Silvia Nena, FNC, certified

My lunches are simple.  This one includes a handful of almonds, strawberries and a great sandwich: about 3 oz. Nitrite-Free ham, 1/2 slice organic lo-fat cheddar cheese, organic baby spinach, raspberry/jalapeno chutney, Dijon mustard on a 100% whole-grain roll.  I typically eat the fruit & nuts for a snack & have unsweetened iced tea or mineral water with lunch.  If you're okay on calories for the day, you can add a serving of baked corn chips to this.

Picture to be posted shortly.  Who needs a 330 calorie bean & cheese burrito with 7 grams of fat from a fast food restaurant...or the 420 calories/10g fat small shake to go with it?  Here's a bean & cheese burrito that's got all of the good stuff without the excess fat and questionable ingredients.  Pair it with a fresh banana shake to really fill you up & turn it into a super kid-friendly meal.

Bean & Cheese burrito
3           La Tortilla Factory Brand Burrito Size Tortilla (I get these at Cosco)
1 can    Organic Beans of choice, drained & rinsed
1/4 cup Organic and 98% Fat Free Chicken Broth (I get this at Trader Joe's)
6 oz      Organic and Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, grated
Healthy additions: diced onions     *     diced tomatoes     *     chopped cilantro     *     Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
              Salsa of choice     *     Hot sauce     *     thinly sliced avocado 
Heat beans & mash (use a handmixer or blender for quick mashing).  Heat 3 tortillas.  Divide mashed beans among
tortillas.  Top with 2oz cheese per burrito.  Add desired additions, wrap and enjoy.  Makes 3 servings.

Banana Shake
1            Banana
1 cup     1%/Skim Milk or Fat Free Plain Soy Milk
1 scoop  Stevia Powder (available at Trader Joe's in the sweetners section)
1/4 tsp    Cinnamon
4-5          Ice cubes, crushed
Put all ingredients in a blender.  Pour into 2 cups and serve.  Makes 2 servings.

Almonds (or an organic lo-fat string cheese stick) and fruit are my staple.  I've got about a cup of fruit here: berries & peaches--both organic.  A handful of raw almonds, about 1/3 cup hummus and 3 organic whole grain crackers.  Lunches don't have to take a lot of time to prepare.  Just make sure you have high quality carbs and protein.  The hummus, nuts and crackers have plenty of protein in this menu.

When I make a salad, it's a meal.  Just look at this bowl!  It's packed with (mostly) organic farm fresh goodness.  At least two cups of baby spinach and heirloom greens make the foundation.  On top of that is 1 sliced Persian cucumber, about 3 oz grilled chicken, tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, drained (no); and red bellpepper.  I wanted to add 1 Tbsp of goat's milk cheese to the salad, which, while good for you, is high in fat; so instead of nuts, I threw in a handful of pomegranate seeds.  The seeds pack a higher antioxidant power than red wine and green tea and a higher concentration of flavenoids than grapes...all while adding a crunch to the salad and being ultra low-fat.  My Balsamic vinaigrette is in a small container just for sauces that I pick up in bulk from Smart & Final.
Rounding out my lunch: Almonds and organic raspberries.
no=non-organic.
Don't skimp on the protein!  You cannot just have an all veggie salad for lunch and expect to fill up for an extended period of time, encourage lean muscle mass and fat burning.  Protein helps your body produce hormones that are critical for firing up your metabolism and it keeps hunger pangs at bay--both absolutely necessary for weight loss/maintenance.  If you don't want to add chicken to your salad, add wild caught cold-water fish (like Salmon--water-packed, canned is almost always wild), mixed beans (drained and rinsed, if from a can) or tofu.  Add all the veggies you want.  Their caloric contribution is neglible, but they pack a wallop in phyto-nutrients, fiber and over-all health benefits.  Go easy on cheese, nuts, marinated foods and dressing, which are high in fat.  Go for organic whenever possible--you wouldn't drink pesticide, why would you eat it's lingering, metabolism-wrecking residue on your food?  See my Farmers' Markets page for locations near you.

