Easy food tips for the man or woman on the go

by Mendel "the Sheichet" Markel
(Pittsburgh, PA)

I have alot of stuff I want to post here, but time has been tight - so I'll begin with a few tips for people on Rich's program and I'll add more as I can.

I figured I'll start with tips on what was my biggest challenge in incorporating the program into my life. The basic question here is this: "How am I possibly gonna fit 6 meals containing the proper food cards into my busy lifestyle?"

When you're working on a schedule that leaves little room for meal preparation throughout the day, this can seem like a daunting task. Here's a few of the ideas that I came up with that work for me that you folks out there can maybe glean some ideas off of that can work for you.

Before I give a list of some of the items I use, let me say this. I found that thinking ahead makes this task alot easier. I always pack my lunch (or lunches rather) for each day on the prior evening. That way in my mad rush in the morning to get myself and the kids out the door, all I have to do is grab my bag and go. I'm not talking about spending 4 hours preparing 6 meals for the next day. The whole process takes me no more than 15 minutes (may take a touch longer at first when you still don't remember how many cards you get for each category). The key for me is simple items and prepacked items. Here are some of my key items:

-Vegetable Juice in single serve cans (small cans for 1 serving 12oz for 2)
-boxed fruit juice (yup, same as my kids get - the 100% juice ones, not the "fruit flavored" or juice "cocktail" garbage)
-Single serve unsweetened apple sauce
-Bagged raw almonds (I measure and bag once a week for all week)
-Celery sticks with PB (I get the precut/prewashed celery sticks so all I have to do is add PB into the hollow and through it in a bag, you can do it for a few days at one time)
-Meal replacement bar (I use Rich's recipe which count as 1 grain, they taste great and are high in fiber, omega 3 and much more. Each recipe makes enough several weeks, shrink wrap em, put most in the freezer and BAM all ready to roll)
-Deli containers (I ALWAYS keep these handy. Take a serving of grains, proteins and/or veg from my wife's delicious dinners at night for the next day - recipes to follow - throw it in a microaveable deli container and presto! I have a delicious, nutritious and 16 Minute Body Sculpting approved homemade lunch in under 2 minutes)
- fresh fruits or vegetables (ones that do not need to be cut, like a banana, orange, apple, tomato - just throw one in the bag and you're good. Or, if you're like me you like cantaloupe, pineapple or melon sometimes...no problem - cut the whole thing up and split it into deli containers - then just throw one container in your lunch bag and leave the rest for a different day)
-sandwiches (these are super easy when you're on the go, I always have WW bread handy. I keep it frozen and thaw as needed. PBJ on WW - unsweetened jam of course -Hummus in a Pita, veggy burger on a WW bun and non-fat low-cal cheese with mustard are some of my favorites, what are your's?)

That's all the time for now, but I'll G-D willing write back soon with some of the amazing recipes my wife has invented for awesome eating within the 16 Minute Body Sculpting program.

Wishing you all much success and great healthy bodies!
Mendel "the sheichet" Markel
www.myspace.com/thesheichet