The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (96 page)

Veggie Frittata

I've never been good at flipping omelets, so I love the idea of a frittata like this basic veggie one. You get eggs stuffed with lots of spices and vegetables without the fuss of making an omelet.

Preparation time:
15 minutes

Cooking time:
30 minutes

Yield:
4 servings

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

2 cups (packed) spinach leaves, torn into 1-inch pieces

3 large eggs

6 large egg whites

2 tablespoons skim milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 ounce shaved parmesan cheese

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2
Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion and bell pepper (see Figure 16-2 for pointers on coring and seeding a pepper); sauté until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the zucchini; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach; stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Pour off any liquid.

3
Grease an 8-x-8 glass casserole dish. Spread the sautéed vegetable mix onto the surface of the dish.

4
Whisk the eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Pour the egg mixture over the hot vegetables in the casserole dish and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with the chives.

5
Bake 35 minutes, or until the frittata's center starts to firm. Remove the frittata from the oven and sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Return the frittata to the oven and continue baking for 5 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

6
Sprinkle on the tomatoes and basil. Enjoy!

Vary It!
Don't be afraid to experiment with different vegetables. Throw in your leftover veggies and add or replace some of your favorites. There are no fixed rules regarding what you can add to your Veggie Frittata.

Per serving:
Calories 162 (From Fat 71); Glycemic Load 0 (Low); Fat 8g (Saturated 3g); Cholesterol 165mg; Sodium 562mg; Carbohydrate 9g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 15g.

Basil, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Egg Scramble

Want to liven up your scrambled eggs? Here's a basic recipe that helps you do just that. The tomato and cheese also add a few more nutrients.
Note:
Goat cheese is a very strong cheese; a little of it goes a long way so you don't end up with too many calories and fat. To round out this dish, try serving with whole-wheat toast.

Preparation time:
10 minutes

Cooking time:
10 minutes

Yield:
4 servings

3 large eggs

6 large egg whites

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

1/4 cup coarsely crumbled soft fresh goat cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 teaspoons butter

2 shallots, chopped

1
Whisk the eggs and egg whites in a large bowl until well blended. Add the tomato (see Figure 16-3 for how to seed and dice a tomato), goat cheese, green onions, basil, salt, and pepper; whisk to blend.

2
Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté for 3 minutes.

3
Melt the remaining 2 teaspoons of butter in the skillet and add the egg mixture; cook 2 minutes without stirring.

4
Using a spatula or a large spoon, gently stir and turn over portions of the egg mixture until it's cooked through but soft, about 4 minutes.

Vary It!
If you prefer, you can sprinkle the goat cheese on top after the eggs are done cooking. The cheese will melt nicely over the eggs.

Per serving:
Calories 151 (From Fat 80); Glycemic Load 0 (Low); Fat 9g (Saturated 4g); Cholesterol 173mg; Sodium 754mg; Carbohydrate 6g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 12g.

Chapter 17
:
Luscious Yet Easy Lunches

In This Chapter

Planning your lunch menu for the week

Savoring some delicious make-ahead chicken and tuna salad recipes

Creating casseroles for healthy hot lunches

Indulging in salads and Mexican-inspired day-of lunches

E
ating a healthy lunch may seem like a simple task, but lunch is one of those meals people often put little thought into. Why? Because grabbing something from a restaurant near the office or snacking all the way through the noon hour is easy. Don't get me wrong. Occasional takeout or snack-based lunches are okay, but eating too many lunches this way can cause you to fall off track with your diet guidelines and end up seeing the same number each time you step on the scale.

The trick with following a low-glycemic diet is to be prepared for all of your meals — including lunch. This chapter shows you several quick and convenient lunch ideas so you can stay within your low-glycemic diet plan and get the weight-loss results you're looking for.

Preparing Healthy Lunches for the Week Ahead

Being prepared for your lunch
es at the beginning of the week can actually save you more time during your busy weekdays and help you stay on track with your weight-loss plan. After all, you can't really follow your food goals unless you have the right foods around you. Also, everyone has those hectic mornings when trying to decide what's for lunch six hours from now just doesn't seem worth it. Having healthy, low-glycemic lunches that you've prepared ahead of time can help out.

Although I'm a fan of preparing lunches for the week ahead of time, I'm
not
a believer in making tons of difficult recipes all day long. To be quite frank, unless you have loads of time, expecting you'll make a full recipe for lunch and dinner every single day is somewhat silly. Heck, I'm sure there are weeks when you can barely find time to make two dinner recipes let alone seven lunch recipes and seven dinner recipes.

Life is very busy for most people. Making an actual recipe for lunch each day therefore isn't that realistic. However, taking a Sunday and whipping up a couple easy recipes that produce a bulk amount of food
is
realistic. Sure, it may take you a little more time on Sunday, but you'll love how quickly you can throw your lunch together during the week.

I've found that this make-ahead trick works best with salad-type sandwiches and casseroles, which leave you with food for the week (or at least part of the week).

There's nothing better than opening up your refrigerator during the week to have your lunch ready to go. All you have to do is package it up! You'll also be happy about the delicious lunches you get to eat as opposed to the ol' last-minute peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The next sections present ideas for low-glycemic salad-based sandwiches and casseroles that can get you started on your make-ahead lunch adventure.

Sensational chicken and tuna salads

The sandwich is a staple for most lunches, but t
hat doesn't mean you have to eat the same boring one each and every day. One of my favrite routines is making a batch of chicken or tuna salad on Sundays to use during the week. Both salads are simpler to prepare than other recipes and incredibly versatile, so you can change up your lunch each day.

You can use chicken or tuna salad to

Make a basic sandwich

Top off a big bowl of mixed greens

Fill a tortilla or wrap

Pair with a side salad or a bowl of soup

Spread on top of some low-glycemic crackers with a side salad or a bowl of soup