If you’ve ever met me, you’d know that I’m a fairly strong proponent of finding great tasting foods that will work with your diet.  I firmly believe that a fat loss diet does not need to feel like torture as long as you’re willing to get a bit creative and try new things.

I will admit that in my day I’ve tried some pretty interesting (what I call, ‘creative’ anyway) recipes; some turned out great, others, well they earned me a few funny looks.  Either way you look at it though, experimenting with healthy foods and low calorie/low sugar/low fat condiments is one of the best ways to prevent dietary boredom, especially when it comes to vegetables.

Most people stick with the same old vegetables day after day after day and eventually just stop eating them altogether because they feel as though if they even see another plate of steamed broccoli they may just lose it.

Recently, I came across this recipe for grilled zucchini, which is extremely easy to make healthy.  What do you do? Replace the salad dressing for a fat free variety (maybe add a bit of olive oil to it if you want to up your intake of healthy fats).

So there you have the recipe.

1 large zucchini

1/4 cup Italian Salad Dress

Slice the zucchini into thin strips and then let stand in salad dressing for a few minutes. Place the strips over a hot grill (the BBQ or oven will work) and flip at half time – about 3-4 minutes per side.

It doesn’t get much more simple than that, so next time you’re looking for something to replace your cauliflower or salad, consider this.

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Those who skip breakfast are far more likely to overeat later in the day, taking in more calories than what their fat loss diet specifies. This then essentially stops them from successfully being able to lose weight.

If you’re someone who isn’t a big fan of regular oatmeal, having a protein shake (you want something solid in your body – which is very understandable), or you want something that’s easy to prepare and take on the go, consider a power packed protein pancake.

The following recipe is full of healthy, slow-releasing carbohydrates, protein to supply your body with the amino acids it needs to maintain the muscles, and a small amount of healthy fat to help delay stomach emptying, helping prevent hunger from coming on before it’s time for your mid-morning snack.

Protein Packed Pancake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw oats

3/4 cup egg whites

1/2 tbsp natural peanut butter

1/4 cup chocolate or vanilla protein powder

Mix together oats and egg whites until well blended.  Then stir in protein powder until it appears to have dissolved into the mixture and finally add in peanut butter.

Pour this mixture onto lightly sprayed skillet and cook like you would a regular pancake, flipping at half-time.

Nutritional Info:

Approximately 385 calories, 36 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat, and 44.5 grams of carbs.

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That said, when most people think of cottage cheese, the instant reaction is a bit of a gag reflex. Most people just do not like the food. Whether it’s the texture, the taste, the smell, or the look of it, getting people to eat cottage cheese regularly can be a bit trying.

To help you out, here are the top 5 ways you can eat cottage cheese – there’s a very good chance that out of all of these, there should be at least one that you could tolerate.

Cottage Cheese and Fruit

One of the more common ways to eat cottage cheese is mixed with fruit which adds a nice sweetness that comes from a healthy source.  You can either mix in canned fruit (although go with a lower sugar variety or better yet, canned in water) or chop up some fresh fruit and stir it right into the cottage cheese.

Just avoid buying those pre-made cottage cheese and fruit containers because more often than not these are high in simple sugars.

Cottage Cheese and Tuna

The second way to eat your cottage cheese is mixed with tuna.  Some people aren’t a big fan of canned tuna either, so obviously this is not likely going to be an option for them, but for those who do enjoy canned tuna, the cottage cheese adds a creamier flavor and can easily be prepared in less than 10 minutes.

Cottage Cheese and Pasta

For those who can afford more carbs in their diet, cottage cheese and pasta (sometimes combined with other types of cheeses as well) makes for a great well balanced dish, especially for those who are not consuming meat as a source of protein.

The nice thing about this is that the cottage cheese will actually melt slightly, giving the pasta a cheesy sauce that’s lower in fat and calories.

Cottage Cheese and Protein Powder

Mixing cottage cheese along with your favorite protein powder is a fourth way to enjoy it and will also help to boost the total protein content.  Any variety of protein powder will work well with this and if you stir it enough it will provide a ‘mock’ soft ice cream type of texture for when that craving strikes.

Some people will also blend cottage cheese up with a box of pre-made sugar-free Jell-O and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour for a mousse type of dish.

Cottage Cheese and Smoothies

Finally, don’t overlook using cottage cheese in the smoothies you are preparing. It can be blended right in just as you would yogurt for an extra slow-digest protein boost. If you balance this out with the protein powder, frozen fruit, and whatever other ingredients you plan to put in the smoothy, very often you won’t even taste the cottage cheese, making it a very attractive method for those who really dislike this food.

So, don’t be so quick to write cottage cheese off.  With some creativity you should be able to come up with a tasty way to eat it that you will enjoy and will be healthy at the same time.

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If you’re craving pancakes though, there’s no reason why you can’t satisfy this craving despite your being on a low carb diet. 

Here is a great recipe to try out using pretty much just protein powder and egg whites, making it a very low in calorie meal that will contain almost 100% protein.

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When aiming to build muscle, you want to choose as calorie dense foods as possible since these will take up less volume in the stomach, allowing you take in more total calories. Trail mix is great for being high in calories, while providing good nutrition. Some individuals will just choose to feast on high calorie food without much care to what the nutritional value does, and while this may help you reach your total calorie target, it’s not going to do much for your health.

Here are three trail mix recipes to try.

Tropical Fruit Trail Mix

3/4 cup dry-roasted almonds

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup dried mango

1/4 cup dried pineapple

1/2 tsp chile powder

Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.  Store in an air tight container overnight.

Almond Apple Trail Mix

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 tsp poppyseeds

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup cornflakes

1/4 cup peanuts

1 cup dried apple slices

After heating the oil in a saucepan, add poppyseeds.  Next, remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients until well coated.  Store in an air tight container.

Banana Nut Trail Mix

1/8 cup peanuts

1/8 cup peanut butter (melted slightly)

1/3 cup Shreddies cereal

1/2 cup pretzels

1 cup banana chips

After melting peanut butter, combine the remaining ingredients together in a bowl and then drizzle.  Stir until coated.

So, don’t let a high calorie requirement stop you from building muscle successfully.  Just make smart choices with your food intake. Trail mix is easy and cheap to prepare, can be transported anywhere, and is quick to eat.

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They love the way pasta tastes, yet hate the pounds it adds to their body over time. Not too mention the fact that it is far to easy for us to overeat in pasta (have you seen the 1/2 cup suggested serving size – most of us eat 3-6 times this amount), causing a much higher calorie intake than fits our diets.

Luckily, there are ways to satisfy this craving without breaking your weight loss diet.

Check out this story from Men’s Health online magazine for more information.

======> Click HERE for The No-Carb Noodle

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Here’s Vince DelMonte talking about how he prepares his shakes.

For more information about Vince’s Muscle Building Program, please visit his website.

====> Click HERE for No-Nonsense Muscle Building

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