Does this scenario sound familiar? You start your day at 5 a.m. with a doughnut and a cup of coffee.
If you eat lunch at all, it’s a quick hot dog at noon with a large soft drink. Finally you finish your day at about 7 p.m. with a “real” sit down meal at the buffet restaurant. You figure if you eat only one big meal a day you can’t possibly gain weight, right? No, wrong! Eating one large meal a day guarantees you will gain weight.
Your body requires energy to process or “burn” what you eat. This process is called the “thermic” effect of food and requires the burning of calories even when you are doing nothing more than driving. This thermic effect peaks about one hour after eating, lasting a total of two to three hours. Spreading your daily intake of calories throughout the day rather than all at once takes advantage of this effect.
When is a calorie not a calorie? When the calorie comes from protein, as it is believed to increase the thermic effect. Your body requires more energy (calories) to process protein than it does carbohydrates. Protein is necessary for your body to build muscle, and building more muscle increases your ability to burn fat.
Your ability to burn calories is affected by the number of meals you eat, the amount of time that passes between meals and the composition of those meals. Making some simple changes in your eating habits can help you lose weight. Eat six or more smaller, protein-rich meals throughout your day rather than two to three larger meals. This will ensure a frequent supply of necessary nutrients to build muscle and burn fat. Eating more often will also prevent your body from going into “starvation mode” whereby you burn muscle for energy, increasing your fat stores and slowing your metabolism. Avoid meals that are high in carbohydrates (such as sugar or flour) or trans fats (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils), which can trigger the body to store fat rather than burn it. Interestingly enough, carbohydrates and trans fats are prevalent in most snack foods.
So what do you eat? Eat more of the foods “nature” intended you to eat. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts are naturally good choices. Meat, fish and poultry and even low-fat cheese or sugar-free yogurt are good. Wraps and side salads are great; however it is best to choose your own low-fat/low-carb dressings because those available at some fast-food restaurants can have more than twice as much fat as a 1/4-pound hamburger patty.
Here are some easy and quick recipes you could prepare before you start in the morning. Put them in your cooler or refrigerator so you have them available throughout the day.
For more recipes and health tips, please visit my website: , where you can download my “Cab Cookery Pantry,” a list of healthy foods and where to buy them, and my “Roadmap to Fitness” eating and exercise plan for truck drivers.
-Randy Pollak
Tuna Salad With Egg
Serving Size: 2
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
3 oz. Bumblebee Albacore tuna
in water – 1 can drained
1 whole shallot – minced
1 T. mayonnaise
1 T. Dijon Mustard
1 hard-boiled egg – chopped
Salt and pepper – to taste
Mix ingredients in small bowl.
Serve cold.
Serving Ideas: Serve on Wasa crispbread with leaf lettuce and tomato. Works well with canned chicken, ham and even smoked herring or sardines with little or no change in carbohydrate content.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 153/serving;
82 cal from fat; total fat = 9.0g; sat fat = 1.7; cholesterol = 127.6mg; sodium = 340.5mg; total carbs = 3.1g; dietary fiber = 0.2; protein = 14.4g.
Nacho Cheese Dip And Chicharrones
Serving Size: 2
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
2 oz. Kraft Velveeta Cheese
4 oz. salsa
1 oz. pork skins, fried
Melt Velveeta in microwave using small bowl. Stir in salsa. Serve immediately with fried pork skins.
Serving Ideas : Use as a dip for raw broccoli and celery sticks, too!
Nutrition Facts: Calories 234/serving; 151 cal from fat; total fat = 17.3g; sat fat = 6.4; cholesterol = 40.0mg; sodium = 866.8mg; total carbs = 6.7g; dietary fiber = 0.9; protein = 14.4g.
Roast with Veggies
1 lb. chuck roast
2 red or white potatoes
1-lb. bag baby carrots
1 chicken or beef bouillon cube or Lawry’s season salt
1 small yellow onion
Cut potatoes and put in bottom of Crock-Pot. Add baby carrots. Slice onion and add to Crock-Pot. Lay roast on top and season with Lawry’s or bouillon cube. Add 1/2 cup water and let cook on low for six to eight hours or on high for five to six hours. You can use a small power inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter, then plugged into the Crock-Pot.
Submitted by: Suzanne Crouch
Marie’s Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium chopped onion
1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
2 T. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. prepared mustard
6 hamburger buns
Crumble ground beef into 2-quart glass casserole dish. Stir in onion. Cover with glass lid. Microwave for five minutes on high. Drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Re-cover. Microwave for five to six minutes on reheat or until hot. Let stand, covered, five minutes before serving. Spoon into warm, split hamburger buns. Makes six servings.
Submitted by: Dede Bolder
Meatloaf
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg
2 slices of bread in pieces
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. mustard
Ketchup to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together well in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 20 minutes.