Just like anyone, I am sometimes running short on time in the morning or didn't have time to prep my lunch the night before...enter frozen food convenience.  Guidelines for convenience foods--check the calories, fat and sodium content and go for organic whenever possible.  This organic burrito had 340 calories.  70 calories (or 21% of the total calories) came from fat--shoot for 25% or less.  It is however, on the high end for sodium.  Because it's so hard to get an excellent nutrition profile from convenience foods, even healthy ones; it's best to take the time to make your own meals whenever possible.  The fix: reduce sodium intake throughout day by not adding extra salt to foods and choosing low-sodium options.  Fresh cherries, a superfood, are in season right now!

It's so nice to have the convenience foods around.  The problem here, as with the meal above is that they are typically high in sodium and this meal is no exception, both the soup and string cheese are high in salt.  The meal, however is healthy in many ways.  The fat content of the soup is at 25% of the total calories: 35/140.  It is a high fiber, high protein food with no preservatives, artificial ingredients or refined carbs.  The cheese and peach are organic.  The almonds and organic peach were my snack & the organic string cheese was a delicious addition to the soup.

Note: Always dump foods in plastic packaging into a non-reactive/microwave safe dish before nuking it and then eat them with non-plastic utinsels.  BPA (Bisphenol A--added to plastics to make them durable) will leach into your food during the cooking process and when in contact with hot foods.  Numerous studies have found that BPA is an endocrine-disruptor which negatively impacts your metabolism and increases your risk of other serious diseases, including disbetes, infertility and cancer.

Quick and healthy.  I prepare these "Bento boxes" when we're in a rush to get somewhere and don't have time in between to sit and eat a meal.  This one consists of 1/2 a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on "whole wheat white" bread, a light string cheese, and cucumbers and baby heirloom tomatoes spritzed with lime juice and a little sea salt.  I went organic where possible or necessary (any dairy, produce with edible skin, meats, etc. should be organic).  The tip to Bento boxes is making them as attractive and fun to eat as possible.  These are always a hit with kids...even the ones who don't normally eat veggies.  If they're not too messy, they can be eaten in the car on the way to soccer practice or dance class, as these were.

It's Summer and there's nothing better than having a variety of light, cool foods to tide you over until dinner.  Buffets are the easiest way to accomplish that.  They don't need to be elaborate and give you an opportunity to practice good eating habits, if buffets are your downfall.  The key is to serve up healthy, organic fare in moderate quatities.  These cherries are farmers market fresh.  The eggs were hard-boiled the night before and ready-to-serve organic yogurts make setting up a breakfast, lunch or brunch buffet very easy. The soup is a delicious Spinach, Potato Soup and organic, whole grain crackers round out the buffet.  Visual appeal brings both a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction to a meal.  Studies show that the more a meal is enjoyed, the longer one feels satisfied (full)...just lay out dishtowels and put food on pretty, mismatched plates for rustic appeal!
Soup: Sweat 1 small, chopped onion in a large pot with a few tablespoons of low-sodium/organic Chicken Broth (6 cups total) until soft.  Add 6 cups total Broth and 2 small, diced potatoes.  Simmer until the potatoes are soft and then add 4 large handfuls ready-to-use organic spinach. Remove from heat and cool.  Put through food processor or blender.  Keeps refrigerated up to 3 days.  Good heated or cold.  Serving size = 1 cup.

This meal almost begs to be eaten on a blanket, under a shade tree!  The melons are the only non-organic produce here.  Thick skinned produce does not need to be organic, as pesticide toxins will not penetrate to the edible parts.  Just be sure to wash well before cutting into them.

This spread for 4 consists of a variety of summer fruit, a variety of raw nuts (walnuts, almonds and filberts), very filling Apple/Raspberry Fiber Cakes (80 calories each) from Trader Joe's, organic lo-calorie string cheese and organic Greek yogurt blended with Stevia, cinnamon and vanilla.  I skipped the string cheese in favor of a yogurt, fruit and nut parfait, served with mint and lemon iced tea.  Mmmm!