Table of Contents
This book is dedicated to my fellow foodies, without whom even the spiciest meals would be bland. Good
food is meant to be shared and luxuriated overevery bit as much as close friends and family.
Foreword
It has been my pleasure to review and write the forward for Jorj Morgans fourth book, The Complete Idiots Guide to Good Fat, Good Carb Meals. Let me begin by telling you a little bit about what I do and how authors like Jorj make this kind of subject matter so fulfilling. As editor-in-chief of Balance magazine, I am deeply committed to building a community of empowered and informed women, all dedicated to balancing work, health, and a satisfying home life. In reading Jorjs book, I was delighted to note that she touts balance as the backbone and lifeline in learning to benefit from a well-balanced meal plan each and every day.
In this book, Jorj has lovingly crafted 250 recipes that skimp on nothing and provide everything your body needs to stay fit and focused. Not only will Jorj teach you to cook gourmet foods easily and inexpensively, but she also reduces a dieters, would-be dieters, or future dieters fears and doubts about unrealistic goals and expectations.
Jorj has not written a diet book, and God bless her for that, considering we certainly have enough of them in this weight-obsessed world. Instead, Jorj has written a book about planning menus and having fun along the way. She teaches her readers to use whats lurking in their refrigerators and pantries to the greatest advantage for planning, preparing, and finishing a scrumptious meal without feeling deprived or guilty afterward.
Jorj shows you that staying healthy or learning to become so is not about starving yourself and turning down every dessert. Its about using your head in meal preparation, substituting healthy ingredients for bad ones without tasting the difference, creating healthy snacks that will carry you to mealtime, and last but never least, recognizing that fats and carbohydrates can be separated into two categories. Jorj is very clear and detailed in alerting the reader to which fats and carbs do the body good and which fats and carbs should be earnestly avoided; in fact, she does so with such a vibrant and down-to-earth approach, you will feel as if a friend is sharing her recipes with you the entire time you enjoy this book.
Thank you for reading my endorsement; now get busy livin the good life. And remember, its all about being in balance.
Sincerely,
Susie Levan
Publisher and editor-in-chief of Balance magazine
A former COO of a public real estate syndication company for 16 years, Levan is currently chairman and CEO of Beach House Publishing, Inc., which publishes the nationally distributed and much enjoyed Balance magazine. She is a nondenominational pastoral counselor and has been teaching, writing, and sharing in the fields of stress management and balance for the past 14 years. Levan founded the Womens Wisdom Circle and The Sanctuary, a Place to Heal the Heart Within, a center for self-enrichment and personal growth, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Introduction
Throw out those diet books, and start living the good life. A well-balanced meal plan is all about inclusion, not deprivation, and is easily within your reach. A well-balanced meal plan, one that will have you enjoying the cooking process instead of fearing your food, is based on choosing foods that are good for you. Simply put, you want to build your diet around making good choices.
Begin by looking beyond advertising hype and using your good common sense. For example, what kind of eater are you? Do you take a pass on breakfast because fruit has sugar and cereal has carbs? Or do you eat a drive-thru egg-and-sausage sandwich (without the muffin, because you dont eat carbs) on your way to work? Does your lunch break consist of wolfing down a fat-laden burger and fries at your desk? On your way home from work or soccer practice, have you planned what you will prepare for supper, or do you find yourself reaching for a frozen dinner to nuke in the microwave?
Its very easy to get yourself out of the junk food rut, and the really, really good news is that with a well-balanced meal plan, you will find yourself eating as much as you want. No more skipping meals, no more food eaten in the car, and no more relying on foods that come out of a box!
The recipes in this book are easy, fun to make, quick to prepare, and full of ingredients that you can eat! Enjoy fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats and poultry, and reduced-fat dairy products. Combine them to update your favorite traditional dishes and to create new dishes your family and friends will love.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is divided into six parts:
Part 1, Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! will clue you in on the essence of good eating: for excellent health and longevity, experts recommend a balanced meal plan, filled with good carbs and good fats. You will also learn that eating good carbs and good fats is not only a healthy choice but is also a recipe for great-tasting, satisfying food, prepared effortlessly. Included are sections on defining the foods that comprise good fats, like avocado and olive oil, as well as those that are good carbs, like whole grains and fresh veggies. You will also learn the basics of a well-balanced meal plan.
Part 2, Fresh Start Breakfasts and Snacks, will give you a reason to wake up a few minutes ahead of time because the early bird catches the wormand gets the best energy buzz of the day. Even if youre running out the door, you need to take a few minutes to grab a quick breakfast to give your metabolism a jump-start. Eating good carbs and good fats doesnt have to be limiting. Use the yummiest dishes, like omelets and frittatas, to plan a leisurely breakfast party with friends. Mid-morning snacks are good for you and the secret to success for a well-fueled engine. Take a page from the Hollywood celebs and use snacking as a way to keep movin and groovin.
Part 3, Midday Magic, will make you stop and think the next time you find yourself dashing into the local greasy spoon for a fast lunch. Youll find that you can ease satisfying sandwiches, salads, soups, and snacks into your weekday meal plan with less effort than it takes to order those fries. Its not about bologna and cheese in a brown paper sack anymore. Take-along lunch fare is all about upscale yum. Some call it rabbit food, but those in the know realize that fresh veggies are the backbone of a well-balanced salad. Add a bit of grilled chicken or fish and a drizzle of vinaigrette, and you have a gourmet luncheon dish. Drink to your good health with sippable, spoonable soups. A perfect blend of fresh veggies and protein, these drinks travel with you easily. In the afternoon, ignore the lure of the vending machine. Instead, recharge your engine with protein-filled snacks to get you through the day.
Part 4, The Dish on Main-Dish Entres, will encourage you to choose lean protein, tons of fiber-filled veggies, and a splash of good carbs in your well-balanced, super supper. Youll learn that not all steaks are created equal, how to choose lean cuts of beef, and to be aware of portion size. You need not go cold turkey when giving up prepackaged dinner entres. You can bake, broil, or barbecue fresh cuts of chicken and turkey in minutes for a quick-cook supper. Whats packed with pure protein and tastes heavenly when drizzled with only a squeeze of lemon? Fresh fish, of course. Choose this original fast food and serve it in your balanced meal plan. Theres also a section on food for the gods: shellfish. Its affordable, delectable, and easily obtainable, and theres every reason to include it in your everyday diet. New ways of feeding and raising animals render leaner cuts of pork, lamb, and veal. Farmer Browns green thumb produces the freshest veggies you can find, and Part 4 helps you turn them into your everyday veggie supper. Theres also a section on one-pot suppers. From stir-fry to casseroles to slow cooked wonders, one-pot meals are jammed full of good fats and good carbs.
