Summer season is berry season, as well as an ideal time for cherries, plums, nectarines, and peaches.  I can’t get enough berries and stone fruit, and lucky for me they are packed with vitamins and minerals and their palattes of rich reds, oranges, blues, and pinkish hues signify an abundance of antioxidants and phytotchemicals, not to mention plenty of fiber.   For optimal health, aim to eat 2 cups or the equivalent of fresh or frozen fruit per day.  Skip the juice and fruits canned in sugary syrups; fresh, whole fruit has far more nutrients.

Breakfast: Nectarine Pecan Oatmeal

Microwave 1/2 cup rolled oats, 6 pecan halves, 1/2 chopped nectarine, and 1/2 cup skim milk or soy milk for 90 seconds.  Super easy breakfast, ready in minutes.

Lunch: Berry-Cherry Parfait

Lunch doesn’t have to be soup, salad, or a sandwich.  Try a calcium-rich yogurt parfait.  Add your favorite fresh fruit and nuts, and you have a well-balanced lunch, replete with protein, heart-healthy plant fats, and fiber-rich fruit.   I combine 6oz of nonfat, plain yogurt with 1 cup of pitted cherries and blueberries and then sprinkle on 1/4 cup of roasted pumpkin seeds (good source of omega 3 fatty acids–same as those found in fish).  I opt for 0% Fage Greek yogurt because it’s thick and creamy and much less tart than typical plain yogurt.  Using plain yogurt instead of flavored also saves you 1 T of added sugar.  Juicy, chopped fruit is a healthier option than refined sugars, like agave or honey, and it’s plenty sweet and delicious.  Skip the granola as well, as many varieties are loaded with saturated fat and sugar, packing up to 200 calories per 1/4 cup (the equivalent of 2 Tablespoons of butter).

Snack: 1/2 Peanut Butter Sandwich

Spread 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter on 1 slice of any 100% whole grain bread, and you have a snack that will travel anywhere.  Choose a brand of peanut butter made from 100% peanuts like Brad’s or Arrowhead Mills.  You wouldn’t spread partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, salt, or sugar onto your sandwich, would you?  Then why tolerate them pre-mixed into your peanut butter?  Skip the Skippy! Choosy Moms, don’t choose Jiff.  Eat smarter, and read the labels.  “Peanuts” should be the sole ingredient listed, or you can grind your own at some grocers like Whole Foods Market.

Dinner: White Bean & Tomato Panzanella Salad (Bread Salad)

This fresh, summer salad is so refreshing, and extremely nutritious composed of ripe tomatoes, crunchy red onions and cucumber, protein-rich white beans, and chunks of country bread that soak up the vinaigrette perfectly.  Add some baby spinach leaves if you haven’t had your greens for the day.  Or if you’re in a more carnivorous mood, simply add grilled chicken or tuna.

Click here for recipe.

Photos from Martha Stewart, Everyday Food, a fantastic source of recipes and cooking inspiration.

Beans are an awesome food, true nutritional superstars.  They are rich in complex carbohydrates (the body’s main fuel source) and protein, yet naturally low in fat.  They’re packed with fiber, heart-healthy potassium, and an array of additional vitamins and minerals and numerous phytochemicals.  If you’d like to cut your cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease, replace some of the animal protein (meat & dairy) in your diet with beans.  I actually ate three different types of beans yesterday and wanted to show you how easy it is to fit more beans into your daily diet.

Breakfast: Oatmeal

1/2 cup rolled oats microwaved for 90 seconds with 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 ounce walnuts (about 7 halves), 1 tsp brown sugar, and then topped with 1/2 sliced banana.  Coffee with skim milk.

Lunch: Chopped Chickpea & Feta Salad

Mix 1/2 cup canned chickpeas (rinsed & drained), 1/4 sliced avocado, 10 halved grape tomatoes, 1/2 orange pepper cut into slices, 1/2 cup frozen corn, 1 T feta crumbles.   Martha Stewart also featured a similar recipe pictured below.

Snack: 1/4 cup dried edamame & 1 cup red grapes

Dried edamame are a good alternative to nuts.  A quarter cup of tree nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, etc) can run you more than 200 calories.  Dried edamame satisfies that salty snack yen for half the calories and less fat than an equivalent serving of nuts.  You can also use them in place of those fat & chemical laden wonton strips and crunchy noodles on Asian-inspired salads.

Dinner: Garlicky Black-Pepper Shrimp & Black Eyed Peas 

This is one of my dinner staples.  I’ve linked to original recipe I found in Gourmet magazine, but I usually leave out the bacon, decrease the chicken stock (to reduce the sodium), and add in shredded savoy cabbage or Brussels sprouts and cubed sweet potatoes to up the veggie content.  You could also use flakey fish, like catfish or flounder, or another shellfish, such as scallops, in place of the shrimp.   The leftovers make a great lunch the next day as well.

