The Best Life Diet
Things you need to start now:
* Get moving
* Stop eating at least 2 hours before bedtime
* Eat 3 meals, including a nutritious breakfast, plus one snack daily
* Drink at least 6 glasses of water
* Eliminate alcohol
* Bolster diet with daily supplements
Best Life Challenge Tour Recipes
These recipes are being cooked up at supermarkets on The Best Life Challenge tour. For more recipes and a peek at Bob Greene's Best Life Diet program, go to TheBestLife.com.
Breakfast
Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie
Makes 2 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
2 cups 8th Continent Light Chocolate Soymilk
2 Tablespoons Smart Balance Chunky Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Better n' eggs 100 % liquid egg whites
2 bananas, frozen
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth; approximately 2 minutes.
Per serving (entire recipe):
Calories: 326
Protein: 18 g
Carbohydrate: 43 g
Dietary Fiber: 4 g
Total Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Calcium: 306 mg
Sodium: 336 mg
Round this breakfast out with a half cup of blackberries (fresh or frozen, thawed) and a WASA cracker spread with a teaspoon of Smart Balance spread to bring you up to about 400 calories and 9 g of fiber.
Breakfast
Yogurt Muesli with Fruit
Serves 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 6-oz. container Yoplait light Blueberry patch, Key lime or Apple Turnover
1 1/3 cup fresh fruit sliced- (berries and banana if blueberry yogurt),
(apple, pear and banana if apple pie yogurt),
(mango, orange and banana if key lime yogurt)
1 Wasa oat cracker crushed
2 tablespoons rough chopped walnuts
Mix together all ingredients and serve. For a softer WASA consistency, let sit for 15 minutes to 1 hour.
Per serving (entire recipe)
Calories: 406
Protein: 18 g
Carbohydrate: 64 g
Dietary Fiber: 9 g
Total Fat: 11 g
Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
Cholesterol: 2 mg
Calcium: 490 mg
Sodium: 261 mg
This makes a well-balanced one-dish breakfast. It covers nearly 50% of calcium needs (for those age 50 and under), and the walnuts give you a nice dose of omega-3 fats.
Lunch
Chicken Wrap with Fresh Basil
Serves 2
1 Flatout Multi grain flatbread
4 oz skinless rotisserie chicken off bone and chopped (3/4 cup)
1 stalk celery chopped
5 baby carrots, diced
1 large white button mushroom sliced
1 teaspoon finely chopped red onion
1 Tablespoon Hellmann's Canola Cholesterol-free mayo
1 Tablespoon mustard
5 leaves of fresh basil shredded
1.In a medium sized bowl combine chicken, celery, carrot, mushroom, onion, mayonnaise, basil and salt.
2.On one of the rounded ends of the flatbread place chicken mixture and roll.
Per wrap:
Calories: 359
Protein: 42
Carbohydrate: 289 g
Dietary Fiber: 11 g
Total Fat: 11 g
Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
Cholesterol: 89 mg
Calcium: 86 mg
Sodium: 779 mg
Round out the meal with a salad tossed, or, have a large apple, pear, banana or orange.
Lunch
Chilled vegetable, tomato and chick pea soup served with Parmesan crispbread
Serves 2
Prep time 5 minutes
Total time 10 minutes
For the soup:
1 package Green Giant Simply Steam Broccoli& Carrots with garlic and herb sauce, cooked according to package directions.
2 fresh tomatoes, cut in half with core removed
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and cut in half
1/4 cup water
1/4 medium onion
2 teaspoons Bertolli Extra Virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2/3 cup chick peas, boiled from scratch, or canned, rinsed and drained
For the Parmesan crispbread:
4 Wasa Hearty Rye Crackers
2 teaspoons Smart Balance Original Buttery Spread
2 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1.In a blender combine the Green Giant vegetables, tomatoes, sweet pepper, water, onion, Bertolli olive oil and red wine vinegar and process till smooth. Chill soup.
2.Stir in chick peas.
3.Spread each Wasa crackers with 1/2 teaspoon Smart balance and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan.
4. Place in a toaster oven on broil for 2 minutes.
5 .Evenly divide soup into two bowls. Serve each bowl of soup with 2 Parmesan crispbreads on the side.
1 serving soup (half the recipe) with 2 Parmesan Crispbreads:
Calories: 368
Protein: 15 g
Carbohydrate: 55 g
Dietary Fiber: 14 g
Total Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 12.5 g
Cholesterol: 4 mg
Calcium: 141 mg
Sodium: 540 mg
Round out this lunch with 2 – 3 ounces of cooked chicken, fish, or lean meat.
Dinner
Progresso Chicken Noodle / Egg Drop Soup and a side salad with Wishbone Spritzer Balsamic Breeze
Serves 2
For the soup:
1 can (18.5 oz) Progresso reduced sodium chicken noodle soup
1/4 cup Better'n Eggs healthier real egg product [the regular, not the "All Whites"]
For the salad:
3 cups chopped Romaine
10 sprays of Wishbone Salad Spritzer Balsamic Vinaigrette
1.Heat soup to a simmer.
2.Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss romaine with salad spritzer.
3.While soup is simmering, gradually add the eggs pouring them against and through the tongs of a fork to help make a slow steady stream. Stir gently to create shreds or ribbons of the eggs and cook for about 30 seconds.
4.Remove from the heat. Ladle into bowls, dividing evenly in two portions.
5. Spray Romaine with the dressing, toss.
6. Serve immediately with salad on the side.
Calories: 135
Protein: 12 g
Carbohydrate: 8 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Total Fat: 2 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 22 mg
Calcium: 62 mg
Sodium: 630 mg
Round out this meal with 2 slices whole grain bread; 4 ounces of fish, poultry (skin removed), lean meat or 3/4 cup of beans tossed with a little olive oil, lemon juice and parsley and scallions.
Dinner
Rotini with Wilted Spinach, White Beans and Tomato Basil Sauce
Serves 4
1/2 box (approximately 7 1/4 oz.) Barilla Plus Rotini
1 T. Bertolli extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic (fresh or jarred)
4 - 5 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup white beans, cooked from scratch, or canned, no salt added, rinsed and drained
1 cup Barilla Tomato Basil sauce
¼ cup grated parmesan
8 basil leaves, rolled and sliced to create "ribbons"
pepper to taste
1.Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
2.Meanwhile, wash, dray and roll basil leaves and slice to create "ribbons". Set aside.
3. Using a large non-stick sauté pan, sauté 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic in the 1 T of olive oil.
4.Add the fresh spinach and toss until almost wilted.
5. Add the white beans, cooked pasta and Barilla Tomato Basil sauce. Toss until heated through.
6. On the final toss, add in the fresh basil.
7. Top with fresh grated pepper and parmesan.
5.Serve immediately.
Per Serving (1/4 recipe)
Calories: 360
Protein: 18 g
Carbohydrate: 55 g
Dietary Fiber: 7 g
Total Fat: 8
Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
Cholesterol: 4 mg
Calcium: 161 mg
Sodium: 427 mg
Serve with a salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, tossed with Wishbone Spritzer Balsamic Breeze.
Meet Bob Greene
Jewel
6140 Northwest Hwy
Crystal Lake
Tues., 10am to 1pm
www.thebestlife.com
