Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

I am of opinion that one has to create a sustainable base for daily meals in order to have steady energy and feel full and energized. That is why I will not post intricate recipes on this site. You can find fabulous recipes in some of my favorite cookbooks I listed elsewhere on this website. If you can try to follow the general guidelines, you can add and improvise. The only recipe here is for breakfast, and that is important. Have fun! Feel better! Food is supposed to give you energy.

Morning Grain

This is a very well balanced meal that will provide energy till lunch and will keep blood glucose even. This recipe is appropriate even for pre/diabetes. Just remember to use 100% whole grain. Investigate other grains such as teff, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, which are ll gluten free, and always balance them with nuts and/or seeds.

2¼ cups water
dash Celtic sea salt
1 cup steel cut/regular rolled oats
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup or less raisins or 2 chopped dates (or add a little raw honey/maple syrup grade B)
¼ cup chopped raw walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds
 (or nut butter)
(non-dairy) milk, unsweetened
½ cup of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, raspberries (use a variety)
1 T raw organic flax seeds, ground (selba or chia seeds)
Optional: a handful of soaked goji berries

Combine the water and salt in a small saucepan and turn the heat to high. When the water boils, turn the heat to low, add oatmeal, and cook, stirring, until the water is just absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, raisins, stir, cover the pan and turn off heat. Serve with milk and sweetener and nuts and blueberries. Sprinkle flax seeds and whisk in.

Easy Lunch

For lunch you will need half of your meal as vegetables, and that can include a salad, saurkraut, white kim-chi etc. Keep space on a quarter of your plate for brown rice or quinoa, or perhaps a sweet potato or beets. That will give you the needed glucose to fuel your brain and give you steady energy after lunch. Fill the remaining 25% of the plate with protein, and it does not have to be of animal origin. In fact, you may feel better if you opt for plant protein here. This can be beans, lentils, dahl, or tofu. Lunch can be a one-pot meal: a sturdy lentil soup with a lot of vegetables and a side of brown rice or quinoa may just do the trick. As much as you can, no matter what you eat for lunch, strive to fill half of the meal with non-starchy vegetables.

Dinner is S for Small

Supper, Supplemental Meal, SOUP, SANDWICH, SALAD…In fact it is the smallest meal of the day. If you come home starving for dinner, your lunch was too small, you may have skipped breakfast or lunch, or you need a snack at 4-5pm. Otherwise you will be satisfied with a small meal. Try to reserve 50% of the space on your plate  for nonstarchy vegetables. 25% can go towards protein. You do not need to have any starchy vegetables or pasta if your goal is weight loss. Move them to lunch. Have your salad or steamed broccoli and 3 oz wild salmon. Keep it simple. Check with yourself how you sleep and feel next morning.

Daily
Have berries, an apple, or a ripe pear a day.

Snacks:
Dip raw vegetable in hummus or bean dip. A refreshing idea for dipping is peeled sliced raw sweet potatoes kept in water in the fridge.

Put mashed sardines (can mash with a touch of mustard), tomatoes, radishes, lettuce etc on a slice of Mestemacher bread.

Have organic almond butter on a 100% rye cracker. Add a touch of 100% apple sauce.

Check IKEA food section when you visit it next. You will find excellent dry rye bread that can be a base for a snack.

Blend a handful of cashews, at least 1/2 cup of berries and coconut milk together for a refreshing smoothie. If the berries are frozen and you add minimum milk just to allow the blender to blend, you will thus accidentally create delicious icea cream!

Of course, always look for organics when you have a choice.