The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Sexier, Healthier You--In 15 Minutes a Day! (64 page)

The Superfast Kitchen Overhaul

For most women who are scheduled to the gills, time is a precious commodity. To whip up the lightning-quick meals in this chapter, you need a kitchen set up for NASCAR-level speed. That means all the right tools in all the right places. Here’s a two-step, 15-minute kitchen makeover that will have you prepared for healthy cooking in less time than it takes to call for take out.

Clean House

The first step in your 15-Minute Kitchen Overhaul is a clean sweep of your fridge, cabinets, and pantry. We’re asking you to be ruthless, to toss out perfectly good food (that’s bad for you), whether you’ve opened it or not. The key is to get rid of all of your temptations. Because if the Cheetos aren’t there, you can’t eat them in a moment of salt-craving weakness. So grab a large trash bag and let’s get started: Take all the sweets and treats like candy and cookies and toss them. If you just can’t bear to trash those $30 Godiva chocolates, then at least hide them from plain view where they can’t be easily reached. Even better, place them in opaque containers before you hide them. Researchers have found that men and women eat far fewer sweets when they’re stored in containers that obscure what’s inside than when they’re in clear jars. In fact, in one study from the University of Illinois, office workers ate 25 percent fewer Hershey’s Kisses when they were placed inside a slightly inconvenient spot out of sight, like inside a desk drawer, than when they were within arm’s reach in plain view.

Did you get rid of the snack cakes and baked goods? Good. Next, sniff out the white bread, white rice and pasta, boxed and canned pasta meals, and other highly processed foods. The nonperishable stuff can be donated to a local food bank, including juices and sodas. Banish all sugary beverages from your home. Remember, if it’s not there, you can’t drink it or eat it. Out of sight, out of mind, out of mouth.

Get Ready for Action

Okay, your trash bag is full and your cupboard is bare, but you still have 5 minutes left in your 15-Minute Kitchen Overhaul. Now focus on your tools. You can’t make quick meals if you have to spend 10 minutes fumbling through your junk drawer for a measuring spoon. Take the time right now to dig out the following items and place them prominently on your countertops or in easy-to-grab spaces in your cupboards, so you have quick access to your food-prep tools any time of day.

Cutting boards:
For chopping fruits and veggies, slicing meats, and general food prep.

Knives:
At least one good chef’s knife is a must. And make sure it’s sharp! All good chefs know that dull knives are dangerous knives. Round out your knife arsenal with a serrated version and a paring knife.

Measuring cups and spoons:
They help keep portions (and pounds) in check.

Colander:
For rinsing vegetables.

Blender/food processor:
To crush ice for smoothies, purée raw ingredients into silky-smooth soups or sauces, and grind meat or chop nuts.

Shredder:
For cheese, of course, but also for shredding ginger and other flavorings. (We also recommend a grater or zester—think tinier teeth—for grating spices and making citrus zest.)

Oven mitts:
For handling HOT pots and pans.

Flexible nylon food turner:
Because they won’t scratch your nonstick pans.

Tongs:
A stainless steel model, as well as one with nylon-covered tips for those nonstick pans.

A wooden spoon:
For stirring sauces and sneaking tastes.

A pepper mill:
Because there’s nothing like having fresh ground peppercorns to spice up a meal.

YOUR STAPLES:
Restock your refrigerator and pantry with these mainstays of healthy eating

*
Any vegetables besides potatoes, peas, and corn are fair game.

JUST ADD WATER

Replace your can of diet soda with ice cold water. Researchers at the University of Utah found that volunteers who drank 8 to 12 8-ounce glasses of water per day had higher metabolic rates than those who sipped only 4 glasses. Your body may burn a few calories heating the cold water to your core temperature, says Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD, founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Weight Management Center. Though the extra calories you burn drinking a single glass is pretty small, making it a habit can add up to pounds lost with essentially zero additional effort.

15 Delicious Muscle-Building, Fat-Fighting Meals You Can Make in 15 Minutes or Less

Let’s get something straight: The following recipes won’t turn you into the next Food Network star. But they will help you to eat better for good health and weight loss. And they won’t keep you kitchen-bound for hours up to your elbows in wheat grass. Oh yeah, most important: These meals taste great. That’s a promise.

