By:
Dave Schreck

The last time I spent more than two hours outside was shoveling snow and scraping ice off the car. Then it was cleaning up the yard and planting grass seed after a winter that was too long and too cold.

Soon I’ll be thinking about what to prepare for a summer of picnics, barbeques and perhaps a trip to the beach.

But wait. I’m a Zoneophile. What about the potato chips, soft drinks, pasta salads, grilled corn, baked beans, brownies and beer? How can I survive?

When you think of all the foods you’ll miss, it can be difficult. To ease the cravings, replace those foods with substitutions that are just as appealing and better for you, such as Smoked Salmon with Asian Slaw, Grilled Vegetable Antipasto with Goat Cheese, Grilled Chicken Quesadilla with low-carb flat bread, Sautéed Portobello Mushrooms with Chevre or Thai Chicken Satay with a spicy peanut sauce. Sound good? I just searched these ideas on my favorite food Web sites. Balancing these recipes to be in the Zone is easy. You know the plan. Have a small amount of protein and lots of non-starchy veggies like zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, broccoli, eggplant, green beans, colorful peppers and for dessert, grilled peaches or mixed berries with a dollop of real whipped cream.

What’s there to drink? A good substitute is sparkling water with a splash of unsweetened cranberry juice and a wedge of lime or naturally flavored sparking waters. A substitute for the alcohol? Actually, some of the non-alcohol beers are refreshing, the non-alcoholic wines I sampled reminded me of fermented juice. Therefore, I’d suggest a splash of grape juice (it’s cheaper than a bottle of non-alcoholic wine) topped off with sparkling water with a twist of lemon or slices of lime and orange, like a wine cooler.

Here’s a recipe from Lynn Sears’ book “Zone Meals in Seconds.”

Tuna and White Bean Salad with Arugula, Capers and Feta with Dill Dressing
Prep: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 (4 block) meals

Look for small bags of prewashed, baby arugula leaves (about 3 inches long) in the produce section of natural foods stores and supermarkets. It will be more wild and less spicy than long arugula leaves. If you can’t find arugula, substitute a spring salad mix or baby greens salad mix.

Tuna-White Bean Salad:
5 cups baby arugula, washed, and spun dry, sliced if large
5 cups romaine hearts, washed, dried, thinly sliced
2/3 cup scallions (green onions), white part and most of green part, washed, trimmed, and minced
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced
4 small, roma tomatoes, cut into small wedges
2 cups English cucumber, peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced
2 cups unsalted cooked white beans
12 ounces drained, water packed, tuna, preferably unsalted about 3 (6-ounce) cans
1/4 cup bottled capers, drained
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Dill Dressing:
16 fat
1 2/3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons Dijon or roasted garlic mustard
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried dill weed or 2 tablespoons fresh, minced

1 3/4 cup grapes

Instructions:
1. Layer and divide tuna-white bean salad ingredients on four serving plates or containers with lids.
2. Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar. Cover, shake, then spoon over salads before serving, or divide between four small bottles, then cover, and refrigerate for packed lunches.
3. Serve grapes for dessert

Variations:
* Replace endive and escarole with romaine lettuce.