At the beginning of my weight-loss journey, I often found it difficult to find delicious, yet healthy dishes for breakfast or lunch. I often craved French toast with bacon and eggs, and Special K cereal only goes so far for flavor.
But I learned that in order to save my life and attain the body I desired, I had to change aspects of my diet. The decision to change what I eat was essential to transforming myself from the inside out. To sum it up, “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.”
Still, there is such a thing as moderation. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and if a diet is too strict, it’s too easy to lose motivation and fail at maintaining a healthy diet. So slowly introduce healthier versions of your favorite dishes into your diet.
I love French toast and have found a way to have it relatively guilt free. For lunch, if you’re looking for something delicious and light, try tilapia (fish). Give these a try — they are amazing! (*If you have a favorite dish that you know is unhealthy, shoot me an email explaining the dish and I’ll do my best to find you a healthy alternative.)
Banana French Toast Sticks
Calories: 195, protein: 13g, fats: 1g, carbs: 30g
Ingredients (2 servings, one serving = 5 sticks):
3 slices Ezekiel bread (or bread of your choice)
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5 packets no-cal sweetener
• 3 T. low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat the grill.
2. Cut each slice of bread in three or four strips and set aside.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients in magic bullet or blender and blend until smooth.
4. Soak the strips of bread in mixture until completely soaked.
5. Spray baking sheet with a non-stick spray and place saturated sticks on pan.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 min. depending on desired level of crunch.
7. Flip the sticks halfway through baking so they are golden brown on each side.
8. Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or no cal sweetener or your favorite topping such as powdered sugar, low sugar syrup, jam, etc.
Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos
Calories: 362, protein: 37g, fats: 12g, carbs: 27
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup thinly sliced white onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/2 ripe peeled avocado, thinly sliced
• 4 lime wedges
Instructions:
1. Combine first four ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine jalapeño sauce and onion in a small bowl.
2. Combine paprika and next six ingredients (thoroughly ground red pepper); sprinkle evenly over fish. Then heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook three minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness.
3. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish, onion mixture, and avocado evenly among tortillas. Serve with lime wedges.
Enjoy!
Latrice Marie welcomes reader responses to mariecu08@yahoo.com, or visit her at www.Facebook.com/Latrice-Marie.
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