We will not be counting calories or weighing food (BORING!). We will be exercising our better judgment regarding portion size. A serving of fish, poultry or meat should be no larger than your closed fist. This applies to tofu and TVP, textured vegetable protein/“vegetarian meat”/veggie burger patties, too.

I have not listed any serving sizes for the raw or lightly steamed vegetables because you can (and should) eat as much of these as possible. They will quench your hunger because they add “bulk” to your meal. They will also provide your body with an astounding amount of vitamins & minerals.

If you are cooking for yourself and your family, I do NOT want you to prepare separate meals: You’re not on a diet (bad word!)! The foods listed can and SHOULD be eaten by everyone in the house. One of our goals during this challenge is to change the way we eat. Introduce new foods to young people slowly. You just may be surprised to learn how many different vegetables your children will enjoy. If I may offer a bit of advice: Don’t make an announcement to your family that you’re going to make changes to your cooking/eating habits. Just do it. I am not a believer in “disguising” healthy food in an attempt to get your children to eat it. If your children do not want to eat what you have prepared, don’t force them… but please, don’t make something else for them.  You will start a vicious cycle. They will not starve: They will eat when they’re hungry.  Trust me on this one.

The first meal of the day is traditionally called “breakfast” because you are breaking the fast you underwent as you slept. Your stomach is empty and needs replenishment. When you wait too long in between meals, you have a higher chance of over eating because you feel ravenous.

If you drink coffee early in the morning, chances are you won’t be too hungry soon after. If your first meal of the day is more than 2 hours after you wake up, this is the one major change in diet I would like for you to make. I would like for you to start your day with fresh fruit. The naturally occurring sugar in the fruit will also serve as a pick me up.

Fruit is loaded with such a variety of nutrients it is truly nature’s best “fast food”: It comes wrapped in its own handy container (its skin) and it’s ready to eat. Eating fresh fruit on an empty stomach allows your body to fully utilize all of the fruits nutrients without any interference.

If you’ll be working out in the morning and need a little pick me up before your workout, have half a banana before you begin and then have the other half after your workout. Your meal number one can be up to 2 hours later. If you absolutely must have coffee as soon as you wake up, go for it, but make sure it’s just coffee.

Meal Number One: (no more than 2 hours after you wake up):

One whole citrus fruit (grapefruit, orange or tangerine) + about ½ a cup of strawberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries (you don’t have to pick just one “berry” you can have a mix of several) + One tall glass of cold water.

If you’re “zombie like” in the mornings, cut up the fruit the night before and put it in a covered glass container for the next day. Eating citrus fruit quenches the body’s morning hunger and also acts as a mild appetite suppressant.

ALTERNATIVE: Fresh made juice!! I love my Jack LaLanne Juicer! I was making fresh juice every morning, as it is best consumed minutes after it’s made. About 2 weeks ago, I started making our juice the night before. It’s made life much easier. Some awesome juice ingredients include” Pineapple, pears, apples, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, carrots, spinach, ginger, cucumber, grapes, tomatoes, zucchini, celery, ALL berries. I hope you’ll at least THINK about getting a juicer. This is our second one: The first one (I can’t recall the brand) worked well, but it was loud and had a relatively narrow chute (the place where the fruit or vegetables go in) so a lot of time was spent cutting things up. The biggest drawback, though, was it was very difficult to clean.

Meal Number Two:

1 Cup of Whole Grain Cereal + ½ Cup of rice, soy or cow’s milk + 1 hard boiled egg white (not the yolk)

OR

1 Cup of hot Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Cream of Rice OR Oat Bran + + 1 hard boiled egg white (not the yolk)

OR

2 Slices of toasted whole grain (not whole wheat) bread or English muffins with a thin layer of sugar free peanut butter

OR

2 Slices of toasted whole grain (not whole wheat) bread or English muffins with a hard boiled egg white

Drink one glass of cold water AFTER you have eaten your meal.

