If you could design your dream diet, what would it include? Lots of variety so meals and snacks never get boring? Plenty of treats? A day to cheat a little? Well, we hear you—and we’ve worked all that into our program. Follow this easy plan for a month and enjoy real food (not just rice cakes and cottage cheese), your favorite treats, even a glass of wine.
The keys: smaller portions, more protein and healthier carbs. Just mix and match one breakfast, lunch and dinner plus two treats for six days of the week. Then, on day seven, indulge with a cheat day.
BREAKFAST
300 CALORIES PER SERVING
1. Peanut butter and apple quesadilla: 8″ whole-wheat tortilla + 1 Tbsp peanut butter + 1 sliced apple
2. Apricot ricotta breakfast sundae: 1 cup nonfat ricotta cheese + pinch nutmeg + ½ tsp agave nectar + 4 chopped apricots
3. 1 egg scrambled in 1 tsp oil; 1 whole-wheat bagel thin; 1 turkey sausage link; 6 oz low-sodium vegetable juice
4. Strawberry French toast: 1 slice whole-wheat bread dipped in 1 beaten egg and cooked in 1 tsp butter + 1 cup sliced strawberries
5. 1 cup toasted oat cereal + 1 cup 1% milk or soy milk + 2 Tbsp tart dried cherries + 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
6. Egg sandwich: 1 whole-wheat English muffin + 1 egg fried in 1 tsp olive oil + 1 oz Canadian bacon (about 2 slices) + 1-2 slices tomato
7. Pancakes and bacon: 2 frozen pancakes + 1 tsp honey + ½ sliced banana; 2 slices turkey bacon
8. 1 cup bran flakes + 1 cup 1% milk or soy milk + ¾ cup blueberries
9. Huevos rancheros: 6″ corn tortilla + 3 egg whites fried in 1 tsp olive oil + ½ cup black beans + ¼ cup fresh salsa + ¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
10. Sunflower pear waffle: 1 whole-grain frozen waffle + 1 Tbsp sunflower butter (tastes like sunflower seeds—loaded with protein) or any nut butter + 1 sliced pear
11. Maple almond oatmeal: 1 cup cooked oatmeal + 1 Tbsp almond butter + 2 tsp maple syrup
12. Smoked salmon roll-up: 8″ whole-wheat tortilla + 1 Tbsp whipped cream cheese + 1½ oz smoked salmon + 1 sliced scallion
13. Smoothie! 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt blended with 1 cup frozen peaches + ½ cup calcium-fortified orange juice + ½ banana + 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + pinch nutmeg
14. Greek yogurt parfait: 8 oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt + 1 diced nectarine + 1 tsp honey + 3 Tbsp sliced almonds
Find Lunch in the next page.