In the spirit of this book—simplicity and quarter-hour speed—we’ve compiled recipes for 15 nutrient-dense meals that you can make in 15 minutes or less. When you tire of these meals or for days when you have more time to spend in the kitchen, grab a copy of
The New Abs Diet Cookbook
, also from
Women’s Health
. It’s packed with more than 200 recipes utilizing the same healthy ingredients recommended in this book. Meanwhile, grab a plate and try these.

BREAKFAST

GREEN EGGS OMELET

2 large eggs

2 egg whites

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon butter

¾ cup baby spinach, washed

¼ cup reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese

ground black pepper

•
Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl.

•
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs and cook until it begins to set.

•
Add the spinach and shredded cheese on top and cook for another minute; then, using a spatula or nylon food turner, fold into an omelet.

•
Cook until the eggs are thoroughly set.

•
Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 1 serving.

Per serving:
260 calories, 23 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat (7 saturated), 1 g fiber

PROTEIN MAKES A MEAL

Building every meal around protein helps build and maintain lean muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat does, even at rest, says Donald Layman, PhD, professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois. Aim for about 30 grams of protein—the equivalent of about 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese or a 4-ounce boneless chicken breast—at each meal.

SUPERFAST HUNGER BUSTER

¼ cup cottage cheese

½ cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon crushed walnuts

•
Mix all together in a bowl.

Makes 1 serving.

Per serving:
198 calories, 10 g protein, 14 g carbohydrates, 12.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 3 g fiber

NUKED OATMEAL

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup low-fat milk

½ cup frozen strawberries

dash of salt

teaspoon of sugar (optional)

dash ground cinnamon

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

•
Combine the oats and milk in a microwavable bowl.

•
Microwave for 1 minute, stir, and then microwave for 1 more minute.

•
Allow to cool for a minute before mixing in the protein powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar.

Makes 1 serving.

Per serving:
585 calories, 43 g protein, 80 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat (3.6 g saturated), 10 g fiber

LUNCHES, SNACKS

A LITTLE ITALY

2 Wasa Crispbreads

4 thin slices prosciutto

6 basil or baby spinach leaves

2 slices ripe red tomato

2 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 2 ounces)

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Cracked black pepper to taste

•
Top each crisp with 2 slices of prosciutto, 3 basil leaves, 1 tomato slice, and 1 mozzarella slice.

•
Drizzle with olive oil and grind some black pepper on top.

Makes 1 serving.

Per serving:
409 calories, 23 g protein, 15.5 g carbohydrates, 26.5 g fat (5.3 g saturated), 3 g fiber

10 WAYS TO SNEAK FIBER INTO YOUR DIET

The golden number for daily grams of dietary fiber is between 20 and 35, according to the USDA. But few of us consume that much. To get more of the belly-filling, cholesterol-lowering, metabolism-boosting good stuff, try these tricks:

1.
Sprinkle garbanzo beans into your salad. A half-cup delivers up to 6 grams of extra fiber.

2.
Drop a handful of berries to add flavor to plain or vanilla yogurt. Half a cup provides 4 grams of fiber.

3.
Eat the skin of your next baked potato for 2 extra grams of fiber.

4.
Add fiber to chips and salsa by dumping some black or kidney beans into jarred salsa.

5.
Crunch on 1 ounce (about a handful) of almonds, peanuts or sunflower seeds for 2 to 4 grams of fiber.

6.
Bite an apple, spread on some almond butter, bite again, and repeat.

7.
Add lentils to soups. One-quarter cup of these tiny legumes is crammed with 11 grams of fiber.

8.
Munch on 2 cups of low-fat popcorn for 2 grams of fiber.

9.
Drop a whole orange into the blender to flavor your morning smoothie. (Uh, peel it first.) One orange has nearly 3 grams more fiber than even the pulpiest orange juice.

10.
Doctor your favorite jarred pasta sauce with ½ cup of frozen chopped spinach. The spinach will adopt the flavor of the sauce and pad the fiber count by more than 2 grams.