Ready Set Go!

Time to get your diet going. If your not sure where to begin here is a list to get you started...

- chicken
- lean ground sirloin
- lean turkey and chicken sausage
- salmon, tilapia, cod, halibut (really any fish you like)
- eggs
- egg whites
- cheese: feta, goat, manchego, aged white cheddar, havarti, parmesan
- fruits (best bet- berries!)
- vegetables (green is best but what ever you will eat)
- grains (oats- rolled or steel cut, quinoa, barley, wheat bran, flax seed)
- nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews)
- legumes (kidney beans, chick peas, lentils, black beans)
- EVOO
- tea (green or any type you like)
- spices and condiments (mustard, pesto, peanut satay, salsa, curry, balsamic vinegar, to name a few)


After your fridge and cupboards are dejunked and foods that shouldn't be eaten (unless your 18 and under) are out of your direct view, organize your shelves to help stay on target for your goal. Put your fruits and veggies in plain view when you open your fridge. Place all your "protein sources" (eggs, chicken, turkey, yogurt, nonfat cottage cheese) on a shelf and condiments together on another. So when it's meal time, you grab protein source from the top shelf, veggies from the drawer and fruit from the next drawer. It almost resembles an assembly line. Add your condiments or spices and your set. Take the thought out of eating for a few weeks and you will find that food becomes just that, fuel for living. It won't be your time filler or emotional support. You will earn back the right to have cheat meals. Chances are you have been cheating since Thanksgiving so there is no reason why you can't commit to clean eats for 6 weeks.

Need a recipe for a quick morning meal after your workout? Here is a great recipe straight from Gourmet Nutrition, love this cook book. We had their Pesto Chicken Pizza for dinner last night, always a hit in my house.

Granola Bars

3 cups oats
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup walnut meal (I have used almond meal and is great too, can be found at Ralphs)
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup honey
1/4 coconut grated

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and stir until well mixed. Lightly coat a 9 by 9 inch pan with cooking spray and put mixture in pan. Press the mixture down, fill corners and make flat and even. Bake 12-20 minutes depending whether you like your granola bars chewy or crisp. Cool, cut into bars and keep in fridge. Wrap in individual wrappers so you can grab and go in the morning!

Makes 8 servings

Crumble this on top of some nonfat plain yogurt and you have perfect ratio of carbs, fat and protein for a post workout meal!

(with scoop of yogurt)
325-350 calories (perfect!)
11 grams of fat (healthy fat, so don't worry about this)
30 grams of carbs
20-25 grams of protein

Enjoy and good luck!