If you prefer your hot cereal sweet, replace half the water in the recipe with 100% apple juice (not apple drink). You can add a little rice, soy or cows milk to this if you’d like.  The cereal (hot or cold), whole grain bread or muffin provides fiber which is essential to keep… things flowing. The protein in either the egg white or peanut butter will provide energy. When choosing your cold cereal, look for those that contain whole grains and no added sugar. Read the nutrition label to make an informed choice. A good rule of thumb is: Don’t choose any cereal with a cartoon character on the front of the box.

Meal Number Three (Optional, can be skipped if you’re not really hungry):

A handful of unsalted RAW walnuts, almonds or cashews. Drink one glass of cold water AFTER you have eaten your nuts.

You can eat this “meal” two hours after your first meal OR two hours after your fourth meal.

You can choose walnuts, almonds or cashews or mix all three, but you can only eat as much as you can fit in your hand (wearing a baseball mitt & counting that as a handful is not acceptable). We want the nuts raw because the heat from baking nuts destroys most of the valuable omega 3 fatty acids in these nuts. Buy them in bulk and keep them in the refrigerator, in a zip locked bag or tightly sealed glass container: If you store them in your cabinet or pantry they will go rancid.

Meal Number Four:

½ cup of cooked whole grain pasta

OR

1 small boiled white or yellow potato, ½ of a green or yellow plantain, diced

OR

½ cup white or brown rice + 1 tablespoon of low or non fat mayonnaise/ Nayonnaise ® (optional, for flavor) + your choice of one or all: shredded carrots, scallions, frozen green peas (thawed and rinsed), frozen edamame (thawed, rinsed and drained), chopped broccoli florets, cucumber, finely shredded cabbage, green peppers, red peppers, orange peppers, yellow peppers, chopped or torn baby spinach leaves, thinly sliced radishes + 1 teaspoon of fat free Italian salad dressing (optional, for flavor) +

½ a cup of water packed tuna or home cooked shredded or chopped

OR

½ cup of water packed or home cooked shredded or chopped salmon

OR

½ a cup of water packed or home cooked, cubed or chopped white meat chicken or turkey

OR

½ cup of home cooked thinly sliced or cubed lean, non-marbleized meat

OR

½ cup of water packed diced tofu.

Mix all of the above together and eat as a salad. Drink one glass of cold water AFTER you have eaten your meal.

OR

Instead of pasta, rice or potatoes, make a sandwich: Mix the mayonnaise or Nayonnaise with the tuna, chicken, salmon or tofu, place on 2 slices or whole grain bread and dress with a variety of lettuces (romaine, green leaf, red leaf or bib), cucumber slices and baby spinach.

You can omit any of the raw veggies in the salad that you don’t like. Tuna, salmon and chicken are all available in cans or aluminum pouches in the canned fish aisle of any supermarket, or you can use your own from dinner the night before. If you’ll be going to work the next day, pack your lunch the night before. Nearly ALL the veggies listed are available in the supermarket pre-cut. All you have to do is rinse them well with cold water.

ALTERNATIVE IF YOU ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT/CANNOT COOK: Get a Subway or Blimbie sandwich with turkey, non-smoked ham, roast beef or veggie patty. Ask for whatever fresh greens you’d like, omit the cheese, and choose mustard or non-creamy fat free salad dressing.

Meal Number Five (Optional, can be skipped if you’re not really hungry):

About one handful of pretzels (approximately 8-10)

OR

1 Rice, Corn or Wheat Cake (NOT the kind with caramel, chocolate, butter or cheese)

OR

4 saltine or water crackers. Drink one glass of cold water AFTER you have eaten your “meal”.

You can eat this “meal” two hours after your first meal OR two hours after your fourth meal.

