of Sunflower Oil

Pulse until nice and blended!

Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks

Goes well with EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YUMMY!