Work out a very easy, very cheap and very healthy diet.

Mainly, avoid fast food, beef and pork, processed foods, white food (white flour, rice, potatoes and sugar), and cook mostly at home from scratch, mostly. Include vegetables, fruit, small amounts of chicken and fish, dairy and eggs in moderation, grains and beans, olive and canola oil in moderation, dried fruit and nuts for dessert, and lots of water. I am not perfect, but I stick to this diet 99% of the time, and feel pretty good. The next step is to eat smaller portions, and instead of grazing all day, eat only when hungry. I already drink lots of water, but I want to postpone eating by drinking more water. I think that will be helpful in weight maintenance.

Small is beautiful, so small portions are critical to being very easy, very cheap and very healthy. This is my next goal, to stop eating before I feel full, and to sit with it to determine whether I truly am full.

Tasted pretty dang good, too. Food is still too expensive, though. I think we’re going to get more into beans. Guess I’ll cook up some frijoles tomorrow.

I’m working pretty well on this. I did buy a couple yams this weekend, so will eat one tomorrow and one on Friday for lunch at work. Since I’ve been able to avoid candy for a while, my eating habits are getting better, and I’m eating mainly what I make from scratch at home. I can’t say it’s any cheaper because food is really going up in price. If I grow some of my own food, that would help.

They’re not that cheap, but one sure fills me up. I don’t like to use the microwave, but I did for this. I nuked the yam (it DOES save electricity) and put it piping hot into a container to take to work. I ate it cold for “dessert” after lunch. Healthy, plus it keeps me out of the vending machine. I think I’ll try to do this daily during the cool months.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and have got the healthy part down, but the cheap isn’t there, and the easy part is partially there. For me, opening a can and dumping it in a pot is way easier than chopping up a bunch of vegetables, but which would I rather eat? Scratch cooking wins out everytime, and has for a long time. Still, I look forward to learning about cheap and easy for healthy recipes. I hope I have a few to share with you. For me, easy includes a short time frame because time is a premium in my life.

Depending on what you call cheap – I love to eat well – but other than cheap domestic beer, I eat healthy food, fresh and home cooked oftentimes – no white bread in the house… I think I’m there enough for me!

i just found the coolest thing on fitness..it is a virtual model that shows where i am starting and what i will look like when i finish…here is the website http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/app/virtualme/?_requestid=218322
have fun with it…

This one is a trimmed down version of a recipe we got from Rachael Ray. Hers has a lot of bacon and cheese and such, and calls for ground beef instead of beans, going by the title of Cowboy Spaghetti. Our modification we call Spaghetti Western. We make a huge batch because it reheats fabulously and we munch it for lunches for a few days after dinner.

Spaghetti Western

1 lb whole wheat spaghetti or brown rice spaghetti
1 med onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 14-oz can black beans
1 tsp liquid smoke (or to taste)
1 tsp hot sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp each dried oregano, basil, and parsley (again, to taste)
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 4-oz can chopped black olives
4 scallions, sliced fine, green and white parts
grated parmesan or romano cheese, optional
reduced fat bacon bits, optional

1. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions in salted water. Reserve about a cup of pasta water before draining. Drain.

2. Cook onions and garlic in olive oil in large skillet until onions start to go transparent. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add beans, smoke, hot sauce, and herbs and cook for about 3 minutes, until beans begin to soften and are heated through.

4. Add tomatoes and olives and cook, stirring, until entire sauce is heated through thoroughly. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.

5. Add small amount of pasta water back into spaghetti if it has gotten sticky. Toss spaghetti and sauce together until pasta is coated well and ingredients mix.

6. Top with sliced scallions, and, if desired, small amount of cheese and bacon bits. Serve with a tossed salad and a Clint Eastwood movie.

Try quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa), which is a grain that has complete protein in it and works really great in salads or mixed with veggies. It’s a little like couscous, but with a nuttier flavor (it reminds me of crushed peanuts a little bit, without the fat). You cook it just like you would rice, so it’s not really complicated to make, either. I use broth to cook it to give it a bit more flavor boost, but it’s great with water, too. My favorite is to mix it with ratatouille.

Ratatouille Special

1 med onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small eggplant, diced
1 med zucchini, diced
2 med tomatoes, diced, or about a cup of canned diced tomatoes
1 tsp each dried basil and oregano
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan or large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until just turning transparent, seasoning with salt and pepper, basil and oregano.

2. Stir in the eggplant and zucchini and cook until they soften, about 7-10 minutes.

3. Stir in tomatoes and quinoa and cook for 1-2 minutes more until it’s heated through.

When you’re feeling extravagant, you can try adding in things like spinach, capers (although a bit expensive), a dash of hot sauce, or cannellini or black beans, another great way to add an inexpensive protein.