Meal Number Six:

Your choice of broiled skinless salmon, swai (sometimes called “basa”), tuna, flounder, chicken breast, turkey breast, turkey tenderloin, lean, non-marbleized steak, pork loin (the serving size of any of these options should be the size of your tightly closed fist), non-breaded TVP (textured vegetable protein) patty, ½ cup of canned red, black or white beans + One or more of your favorite vegetables, seasoned and lightly steamed: String beans, green peppers, red peppers, orange peppers, yellow peppers, snow peas, carrots, broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini, brussel sprouts, bok choy, cabbage + Your choice of a small baked or boiled yellow potato, white potato, yam, sweet potato, 4 inch slice of yucca, 4 inch piece (about half) of a yellow or green plantain, ½ cup of boiled pasta, ½ cup of white or brown rice +  BIG salad with a variety of lettuces (romaine, green leaf, red leaf, Boston or “bib”), baby spinach, cucumber, shredded carrots, shredded broccoli, sliced radishes, scallions, sliced red or yellow onions + 1 teaspoon of a non-creamy low fat salad dressing. Drink one glass of cold water AFTER you have eaten your meal.

You can pan cook your fish, poultry or meat in a skillet that you’ve wiped with a thin layer of olive or canola oil, steam, broil or bake.  To cook it, allow it to come to room temperature (set it on the counter for about 15 minutes), pat it dry with a paper towel (then use the same paper towel to apply the olive or canola oil to your pan) and add flavor to it with your favorite seasonings (no Adobo or Sazon because of the MSG content). Good seasonings include garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt (go lightly here), pepper (I prefer fresh ground & you will, too, once you try it), dried herbs or fresh herbs that have been finely chopped.

If you’re using fresh herbs, this means already know a little or a lot about cooking, but just in case: Add fresh herbs to your food when the food is nearly done, if you will be cooking it in a pan. If you will be baking or broiling, sprinkle on the fresh herbs as soon as the food comes out of the oven or off the grill: The heat from the food will soften the herbs and enhance their natural flavors.

Prepare and cook more fish, poultry or meat than you will eat for dinner and then use the rest for the next day’s lunch.

You can add about ½ a “pat” (approximately ½ a teaspoon) of butter or ½ a teaspoon of Smart Balance spread to your potato, yucca, plantain, rice, etc. If you’re eating yams or sweet potatoes, feel free to sprinkle on some cinnamon.

Again, when cooking your potatoes, rice, pasta, etc. cook more than you will eat at dinner and use the rest for the next day’s lunch. When you pre- pack your lunch, pack the salad dressing in a separate container (the empty travel sized shampoo bottles), so your lunch won’t get soggy overnight in the fridge.

Pre-cut and pre washed (you should wash them any way) salads are readily available at any supermarket.  Be sure to check the expiration date. The fresher packages are almost always stocked all the way in the back, so look there first. Look for “Brocolli Slaw”. It’s a wonderful blend of shoestring cut brocolli, radicchio and carrots.

If you’ve never tried yucca and would like to experiment, you can buy it fresh or frozen. I prefer to use frozen.  It’s easier to cook and I find it less stringy. Frozen yucca can usually be found in the “ethnic” or Goya® section in the frozen food aisle.

To season and steam your vegetables: Place washed and chopped (if needed) veggies in a bowl, add a half a teaspoon of chopped or minced garlic, diced onions, sea salt, pepper, fresh or dried herbs and stir well. To steam them, fill a sauce pan with about ½ an inch of water, bring it to a boil and add about 1 cup of vegetables, your seasonings (sea salt, pepper, garlic powdered or chopped, onions, powdered or chopped). Once the water begins to boil again, stir well, reduce the heat as low as you can get it, cover and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and serve.  Another option for those of you who don’t shop too often, FROZEN VEGETABLES! They’re frozen soon after they’re picked and they are FABULOUS! Cook them in the same manner I’ve described above, except use about an inch of water instead of ½ an inch.  Kindly note the cooking time may be slightly shorter… don’t overcook your veggies!

Feel free to stir fry your fish, meat, poultry or tofu with your vegetables! Use a small amount of canola or olive oil and have fun!

ALTERNATIVE IF YOU ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT/CANNOT COOK: A Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Smart Balance OR Amy’s Low Fat/Low Calorie  Variety (Vegetarian) frozen dinner.

Dessert (Optional, but completely acceptable): ½ inch slice of pound cake (with or without frosting), single serving cup of pudding, ½ of a “regular size scoop of ice cream.  There is no need to buy “sugar free” or “fat free” cake/ice cream for your dessert.  You’re going to have a small serving, so you might as well enjoy it.

