Toss It!

Quick Salad Dressing

1 T   olive, walnut, sesame or grapeseed oil
1 T   rice wine, pomegranate, red wine, champagne or balsalmic vinegar
spice this up with red onion, fresh garlic, herbs de Provence, Italian herb mix, fresh basil, fresh thyme, lemon juice, gourmet mustard, sea salt, cracked black pepper

Asian Salad Dressing

1 T   sesame oil
1 T   red wine vinegar
1 t    sesame seeds
1 t    grated orange rind
1 shake  red pepper flakes

Asian Salad

6 ounces grilled scallops
2 c total butter lettuce and green cabbage mix
1 c total julienned carrots, red pepper, radish slices
1/4 c mandarin oranges
1 brown rice cake crumbled over the top
1 T sliced almonds

Winter Salad Dressing

1 T   olive oil
1 T   balsalmic vinegar
1 t    gourmet ground mustard

Winter Salad

2-plus cups mixed greens
1/4 c   torn basil leaves
1 c      roasted veggies
1/2 c   cooked garbanzo beans
1 T      chopped walnuts

Shake It!

One can opt to replace a meal with a shake.

1.  Pick a protein

2.  Add fiber.

3.  Add a healthful fat.

4.  Add fruit.

5.  Add water and ice to create the desired thickness.

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JJ Virgin's shake recipe

 1 - 2 scoops protein powder
 1 - 2 servings of fiber
 1 - 2 servings of fat like 1 T organic nut butter (not peanut) or 1/4 c light coconut milk (replacing water)
 1 c  frozen organic berries
 1 c pure spring water

Eat From the Rainbow

Some of the highest nutrient-level non-starchy carbohydrates are colourful

ORANGE : carrots, sweet potato, cantaloupe

GREEN  :  broccoli, spinach, avocado

RED  :  beets, red peppers, raspberries, pomegranate, cranberries, cherries

BLUE :  blueberries

PURPLE :  red onion, radicchio

BLACK :  blackberries, olives, seaweed

How Much is Enough

The next two chapters of JJ Virgin's book talks more about what to eat.

Non-Starchy Vegetables (30 - 35 %%)

- eat two or more servings per meal.
- one serving is 1 cup raw pr 1/2 c cooked
- arugula, beet greens, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce (not iceberg), snow peas, summer squashes, watercress, asparagus, brussels sprouts, celery, collard greens, eggplants, jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, radishes, shallots, Swiss chard, bell peppers (red, yellow, green), cabbages, endive, green beans, kale, mustard greens, radicchio, spinach, bean sprouts, cucumbers, fennel, kohlrabi, onions, spaghetti squash, turnip greens

(High fiber, starchy carb choices - jicama, squashes, lima beans, turnips, black beans, great northern beans, navy means, yellow beans, bulgur wheat, steel cut oats, whole grains, lentils, legumes, barley, millet, artichokes, pumpkin, brown rice, rye, whole grain breads, yams, sweet potatoes)
Lean Protein (about 25%)

- eat about 4 to 6 ounces of protein at each meal;
- chicken or turkey breast : 9.5 grams of protein per ounce
- red meat or fish : 7-9 grams / oz 
- shellfish ; 6 - 7 grams / oz
- whole eggs : 6.2 grams / oz
- feta cheese : 4 grams / oz
- cottage cheese  (1/2 cup) : 15 grams / oz
- Greek style plain yogurt : 15 - 18 grams / oz

Healthful Fats (about 25%)

- eat one to three servings of fat each meal
- one serving is approximately 1 tablespoon of nut butter or oil, 10 small nuts, 1./3 an avocado, 1/4 c light coconut milk, 3 to 4 ounces of fish

High Fiber Carbs and Low Glycemic Index Fruits  (about 15%)

- eat one to two servings at each meal
- 1 slice of bread, 1/2 c of cooked grains, 1/3 c of beans, 1/2 medium yam or sweet potato, 1/2 c winter squash, 1 apple, 1 c of berries, a sliced tomato

Dairy and Nuts

Water

- drink eight to ten glasses of water a day between meals
- drink 4 to 8 ounces of water with meals because you don't want to dilute your stomach acid and impair your digestion

Do Not Eat

JJ Virgin's book starts off with what NOT to eat.  She knocked off some of my favorite things.  (Now you know that I will NOT be following her book, Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy).

However, others may be more willing ... so here goes.

The Obvious Ones

cookies, cakes, doughnuts, candy, white bread in any form (bagels, muffins, etc.), waffles (I just got a Belgian Waffle Iron from the kids today), high sugar breakfast cereals, jellies (including sugar-free kinds), ice cream and frozen yogurts, creamy or sugary salad dressings, margarine, ketchup, vegetable oils (including corn, safflower and sunflower)

The Not-So-Obvious Ones

all sodas (including diet ones), energy and cereal bars, fruit juices (even the ones that are 100% natural), fat-free flavored yogurt, all diet foods (including diet salad dressings and frozen meals), microwave popcorn, anything with artificial sweeteners, processed soy foods, dried fruits, jam made with fruit, sugar-sweetened peanut butter, fat free chips