(NAPSA) - Maintaining a healthful diet doesn't have to eat up a lot of your time. In fact, dietitians say there are a number of shortcuts time-pressed home cooks can take that let them serve up balanced meals without spending too much time in the kitchen.
Nutrition expert Joy Bauer, MS, RD, CDN, spokesperson for the American Frozen Food Institute, prepared a nine-day meal plan that consists entirely of frozen food products. Most of the meals take just minutes to make, but they are low in fat, low in calories and provide the vitamins and minerals recommended by doctors. Perhaps equally important for dieters, the meals help keep variety and good taste on a diner's plate.
All the meals include at least one serving of frozen fruits or vegetables (studies show frozen produce is as nutritious as fresh produce, and in some cases more nutritious) and people can select meals from the 1,600-, 2,200- and 2,800-calorie categories.
Here's a sample day. It provides 58 grams of protein, 38 grams of fiber, 1,580 calories and 28 grams of fat:
Breakfast
2 Whole-Grain Waffles, calcium-fortified, frozen
1 cup Frozen Blueberries, thawed
8 oz. Calcium-fortified Orange Juice from frozen concentrate
1 Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement
Lunch
2.5 oz. Vegetable Burger, frozen
1 cup Mixed Vegetables, frozen
1 cup frozen Long-Grain Brown Rice, cooked
Afternoon Snack
1 Small Oat Bran Muffin, frozen (any brand, 200 calories or less)
Dinner
4 oz. Breaded, Baked Fish Fillet, frozen (any brand, 170 calories or less)
