BALANCED MEALS TO HELP YOU SHED POUNDS COMFORTABLY

2018-01-12 -

Breakfast

1 cup steelcut oats, topped with 1 tbsp. chia seeds, ¾ cup fresh blueberries or raspberries, dash of ground cinnamon

Fiber, whole grains, produce and protein in a morning meal jump-starts energy.

1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 tsp. chia seeds, 2 tbsp. dried tart cherries, 2 tbsp. walnut pieces; 1 orange

Lunch

1 cup lentil soup; ½ wholegrain pita stuffed with tomatoes, cucumbers, romaine, sliced turkey, hummus

Eating soup causes slower emptying of the stomach and greater fullness.

1 cup chicken and wild rice soup; veggie quesadilla (black beans, sautéed onion, spinach, Monterey jack)

Dinner

5 oz. roasted or broiled wild salmon, sides of 2 cups roasted broccoli, ½ cup cooked quinoa

Omega-3-rich seafood helps regulate the hormones involved in hunger and fullness.

5 oz. roasted mackerel or lake trout, 1 cup ratatouille (vegetable stew), ½ cup cooked cannellini beans

Snack

A.M.: Smoothie with almond milk and whey protein P.M.: ¾ cup cooked edamame

Snacks with protein trigger a slower blood sugar rise and provide more sustained energy.

A.M.: 3 dried apricots, 5 walnut halves P.M.: 1 tbsp. peanut butter spread on 1 celery stalk

BALANCED MEALS TO HELP YOU SHED POUNDS COMFORTABL­Y