Chris Powell's Choose More, Lose More for Life (38 page)

All of my recipes, based on a foundation of protein, offer high- and low-carb-day versions. But there are loads of other ways to add variety to your meals. There’s no reason to hold back: It’s okay to incorporate more than one type of protein, carb, or fat into a single meal! If you want to, you can mix two proteins together in a recipe—say, turkey and tofu—instead of using just one. The same goes for carbs and fats. The key is that you
don’t exceed your portion sizes
. You could, for instance, use a wild rice–lentils combo that adds up to your fist-size carb portion. Go ahead and experiment. New ingredient combos mean new recipe flavors, so you’ll never get bored.

Another way to engineer your meals to suit your personal tastes is to be creative when following the instructions “serve with your favorite carb/vegetable side dish” that you’ll find in most entrée recipes. Go to town—serve
a different side dish
every time! Just make sure your carb portions don’t exceed your fist size.

And you can keep mixing it up by using different herbs, spices, oils, sauces, and condiments. Each recipe includes one or more ingredients in the flavoring category, but you can always use another flavor. In fact, herbs, spices, and other kinds of flavoring are your greatest cooking assets: You can
give almost any dish a different spin
simply by switching up your flavorings. The options are unlimited when it comes to herbs, spices, and calorie-free condiments, but you’ve got to watch your portions of other condiments, as well as oils and sauces, because they do have calories. No worries about zing, though. Even a little bit of seasoning can deliver a whole lot of flavor!

As you experiment with ingredient combinations, mix-and-match side
dishes and all the exciting flavorings out there, you’ll quickly
discover your tastes
. Once you know which way your taste buds swing, feel free to substitute ingredients to your heart’s content and whip up side dishes that suit your food moods. Increase your flavorings if you prefer more robust food, or decrease them if you like things milder. A little more or less of any single ingredient won’t ruin most of the recipes, so go with experimentation and creativity and keep things exciting!

*
Every portion of protein in these recipes is appropriate for women. They are near (not exactly) 100 calories per portion of protein. Men will increase slightly based on their daily caloric needs that are laid out in earlier chapters. A good rule of thumb: Men should eat around 1.5 times the portion of women.

Combine protein powder with unsweetened almond milk or cold water. Shake well in shaker bottle or mix with 1 cup ice in blender until smooth. Flavor with stevia drops if desired. Enjoy!

*
While I have found that a spritzer bottle is a convenient way to add oils to meals, it’s not necessary for these recipes. If you don’t have one, don’t worry! Just add a few drops everywhere I say “spritz”—or use an olive oil cooking spray.

A great way to start your day off is with an egg-white omelet. Eggs are one of the least expensive sources of protein. They make for a great high-carb breakfast when combined with fruit, oatmeal, whole grain toast, or tortillas. Plus, omelets are also great for dinner! Once or twice a week, bring some variety to your meals with an omelet. Just make sure to watch your ingredients to ensure a proper ratio of proteins/carbs/veggies or proteins/fats/veggies, depending on whether it’s a high-carb day or a low-carb day.

1. Separate egg whites from yolks. In a small bowl, whisk egg whites for about 45 seconds.
   
2. Heat oil in a medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the egg-white mixture to the pan. Slowly turn the pan to ensure the egg mixture covers the entire bottom.
   
3. Using a rubber spatula, gently lift the edges of the omelet, tilting the pan so the remaining liquid can go beneath the egg and begin to cook.
   
4. Let the omelet finish cooking (when egg whites have set) on one side, then using a spatula carefully flip it over to continue cooking on other side.
   
5. If you are adding ingredients, sprinkle them onto the center of the omelet and continue cooking. Fold the omelet in half to enclose the added ingredients. Enjoy!
   

Follow directions for The Basic Omelet above.

Follow directions for The Basic Omelet above.

Follow directions for The Basic Omelet above.