Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life (34 page)

Salads based on grains or legumes also keep well and make an excellent second meal, especially in the summer when it is too hot for soup. Try serving Fiesta Salad with sourdough French bread and melon wedges for a satisfying summer meal.

A variation on the leftover theme is to prepare foods that are eaten one way the first meal and modified for their next appearance. For example, adding a few chopped vegetables, seasonings, and some extra water to the Middle Eastern Lentils produces a great lentil soup. Leftover Chili Beans can be used to make Tamale Pie with a minimum of effort and time.

Use the menus to plan a week’s worth of meals. Convenience foods can easily be incorporated into the menus. Feel free to substitute a can of minestrone or a convenient package of vegetarian chili for the recipes in this section. After you have selected your menus for a week, turn to the recipes and make a list of ingredients that you will need. You’ll also want to take a survey of the pantry (see Stocking Your Pantry for Healthful Eating) to determine what staples you might need—breakfast cereals, bread, soymilk, canned beans, and so on. Add some extra fresh fruits and vegetables to the list for snacks and fillers, and you’re off to the store. By picking up a week’s worth of groceries in a single shopping trip, you will save an incredible amount of time.

The 21-Day Meal Plan has been designed to make your meal preparation as quick and easy as possible. Although you will probably spend more time in the kitchen at first, as you become familiar with the ingredients and preparation techniques, the time you spend will decrease. By following the 21-Day Meal Plan you will:

• Become familiar with the flavors and textures of truly healthful foods
  

• Readjust your tastes to a lower amount of fat
  

• Readjust your tastes to a lower amount of salt
  

• Learn time-saving techniques for preparing delicious, nourishing meals
  

If you want a snack between meals, choose from grains, vegetables, or fruit. You may consume these foods in unlimited quantities as long as you are not adding fats or oils, and are not stuffing yourself for emotional reasons.

In addition to the 21-Day Meal Plan, I have included a menu and recipes for a holiday feast and for a summer barbecue. The question of how to deal with these traditionally meat-centered occasions is one that frequently arises. My solution is to present an array of such beautiful and bountiful food that the high-fat fare will not be missed.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Maple syrup

Banana slices

Stewed Prunes

Pita Pizzas

Tossed green salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Orange wedges

Black Bean Chili

Brown Rice

Salsa Fresca

Berry Cobbler

Scrambled Tofu

Cottage Fries

Whole-grain toast with fruit preserves

Grapefruit

Pasta Salad

Banana Oat Muffins

Melon slices with lime juice

Lasagne

Italian Green Beans

Garlic Bread

Green salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Fruit Gel

Cold cereal with soymilk, rice milk, or fruit juice

Sliced banana

Fresh berries

Missing Egg Sandwich

Tomato Bisque

Quick and Easy Brown Bread

Tofu Tacos

Spicy Bulgur Pilaf

Green Salad with Piquant Dressing

Baked Apples

Apple Oat Muffins

Fruit Smoothie

Split Pea Soup

Antipasto Salad

Whole-grain bread

Cantaloupe slices

Simply Wonderful Vegetable Stew

Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

Quick and Easy Brown Bread

Poached Pears

Hot cereal with soymilk or rice milk

Whole-grain toast with apple butter

Grapefruit

Tofu, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich

Chinese Noodle Salad

Red flame grapes

Pasta with Broccoli and Pine Nuts

Mixed greens with Mustard Vinaigrette

Herb and Onion Bread

Strawberry Freeze

Cold cereal with soymilk, rice milk, or fruit juice

English muffin with fruit preserves

Orange wedges

Pasta Salad

Italian Green Beans

Roasted Garlic

French bread

Chili Beans

Cornbread or warm corn tortillas

Green Salad with Piquant Dressing

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

French Toast

Maple syrup

Fruit Smoothie

Melon slice

Minestrone

Mixed greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Herb and Onion Bread or whole-grain bread

Baked Falafel

Tabouli

Cucumber Salad

Middle Eastern Date and Banana Dessert

Scrambled Tofu

Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

Banana Shake

Orange slices

Antipasto Salad

Tomato Bisque

Herb and Onion Bread or sourdough French bread

Tamale Pie, using leftover Chili Beans

Green Salad with Piquant Dressing

Broccoli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Melon slice

Müesli with apple juice

Whole-grain toast with fruit preserves

Blueberries

Minestrone

Whole-grain bread

Steamed Cabbage

Apple slices

Vegetarian hot dogs

Oven Fries

Curried Spinach Salad

Prune Pudding

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Berries and banana slices

Stewed Prunes

Mock Tuna Salad Sandwich

Curried Rice Salad

Red flame grapes

Refried Beans

Brown Rice or Spicy Bulgur Pilaf

Salsa Fresca

Whole wheat tortillas

Green Salad with Piquant Dressing

Banana Cake

Hot cereal with soymilk or rice milk

Whole-grain toast with apple butter

Orange slices

Lentil Barley Soup

Green salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Quick and Easy Brown Bread

