Belly Bytes

Check out the following meal specific ideas to help you eat more grains all day long.

Breakfast Bonanza

• 1.  Set up a bagel buffet for breakfasts on the fly. Just serve a variety of bagels (you might try whole wheat, cinnamon and pumpernickel for starters) along with an array of low-fat toppings.
• 2.  A tip for your toast: try one tablespoon of all-fruit jam instead of 1/2 tablespoon of butter for a low-fat start.
• 3.  Have breakfast in an instant with a bowl of instant cooked cereal, then top with honey or cinnamon.
• 4.  Waffling about breakfast is out; frozen waffles and pancakes are in. pop them in the toaster or microwave, then top with applesauce.
• 5.  In a hurry? Don't skip this important meal. Pour a bowl of cold cereal for a nutritious day starter that's ready in a flash.
• 6.  Drizzle a crisply toasted English muffin with honey or jam for a high-carb breakfast you can eat during your morning routine.
• 7.  For a weekend breakfast treat, try a slimmed down version of French toast. Dip bread in an egg substitute, then brown lightly in a non-stick skillet that's lightly coated with cooking spray. Top it off with cinnamon applesauce or a fruit spread.

Lunch-Time Leads

• 8.  Spread pizza sauce on a bagel, pita or English muffin; add low-fat cheese, basil and garlic and broil until the cheese bubbles.
• 9.  Try a duo-tone sandwich: Mix white bread with whole wheat; or wheat with rye; or sourdough with pumpernickel. The combinations are endless!
• 10.  Choose pretzels or oven-baked tortilla chips instead of a side of fries for a change of pace that's chock full of grains. You can make your own, too. Just cut a refrigerated wheat tortilla into wedges and toast lightly under the broiler.
• 11.  For a tropical twist, try raisins, citrus peel and low-fat pineapple yogurt with salad macaroni for a cold salad.
• 12.  Pick up pita pockets. Stuff with tuna, chicken or fresh veggies for a power-packed lunch that's easy to fix.
• 13.  Do the double-decker. next time you build a sandwich, cut the fat by using twice the bread, but only half the filling.
• 14.  Turn a plain soup or salad into a meal. Add a variety of lower-fat crackers for texture, taste and most importantly, energy-rich complex carbs.
• 15.  Curl up with a tortilla. Spread with low fat peanut butter and jelly and roll 'em.
• 16.  Buy a loaf of French or Italian bread, slice vertically (like they do in deli shops) then fill with tuna, chicken or fresh vegetables. Slice off a "sandwich" at a time.
• 17.  Treat yourself with the latest in trendy foods; Oriental noodles. Mix a big bowl of cold noodles with bok choy or shredded vegetables and sprouts and fresh basil. Add a little chicken and hot broth to make it a main dish.
• 18.  Make a lighter version of the classic grilled cheese sandwich. Use your toaster to heat the bread. When it pops up, slap on a slice of lower-fat cheese, then heat briefly (30 seconds will do) in the microwave to melt the cheese.
• 19.  For easy entertaining. try cucumber sandwiches. They make a great companion for soup or salad. Trim the crust from white bread, cut in fourths, flatten with a rolling pin, spread with low-fat cream cheese and top with sliced fresh cucumbers.

Snack To Snap Up

• 20.  Make a "sandwich" of reduced-fat crackers, low-fat cream cheese and sliced vegetables. (It makes a great appetizer, too.)
• 21.  Stick with it. Bread sticks make a good match for your brief case: They help you eat right -- even at your desk -- and can get you through late-day slumps by restoring energy with complex carbohydrates.
• 22.  Bag up mini-bagels for a just-the-right-size, energy-rich snack kids can eat on the run.
• 23.  Got a sweet tooth? Grab graham or animal crackers. They are low in fat, higher in carbs.
• 24.  Bake your own bagel chips. (This is a good weekend project your kids will like, too.) Here's how: Cut bagels crosswise into thin slices, then toast in your toaster oven or under the broiler. For a sweet treat, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar before toasting.
• 25.  Instead of peanuts or chips, munch on pretzels as a low-fat option for satisfying cravings for salty, crunchy foods.
• 26.  Bag your favorite cereal and you've got an instant carry-out snack that will bag you another serving from the grain foods group.
• 27.  Whip up a savory snack. Sprinkle low-fat cheese on a tortilla, heat in the microwave. Then roll it up and dip in salsa. Enjoy!
• 28.  Tantalize your taste buds with toast fingers. Spread low-fat peanut butter on whole wheat toast. Sprinkle with crushed cereal and slice into "fingers." (This one's sure to be a winner with kids, too.)
• 29.  Lightly toasted pita wedges are great for dipping in low-fat spreads. Try hummus, made from chick peas, to get you started.
• 30.  Need a nutritious appetizer? Try skinny sub sandwiches. Slice plump, fresh bread sticks vertically, then stuff with your favorite low-fat fillings. They're a natural for sporting event parties.
• 31.  For an after-school (or after-work!) snack, try spreading applesauce over whole wheat bread.

Suppertime Solutions

• 32.  Make a bread bowl for your next soup-and-salad supper. Scoop out a round loaf of bread and use the insides to dip into the soup. When the soup's gone, you can eat the bowl, too!
• 33.  Get that fried chicken taste without the fat. Roll skinless chicken in egg whites and milk, dip in crushed cereal and bake.
• 34.  Think ahead. Boil a big pot of pasta on Sunday, toss lightly with olive oil (to keep it from sticking) and refrigerate. Try a different topping every day.
• 35.  Switch to tomato or vegetable-based sauce for guilt-free pasta. Remember, a half-cup of pasta adds another serving to your 6 to 11 for the day.
• 36.  Toss fresh or dried herbs with spinach-flavored fettuccine for a fresh twist that works as a main dish or on the side.
• 37.  Mix freshly steamed vegetables with bulgur or couscous for two-food-groups-in-one main dish.
• 38.  Go Oriental. Flavor your Oriental noodles with water chestnuts and low-sodium soy sauce.
• 39.  Spice up spaghetti with salsa and chopped green chilies for a Southwestern spin on a powerful meal that's ready in minutes.
• 40.  Try an exotic couscous tabbouleh dish for something different. Mix chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions, cilantro with lemon juice and garlic and add to cooked couscous.
• 41.  Pass the bread. Pile bread on a plate and pass it 'round the table every night. It's an easy way to slip in another serving or two from the grain foods group.
• 42.  Go gourmet: Add water-packed artichoke hearts to your favorite pasta or Oriental noodles.
• 43.  Make any soup a noodle soup. Precook the noodles and add to soup just before serving to build up your base of grain foods, and make your soup a main dish.
• 44.  Crush and crumble crackers into meatloaf and meatballs -- extends your servings of grains, cuts back on fat.
• 45.  A bowl of cereal works for those working-over-time, no-time-to-cook-but-need-to-eat-dinner blues.

To Top It All Off

• 46.  Try low-fat granola-type cereals as a topper for fruit-flavored or frozen yogurt.
• 47.  Treat yourself for being good with angel food cake. Top with strawberries, raspberries or other fresh fruits.
• 48.  Fig bars hit the spot, but skip the fat. Fortune cookies are fun and low-fat.
• 49.  Enjoy a few vanilla wafers with a fruit cocktail cup or with a fresh fruit salad.
• 50.  Instead of an ice cream sandwich, mash some bananas with light whipped topping for a graham cracker sandwich filling.

Source:  Wheat Foods Council

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