This menu of 1,600 calories will help you start burning fat and feeling great!
Breakfast
Strawberry-Banana Smoothie: In a blender, process until smooth 1 small ripe banana, 12 cup strawberries, 12 cup fat-free milk, 12 cup low-fat plain yogurt, 2 teaspoons honey, and 1 or 2 ice cubes.
Whole wheat toast: 2 slices spread with 2 teaspoons trans-free margarine.
Lunch
Lentil Soup: 1 cup soup (such as Progresso) with a spritz of lemon juice
Cheese and tomato sandwich: Place 2 slices reduced-fat cheese on 2 slices whole wheat bread and spread with mustard, add tomato slices.
Tomato: Remaining portion, sliced
Snack
Latte: 1 cup fat-free milk with a shot of espresso coffee and 1 teaspoon sugar
Almonds: 2 tablespoons
Dinner
Roasted chicken: At home, make Roasted Chicken (recipe below). Or at Boston Market, have either the 1/4 white-meat chicken (no wing) or the 1/4 dark-meat chicken, both without skin. At other takeouts, have either 1 leg or 1/2 breast (no wing), both without skin.
2 side dishes: At home, have 1 cup steamed vegetables and 3/4 cup corn, boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes, or butternut squash. At Boston Market, order the steamed vegetables and either herbed buttered corn, butternut squash, or garlic-dill new potatoes. At other takeouts, have 1 cup steamed vegetables and 3/4 cup of corn or boiled potatoes prepared with a little butter, sweet potatoes, or butternut squash.
Roasted Chicken Makes 4 servings
Chicken stays moist if you cook it with the skin on, but the skin itself is high in fat. So before eating, remove the skin from your piece and rub it over the meat to transfer the herb flavoring. Then discard that skin.
Ingredients:
1 chicken (3 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and oregano, or poultry seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste
1 large lemon, cut into wedges
Directions: Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove any excess fat from the cavity. In a small bowl, mix the oil, garlic, and herbs. Rub over the chicken. Sprinkle the skin and cavity with salt and pepper. Place the lemon wedges inside the cavity. Tie the legs together with cotton string. Place the chicken on a rack inside a roasting pan.
Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Roast, basting occasionally, for another 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the inner thigh reads 180°F and the juices run clear. Let stand for 15 minutes before carving.
Dessert
Light ice cream or frozen yogurt: 3/4 cup, with no more than 110 calories per 1/2 cup (such as Breyers or Dreyer’s), topped with 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup