Especially when eating healthy, it is easy to perceive that you are limited with palatable food options. I carefully used the word "perceive" because with a little recipe research, there is a tremendous amount of variety for the people watching their weight. But I am certainly guilty of failing to dedicate the time needed to spawn new creative dishes, and this leads to bouts of boredom with the meals.

To snap out of the humdrum, I suggest being more of a bartender than a chef. Think of a Long Island Iced Tea. Who would think that if you add six different hard-core liquors together with a dash of mix and cola, it would so good that you would joyfully drink eight of them? The same creative application can be done with food, especially if you are making smoothies, salads or marinades.

I don’t want to feed you recipes but rather give you some ideas and let you experiment. The hardest part of making up recipes is remembering what you did after making a good one, so pay attention!

Smoothies usually have fruit, but everything else that goes into it is up to you. Yogurt, tofu, cottage cheese, juice, milk, nuts, spices, ice, peanut butter, club soda and protein powder are just a few of the options you can include in your drink to make it a balanced, tasty and very healthy snack or meal. Salads are where I have excelled as a mad scientist, concocting creative cuisine. I use chicken, turkey or tuna to be on the healthy side, but instead or blasting it with the fat-loaded mayo, try plain yogurt, a dash of olive oil, fruit, egg whites, tofu, veggies, nuts or seeds, spices (cayenne is my favorite) or a dash of milk if it is dry.

Marinades are a great way to enhance the taste of various meats, especially the dry ol’ chicken breast. Combinations of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, low-fat dressings, juices, sauces (soy, Worcestershire, etc.), mustards and spices are a sampling of the limitless possibilities for creating something unique and inventive.

Break away from the predictable Lean Cuisine’s and take a creative culinary adventure with a little experimentation. Expanding your dietary horizon is a great way to avoid the boredom that causes you to stray into the forbidden fat-laden, butt-widening, unhealthy food choices.

Doug Gibson
		About the author:
		Doug Gibson is a columnist for Cincy Chic and president of Sensible Fitness Personal Training Center in Blue Ash, Ohio, which specializes in women’s fitness programs. E-mail him at doug@sensiblefitness.com.
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Last update: 10-11-2009 16:02

Published in : Magazine Items, Health