"The other thing I like to keep on hand is tortillas. You can make a wrap, tostada or quesadilla. For a wrap, buy deli roast beef or turkey breast, vegetables such as lettuce and prepared salad dressing. Put in the middle and roll up. Serve as a supper or snack.

"You can also make a shrimp Caesar salad wrap. Buy cooked shrimp in the fish department, and use the tortilla on hand. Buy ready-to-eat romaine lettuce already washed and light Caesar salad dressing. Add Parmesan cheese. Serve cold.

"Another idea is to put salsa, lettuce, Monterey jack cheese, precooked chicken and fajita sauce on one tortilla. Place under the broiler and warm through a couple of minutes."

15. Cereal Madness.
With boxed breakfast cereals, seek fiber while you minimize sugar. Luckily, both are listed on the label. A little sugar would be okay. For cereals with dried fruit, such as raisin bran, the sugar listing will be higher, which is fine if the sugar comes mainly from fruit. If in doubt, check the ingredients label to make sure processed sugar in its various forms (such as corn sweetener) isn't the first or second ingredient.

For fiber, look for at least 3 grams per serving. You don't have to worry about added fat with most cereals, with the exception of regular granola. When you check for sugar and fiber, look at the fat figures, too. More than 2-3 grams per 1-ounce serving is too much. Don't think you're home-free with low-fat granola; it probably isn't low in sugar.

16. What a Crock!
A roast in a crock pot is a true time-saver. Simply put chopped vegetables on the bottom, add browned meat and 1-2 cups of liquid with seasonings. Turn on the crock pot and go to work. Come home, set the table and eat!

17. Deep Freeze.
Frozen foods are another great mainstay, especially when you choose items without sauces or added fats. Look for complete meals in a bag that simply need to be stir-fried, such as Skillet Sensations. Precooked frozen shrimp or chicken just needs reheating. Also look for flash-frozen chicken halves and individual ground-meat or ground-poultry patties so you can use what you need for one meal without defrosting an entire block of frozen food.

18. Plan Your Menu.
Think of the basic plan: lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and fruits and/or vegetables in each meal, with 2-3 servings of low-fat milk products included each day. Put simply, eat for nutrition. 1  |  2    

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