Easy Snacks and Meals to Fuel Fitness

To fuel up for fitness, here are a couple of my favorite (and easy) breakfast/snack ideas courtesy of Family Circle magazine:

• Chocolate-Peanut Butter Oatmeal
  ½ cup rolled or quick oats made with 1 cup fat-free milk
  1 tablespoon creamy natural peanut butter
  2 teaspoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

I’m a self-proclaimed chocoholic so even this small amount of chocolate chips satisfies me.

• Apple & Nut Butter (snack)
  1 medium apple, sliced and spread with two tablespoons almond butter 
  My breakfast version: I spread almond butter on whole grain toast, followed by the apple slices and a drizzle of honey. If you haven’t tried almond butter, it’s worth the extra expense as an alternative to peanut butter.

Try this 20-minute recipe from the Family Circle kitchens: Red snapper with gazpacho salsa

I hope spring is all around you…the weather is warming up, the birds are singing, and flowers are starting to bloom. I’m ready to take my workout…outdoors. How about you? I am a walker, especially on the weekends when I have more time to be outside.

For those of you who have listened to my podcast for a while, you know that Family Circle along with the American Heart Association sponsor the annual Start! Walking Challenge. You can find out more at familycircle.com/walk2010 or in the May issue. This month the focus is on walking and eating to lower cholesterol. You’ll find a very helpful mix-and-match meal plan.

Margit Ragland, Health Director at Family Circle joins me on the podcast this week to talk about the Walking Challenge with a focus on cutting your cholesterol level in three ways:

1. Keeping a cap on saturated fat that can raise your total and lousy LDL cholesterol levels while it shrinks your good cholesterol…HDL.
2. Focusing on fiber, a nutrient that works like a sponge to help rid your body of cholesterol.
3. Loading up on superstar foods that conquer cholesterol-like oats, nuts, beans, fish, soy, and even dark chocolate.

Listen to this week’s podcast