One of the most common questions I get is:  "What do you eat?"  My own food plan has varied over the years based on my needs and lifestyle.  Also, available food brands change.   Sometimes things I like are no longer available, and sometimes new items show up!

Because I am a diabetic, I need to balance my proteins and carbs with every meal.  It's a good healthy habit anyway.  As I've said before, breakfast and lunch are pretty stable.  It's the dinners that vary.  I find this is the case with most people.  Dinner time is where we have our variety and it's also the time when we are cooking to please more people.

These days, for breakfast, I have oatmeal.  It's quick and satisfying.  I cook up five days' worth at one time and then just heat a portion each day in the microwave.  I usually add a banana to it and have a small protein shake to round it out my meal.  I make my shake with one-half cup of milk, one-half cup of water, two ice cubes and one-half scoop (measured by grams) of shake mix.  Just recently, I found that Target has their own brand of shake mix.  It's very good and more affordable than other brands – just $16 for the jug.

Lunch is smoked turkey breast and mustard on Nature's Own brand 100% whole wheat bread.  I love this bread because it's only 50 calories per slice, and the slices aren't tiny or so thin you can see through them.  They've expanded their line to include hot dog buns, hamburger buns and sandwich thins.  It looks like they will be around for a while and I'm glad to see that.  I usually add something crunchy like bell pepper strips with a little sour cream dip or mini rice cakes to round out the meal.

For snacks, I like bars.  I look for those that are higher in protein or fiber, or both.  I have a busy life and bars are easy to grab either at home or to throw in my purse.  I try to stock up when they go on sale.  Fresh fruit is, of course, a staple.  Summer time means bowls of cut and ready to eat melon, washed grapes and cherries.  Winter time means crisp apples and juicy oranges.  I also like to keep bananas around because they are quick and satisfying.  Another quick snack I enjoy is a few (10 or less) almonds.  They're a good habit and contain good fats.  Just watch your quantities.

Dinners have remained pretty much the same over the years.  They're the basic "balanced" meal:  lean meat, potatoes or brown rice and vegetables.  Check out my recipes page for some dinner ideas.