Check back for tomorrow’s Smart Swap featuring sweet potatoes.

Breakfast: Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal

Microwave 1/2 cup rolled oats with 1/2 cup plain soymilk, 2-3 chopped walnuts, & 1 Tablespoon dried cranberries for 90 seconds.  I always start the day with coffee and skim milk as well.

Morning Snack: Stonyfield Farm Nonfat Keylime Pie yogurt

Lunch: Chickpea, Lentil Salad

I prepped this salad the night before to take to work the next day.  In a tupperware, combine 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s steamed lentils, 1/2 cup chopped carrot, celery, green pepper, and cucumber.  Top with 2 T plain hummus and 1/4 sliced avocado.  I usually crush 2 Ryvita crisps into this salad right before I eat it.

Afternoon Snack: Crumbs Cupcake

Crumbs’ large cupcakes can top 600 calories, and contain more than the recommend 6 1/2 teaspoon per day sugar allowance.  I didn’t need it, but I wanted it. Could I have eaten half and been satisfied?  Yes, but I wanted the whole thing.  It was so pretty, and so delicious, and I enjoyed every bite!   But I also enjoyed the 45-minute, grueling spin class I took later in the evening to burn it off.

Dinner: Steamed Broccoli, Shrimp, Water Chestnuts

I wanted to balance my afternoon indulgence with a healthy dinner.  Steaming is a great cooking method to lighten up meals because you don’t need to use any oil or cooking fat, and it’s super fast and easy.   Simply place a steamer basket in a pot with 1-2 inches of water.  I filled the basket with 2 cups chopped broccoli, 5 frozen shrimp, and 1/2 cup water chestnuts, and then drizzeled 1 Tablespoon of Veri Teri Hoisin before eating.

Tip: Water Chestnuts provide a satisfying crunch to asian-inspired stir-frys and salads.  If you want to make a meal “light” yet filling, replace some or all of the rice or noodles with water chestnuts.

Evening Snack: Large Orange & Red Grapes

This day’s menu provided plenty of fruit, veggies, lean protein sources (shrimp and beans), whole grains (oats and rye), low-fat dairy (yogurt and soymilk), and heart healthy plant fats (walnuts and avocado)  Although I overdid it sugar-wise (large cupcake), I managed to stay within my daily calorie needs (1800-2000 calories/day)  by choosing nutrient-dense whole foods for my other meals.  It’s all about balance folks.

Grocery List & Pantry Staples: rolled oats, walnuts, canned chickpeas, Ryvita crispbread, Trader Joe’s steamed lentils, canned water chestuts, frozen shrimp, non fat yogurt, Veri Teri Hoisin

When I tell new acquaintances that I’m a nutritionist, they almost always ask me what I eat.  I’m often momentarily stumped because I eat such a wide variety of foods I don’t know where to begin.  Now with this weekly post, I can direct friends, family, clients, and all other inquiring minds to my blog to check out what this dietitian typically eats, including links to my favorite products and recipes.

Breakfast 1/2 cup rolled oats, microwaved with 1/2 cup plain soymilk, 1 T brown sugar, and a couple of walnut halves.

Morning Snack 1 single serving packet of Trader Joe’s roasted cashews

Lunch Black Bean & Corn Salad

Simply mix 2/3 cup canned, drained black beans, 1/2 cup thawed, frozen sweet corn, 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes, 1/4 avocado, dashes of ground coriander and cumin, black pepper, kosher salt, and the juice of 1/2 lime.  This is a convenient salad to take to work as you can add ingredients directly to a Tupperware container the night before.

Afternoon Snack large Gala apple and 1 container of Stonyfield Farm nonfat blueberry yogurt

Dinner Broccoli omelet, Iggy’s 7 Grain roll with 1 tsp whipped butter, 1 blood orange and 1/2 cup frozen, thawed raspberries

I saute 2 cups of chopped broccoli in 1 tsp olive oil, adding small amounts of water if the broccoli starts to stick, until the broccoli is bright green.  Then 1 add one egg to the broccoli mixture, tilt pan so egg distributes evenly, and wait for tiny bubbles to form.  Then I flip the omelet and add 1 Tablespoon of Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce at the last minute.

Evening Snack 4 mini Snickers

Note: Today’s meals and snacks add up to 1800-2000 calories and are packed with plenty of fruit, veggies, beans, whole grains, a little soy, some non-fat dairy, and a few tasty treats (butter on my roll and a few Snickers).  As I’m not a milk drinker, I also take 600mg of calcium citrate with vitamin D to reach my daily requirement of 1000 mg calcium.

Bon Appetit!