Lunch:

Lunch is simple. Think: big! green! leafy! Basically lunch should be a HUGE amount of leafy greens in a salad. Plus some other yummy stuff, but salad is the main event.

For convenience I like the spring-mix with spinach salads from the store that are ready to eat, but you can save a lot of money if you wash and assemble your own.This is when I try to get as much of my 1 lb of raw veggies as possible. I always need more at dinner time, it is almost impossible for me to eat a 1 lb leafy green salad.

I also eat some cooked veggies (frozen, microwaveable are the easiest, I also like to saute bell peppers, onions, eggplant, etc. to make a kind of fajita type veggie medley).

Sometimes, if it is a busy day, I’ll grab a bag of frozen spinach and put it in the microwave and chow on that for lunch. It won’t be the only think I eat, but it is easy and packed with good nutrients. I happen to really like cooked spinach, so this works for me. Other people might feel the same way about cooked broccoli or green beans, etc.

I would estimate that I eat about a  1/2 lb of leafy greens/raw veggies by the time lunch is over. That is a lot when you consider that leafy greens are lightweight! After eating that much salad, I feel stuffed. I often include beans in my salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, etc. Sometimes I add fruit: sliced apple, a sprinkling of zante currants, a few raw (unsalted) sunflower seeds. I use basalmic vinegar for a dressing or one of the delicious dressings we’ve made from fresh fruit or tomatoes blended to a puree. These are fat-free, sugar-free and salt-free, but have great flavor and help wet the leafy greens.

Often I include a half or quarter whole-wheat pita with homemade humus. The homemade humus is a cinch to make: garbanzo beans & garlic & tahini. Oil-free and salt-free, yet still full of flavor and creamy. I love it. And on this particular eating plan, we can have unlimited beans, so the humus is also mostly unlimited. It is a great go-to snack.

I often include beans, and occasionally whole-grain rice. Sometimes I mix those into my salad. Sometimes I toast a small amount of pita and crumble it into my salad like croutons. It is quite simple, and still very satisfying.

And more fruit.

I haven’t attempted soups yet, though they are a great meal time addition.

Afternoon snacks usually tend to be a lot of fruit and occasionally a small serving of raw, unsalted nuts. I try to eat more veggies too, if I can handle it. I love grapefruit, and have ended up eating it in the afternoon as a snack when I get a craving, instead of eating it for breakfast.

A chocolate craving can be quenched by eating fresh fruit. I think it is my body’s way of looking for a quick pick-me-up. Watermelon and pinapple are in season, and they are so sweet and juicy, I forget all about chocolate after eating a big serving of these kinds of fruit and I feel so good too!