Pasta with Peanut Sauce

Steamed broccoli

Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

Poached Pears with Vanilla Rice Dream

Banana French Toast

Fresh blueberries

Orange juice

Green Velvet Soup

Baked yams or sweet potatoes

Whole-grain bread

Pear slices

Red Lentil Curry

Curried Rice Salad

Mushrooms in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Apple Chutney

Gingerbread

Hot cereal with soymilk or rice milk

Whole-grain toast with fruit preserves

Stewed Prunes

Golden Mushroom Soup

Butter Lettuce with Apples and Walnuts

Banana Oat Muffins

Tofu Burgers

Broiled Red Potatoes

Chinese Noodle Salad

Baked Apples

Cold cereal with soymilk or rice milk

Toasted bagel with sliced banana

Applesauce

Pasta Salad

Creamy Garbanzo and Cabbage Soup

Tomato slices

Whole-grain crackers

Middle Eastern Lentils

Collard Greens

Middle Eastern Date and Banana Dessert

French Toast

Maple syrup

Strawberries

Fiesta Salad

French bread or Cornbread

Broccoli with Vinaigrette

Melon slice

Spicy Vegetable Soup with Black Beans

Brown Rice

Mixed greens with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Fresh Peach Cobbler

Scrambled Tofu

Cottage Fries

Whole-grain toast

Mixed fresh fruit

Pita Pizzas

Roasted Garlic

Green salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Buckwheat Pasta with Seitan

Steamed Cabbage

Spinach Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

Polenta

Applesauce

English muffin with fruit preserves

Chili Potato Soup

Green salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Cornbread or whole-grain bread

Red flame grapes

Bean Burrito with Salsa

Spicy Bulgur Pilaf

Broccoli with Vinaigrette

Chocolate Pudding

Cold cereal with soymilk or rice milk

Whole-grain toast with apple butter

Grapefruit

Chickpea Pâté (Hummus) with pita bread

Tabouli

Cucumber Salad

Red flame grapes

Simply Wonderful Vegetable Stew

Quick and Easy Brown Bread

Butter Lettuce with Apples and Walnuts

Banana Freeze

Hot cereal with soymilk or rice milk

English muffin with fruit preserves

Melon slice

Tofu, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich

Curried Spinach Salad

Orange slices

Mushroom Marinara with Pasta

Green salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

French bread

Apple Cranberry Crisp

Oatmeal Waffles

Maple syrup

Sliced bananas

Fresh berries

Golden Mushroom Soup

Butter Lettuce with Apples and Walnuts

Rye bread

Zucchini Pockets

Collard Greens

Corn on the cob

Chocolate Pudding

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Hot Applesauce

Fruit Smoothie

Tofu, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich

Curried Spinach Salad

Orange wedges

Lasagne

Winter Squash with Peanut Sauce

Butter Lettuce with Apples and Walnuts

Poached Pears

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash or Stuffed Eggplant

Wild Rice Dressing

Bread Dressing

Zesty Cranberry Sauce

Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy

Yams with Cranberries and Apples

Green Beans with Toasted Almonds

Broccoli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Herb and Onion Bread

Poached Pears

Pumpkin Custard Pie

Cranberry Apple Punch, hot or cold

Tofu Brochettes

Tofu or Tempeh Burger (see Transition Foods)

Vegetarian Hot Dogs (see Transition Foods)

Oven Fries

Corn on the cob

Roasted Garlic

Curried Spinach Salad

Chinese Noodle Salad

Watermelon

The best breakfasts are often the simplest: meals based on whole-grain cereals (hot or cold), or whole-grain breads and fruit. Quick-cooking cereals include rolled oats, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, and cornmeal. Leftover grains from previous meals can be reheated for a quick hot breakfast. When selecting cold cereals, read the labels to make sure they do not contain added fat or excessive sugar. If sugar is the first or second ingredient on the label, or if the label lists more than one type of sugar (honey, corn syrup, dextrose, malt), then sugar is a major ingredient. Soymilk, rice milk, and fruit juice are all tasty on cereal. Use low-fat soymilk, or make your own by diluting regular soymilk with an equal amount of water.