Submitted by: Angel Allee
Volvo ‘Taters, ‘Maters and Chops
4 smoked pork chops
2 cans stewed tomatoes with or without green chilies
2 large baking potatoes
Fresh garlic
Salt and pepper
Mushrooms optional
In electric skillet, brown pork chops. Add canned tomatoes (do not drain), diced potatoes, a can of water, salt, pepper and garlic. Simmer on medium until potatoes are tender.
Submitted by Charles Wheeler
Mexican Casserole
1 can Rotel tomatoes/green chilies
2 cups minute rice (prepared)
1 can chili beans
1 can corn
4 hot dogs, cut in small pieces
Prepare minute rice in microwave, then mix all ingredients together and microwave a little longer.
Submitted by Dave and Janet Vinduska
Trucker’s Goulash
10-oz. can chicken
15-oz. can Luck’s mixed beans
15-oz. can Superfine triple succotash
Dash of garlic salt
Preheat stove. Flake chicken. Drain succotash and combine all ingredients. Heat for 45 minutes or until warm.
Submitted by Chris Colson
Warm Fruit Pies
2 slices bread
Pie filling
Spray one side only of two pieces of bread with butter or butter substitute. Put one piece of bread, sprayed side down, onto Sandwich Grill. Top with desired pie filling. Top with second slice of bread, sprayed side away from filling. Shut and grill until desired darkness.
Submitted by: Carol Oliver
Breakfast Bagel
Bagels
3 eggs
1 T. milk
1 tsp. dried onion
Sliced cheese
Mix eggs, milk and onion. Cook one minute in microwave (may need 30 seconds more). Put cheese on sliced bagel and add eggs.
Submitted by: Ruthie Grube
Ham ‘n’ Beans
1-lb. bag of dry Anisazy or Great Northern beans
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. smoked pork neck bones or ham hocks
1 large onion
1 tsp. Tabasco
Place dry beans into a 6- to 8-quart Crock-Pot, add the onion coarsely chopped on top of beans and place neck bones on very top. Put just enough water to cover everything, and then add the Tabasco. Cook on high until beans are soft. Remove neck bones from pot. Clean meat off of the bones and put it back into the pot. Serves four to six large portions. Prep time is about five minutes, and it is ready to eat in about three hours.
Submitted by: Larry Bussen
Chicken & Noodles
1 2-lb. container Swanson Chicken Broth
1 10-oz. can chunk chicken breast
Egg noodles
In cooker of choice, put in the broth and chunk chicken, heat thoroughly and then add desired amount of noodles and cook until done. May need to add small amount of flour just to thicken (Stir well if you do). Serve with your choice of veggie. Cooking time will depend on what kind of appliance you have.
Submitted by Dee Mooney
E-Z pass Soup
1 package Ramen noodles
1 small can mushroom pieces
Smoked sausage cut into small pieces
Mrs. Dash seasoning
Cook noodles in a Road Pro lunch box until tender. Drain water. Add other ingredients and cook until hot.
Submitted by Heather and Mike Stein
Quesadillas
Tortillas
Cheese of choice
Any kind of meat
Hot sauce or barbecue sauce (peanut butter works well, too!)
We found a nifty little cooker at Wal-mart.com called a “Pancake Factory.” Cut the tortillas a bit so they will fit the cooker. Put the meat and cheese between a folded tortilla and put on the grill for a bit till slightly brown. Then turn and cook the other side. Put on sauce of your choice and enjoy.
Submitted by David Toof
Quick & Easy Chili Mac
1 box macaroni and cheese
1 can Armour chili
Tabasco to taste
Prepare macaroni and cheese as you normally would. Once it is prepared, dump the can of chili in and add your Tabasco. Heat a few minutes, and you’re ready to go. Serve with crackers.
Submitted by Brian French
Chicken ‘n’ Tomatoes
1 cornish game hen or chicken parts
Garlic powder
1 can diced tomatoes with onions and peppers
Liberally dust meat with garlic powder. Place in Crock-Pot. Add tomatoes with onions and green peppers. Cook on low heat four to five hours. Hint: Use leftover juice for soup base.
Submitted by Fran Elliot
Dede’s Noodle Casserole
3 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 T. unsalted butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can (6 oz.) tuna (drained and flaked)
1 cup sunflower nuts (optional)
1 cup crushed potato chips
In a 3-quart microwaveable casserole dish, bring to a boil 4 cups water and 1 tsp. salt. Stir in noodles and cover. Microwave eight to 10 minutes on simmer or until tender. Drain and rinse with hot water. Set aside. Next, place butter, onion and celery in 2-quart glass casserole dish. Microwave three minutes on high or until partly cooked. Stir in remaining ingredients, except potato chips. Sprinkle with crushed chips and microwave seven minutes on roast or until heated thoroughly. Let stand five minutes before serving.
Submitted by: Dede Bolder
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