Day Eleven | Eat Beans, Shed Fat

Breakfast

• 1 cup of oatmeal cooked with nonfat milk or soymilk, topped with chopped pineapple and mango and 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts.
• Grapefruit
• 1 cup tea or coffee with 1 tablespoon nonfat milk or soymilk and 1 packet of sugar substitute

Midmorning Snack

• 1 to 2 cups easy bean and veggie soup. Add leftover vegetables to a can of low-sodium vegetable juice like Knudsen’s Low Sodium, Very Veggie Juice, a can of no-salt-added red or black beans, and salt-free seasoning. Heat and serve.

Lunch

• 2 cups mixed salad greens dressed with 1 to 2 tablespoons of nonfat plain yogurt blended with Dijon mustard to taste.
• 1 grilled veggie pizza. Six-inch round crust made with store-bought ready-to-roll-out whole-wheat pizza dough with low-sodium marinara sauce, ¼ cup nonfat ricotta cheese, and 1½ cups of freshly grilled veggies like green bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms.

Midafternoon Snack

• 1 cup celery sticks with ½ cup bean dip. Good choices for ready-made, low-sodium bean dip brands include Bearitos and Guiltless Gourmet.
• 1 to 2 cups fresh fruit

Dinner

• Spicy cucumber salad. Mix 1 to 2 cups sliced cucumbers with fresh lemon juice, paprika, and cayenne pepper to taste.
• Easy Tangy Salmon. Sear, skin side up, two 4-ounce cuts of salmon in a hot nonstick skillet and cook until well browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn pieces and cook till slightly translucent in center, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer salmon to serving dishes. To skillet add ¼ teaspoon orange peel, 3 ounces orange juice, and ½ cup white wine. Boil till reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves. Spoon sauce over salmon.
• Steamed asparagus and yellow squash
• 1 cup cooked whole-wheat cous cous seasoned with a little garlic, onion, and finely diced tomato

Dessert

• ½ cup fat-free, sugar-free ice cream. Good brand choices are Breyers and Edy’s.