Keeping Fit in the Kitchen

Now that you have (or are on the way to having) that swimsuit body, let's keep it for the rest of the summer, into the fall, throughout the winter and all of your life. There are a lot of barbecues and cookouts rolling your way. How can you eat healthier this summer and keep that waistline you worked so hard on? The answer is simple: common sense, tenacity and a little bit of work... but just a little.

Breakfast
We are conditioned to eat sweets for breakfast.�It isn't essential, but if you want to stay sweet on the lighter side, try nondairy yogurt (particularly coconut milk) mixed with sliced banana, unsweetened toasted coconut flakes, raw sliced or slivered almonds and chia seed (or flax, if you prefer) for a tasty breakfast that feels like a bowl of cereal or a yogurt parfait. If you need it sweeter, add strawberry slices and a drizzle of honey or agave -- even with that, it isn't as detrimental to your waistline as a bowl of cereal or yogurt and granola, which is full of sugar, fat and carbs.

If you prefer savory for breakfast, consider this eggs Benedict substitute. Instead of bread, use grilled turkey breast as your base. Make a pesto in your food processor to replace the Canadian bacon: combine sundried tomatoes, olive oil, black pepper, red pepper flakes, a dash of kosher salt, oregano and fresh basil. Top with the egg treatment of your choice -- I use a nonstick skillet and olive oil spray for sunny-side up or egg white with a few crumbles of feta cheese. Pass on the hollandaise, please.

Lunch

Pure and simple, eat salads.�Use all the greens you can find and lots of peppers, cucumbers and other crunchy vegetables whose textures remind you that you're eating. However, don't go for the dressing, which is where fat and dairy hides. I use oranges in every salad I make - they provide liquid to wet the greens and flavor to whet your palate.�You don't need all the extras, like dairy, meat and croutons. All you need is a bunch of raw food, chopped up and thrown together. It's good to have one vegetarian meal a day. You need the roughage, trust me.
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Dinner

We are all eating less red meat these days.�I like to have red meat every 14th day; the rest of the time, I go for fish and poultry.�If you grill a chicken breast seasoned to your preference, you can serve it with a vegetable and a grain for a balanced meal that will fill you up and leave your taste buds feeling like they haven't been denied anything.

For your chicken, make a pesto out of raw almonds, fresh basil, olive oil, black pepper and a dash of kosher salt -- no dairy. It is really tasty with a texture that makes your mouth aware that you are, in fact, eating.

If you need a grain with dinner, go with quinoa -- it's the grain of the moment because it isn't wheat or corn (like couscous or grits) and is packed with protein. When following the instructions for your quinoa, substitute half of the water for a sodium-free chicken or vegetable broth. Just before serving, toss the grains with finely chopped chives, crumbles of feta and raisins to really brighten the dish.

For your greens, wash and blanche baby spinach for 30 to 60 seconds. Drain and douse it with ice-cold water, then squeeze out all the water. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet, and then add some diced fresh garlic and shallot; when browned a little, add the spinach. When the spinach is wet with the oil, add some chopped kale and toss the greens together. If you need salt, go with a sprinkle of kosher - not a spoonful. As the kale becomes wet with olive oil, it wilts a little but not so much that it and the spinach become indistinguishable. You have two different textured greens, the flavor of the savories and the damp of the oil.

The grains, pesto and chicken not only create a varied and colorful presentation on the plate, but also are healthy and really tasty.

Of course, we all want to stay fit. That's wonderful and admirable. It's also a great thing to live your life. So when you can stick to healthier eating, give yourself a pat on the back; when you can't, give yourself a break.