If you’re choosing a frozen dinner that includes a dessert, please, don’t add the above optional dessert.  Obvious, I know, but I felt I had to say it any way.

I can’t give you a grocery shopping list because I have NO idea what your selections are going to be! I hope that you will ALL take this opportunity to broaden your culinary world: Try some fruits and/or vegetables you’ve never eaten before!  I believe that the above meal plan will give you a pretty good foundation to start with.

Don’t forget, tomorrow morning will be your first workout on the challenge, so put a bottle of water in the refrigerator tonight and get your exercise clothes, a large towel, your workout DVD ready for tomorrow morning.

Next weekend, I will give you a few different alternatives for dinners, lunches and optional desserts. Questions, comments, shout outs are ALL welcome! PLEASE… let me hear from you all!

Kindest regards,

Brendita

Howdy New Leaves! Its FRIDAY so there is just one weekend left before our 30 Day Fitness Challenge begins! PLEASE… don’t go all “squirrely” and start hoarding/scarfing down food over the next 48 hours! I promise you,  I am not going to lay out a starvation diet for you. You will not feel (too) deprived on this challenge. We are combining aerobic exercise with sensible, smart eating, so there will be no drastic “diets” here.

I have decided to extend the 30% off sale of my workout DVD, for those joining the challenge later. If you would like to purchase my 45 Minute Workout, please use discount code 30DayChallenge when you check out. The coupon code is now good through 25 October 2009, midnight Eastern Standard Time.

Here are details for the final three goals in the challenge:

• Increase your daily water intake: I inadvertently addressed this one yesterday, so please refer to yesterday’s post for more information. If you are a fan of soda, diet or otherwise, I am going to ask you to STOP drinking it during the challenge. Along with caffeine, most diet sodas and energy drinks are LOADED with levels of sodium: bad for so many reasons.  If you have a big diet soda habit, you can’t just cut it out all together, because you will go through caffeine withdrawal and that is no fun, folks.  If this is the case, I would like you to wean yourself off of diet soda during the first two weeks of the challenge, by eliminating one can/bottle every two days.

• Cut down on or eliminate caffeine: This one is really up to you.  Every morning, my husband and I each enjoy a lovely four ounces of Cuban coffee.  I have no intention of giving that up.  As with so many other foodstuffs, the “good” and “bad” information we get regarding caffeine changes so drastically from one week to the next, it’s tough to know what to believe.  I would just like for you to reduce the presence of caffeine in your diet. There is A LOT of caffeine in energy drinks and most colas and I will be making a “big deal” about these two beverages during the challenge. I’d like for you to say bye-bye to them, hopefully for good. Even though there is caffeine in tea, I am not going to give you grief about it, as I think the antioxidants in (most) teas outweigh any possible negative effects of caffeine.

• Eat more “live” foods (uncooked foods, like lettuces, green leafy vegetables, carrots, sprouts, radishes, etc): Every time you add heat to a “live” food, some of the nutrients are lost.  Lightly steamed and raw vegetables are sort of “negative calories” in the sense that they contain so few calories, your body burns up an equivalent number of calories by simply digesting them. They give you a healthy feeling of fullness and supply your body with a wealth of nutrients. There will be A LOT of meal suggestions on the 30 day challenge that include raw or “live” vegetables.

I would also like for you to slow down when you eat. Starting…NOW! It takes the stomach approximately 20 minutes to signal the brain that you are indeed full.  I don’t expect you to take 20 minutes to eat each meal, but I would like for you to just slow down a bit when eating.  Sometimes, we continue to eat just because there is food on the table, so I’d also like for you to plate your food at the stove/counter instead of bringing platters and bowls to the table and serving yourself and your family. I have not addressed alcohol (wine, beer, martinis.. whatever): I am going to leave that one up to you.  You know what’s too much.

Tomorrow, I will post your grocery list and the blueprint for your first week’s menu.

If you will be working out in the morning, please remember to set your alarm clock back by seven minutes before you go to bed.

Kindest regards,

Brendita