By Sandra Gordon
With swimsuit season approaching, this nutritious and enjoyable meal plan is designed to help you lose one to two pounds each week. Developed by the acclaimed Rancho La Puerta Spa in Tecate, Mexico, this 1500-calorie low-fat diet includes a variety of delicious, seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables infused with Mexican flavors to delight your palate. The best part? It’s so healthy that you can continue it as long as you need to reach your target weight. Remember, diet is only one aspect of the journey, so ensure you engage in physical activity—whether it’s at the gym or outdoor activities like walking, running, or biking—at least three times a week while following the diet.
Bon appétit!
Ground Rules for the Countdown-to-Summer Diet
• The calorie counts for each meal—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—are generally the same; therefore, feel free to swap meals or repeat a meal from another day without impacting your weight loss.
• You will enjoy satisfying meals and one afternoon snack. If you feel hungry at additional times, you may have a piece of fruit.
• Drink as much water, seltzer, or herbal tea as you wish but limit coffee, tea, and diet cola consumption to two to three servings daily.
• Vegetarians can exclude meat from recipes and replace it with half cups of black, pinto, cannelloni, or garbanzo beans.
• To add variety in the second week, interchange any fruit in the plan with options from this list: blueberries, raspberries, papaya, mango, watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, apple, orange, grapefruit, or banana. Additionally, try different types of bread like English muffins, pita pockets, tortillas, or whole-grain rolls.
The Tasty 7-Day Spa Diet
Day 1
Breakfast
1 slice of whole wheat bread
1 small wedge of honeydew melon
1/2 cup of nonfat yogurt
Lunch
Spicy tuna pita (Fill 1/2 a whole-wheat pita pocket with lettuce, tomato, bean sprouts, 2 oz of tuna in water, red onion, celery, 1 tablespoon of fat-free mayonnaise, and a dash of Tabasco sauce)
8 oz of skim milk
Snack
1 oz of string cheese
1 apple
4 wheat crackers
Dinner
Chicken Enchiladas (see recipe)
1 cup of tossed green salad with 1 tablespoon of vinaigrette
1 cinnamon-baked banana (Sprinkle 1 peeled banana with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/4 cup of orange juice; bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes)
Day 2
Breakfast
3/4 cup of bran cereal
1/2 cup of blueberries
8 oz of skim milk
Lunch
Turkey Sandwich (2 oz of turkey, 1 oz of Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and 1 tablespoon of mustard and/or fat-free mayonnaise on whole-wheat bread)
1 nectarine
Snack
3/4 cup of raisins
2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
1 cup of nonfat yogurt
1 medium peach
Dinner
4 oz of grilled or broiled sea bass, flounder, or sole
Tomato & feta salad (1 cup of lettuce, sliced tomato, 1/2 oz of feta cheese, chopped shallots, and 1 teaspoon of capers)
1/2 cup of brown rice
1/2 cup of steamed green beans sautéed with 1 tablespoon of sliced almonds
1/2 cup of cherries
Day 3
Breakfast
1 low-fat bran muffin
8 oz of skim milk
Cantaloupe slices
Lunch
Niçoise salad (Top lettuce with 2 oz of tuna in water, tomato slices, sliced olives; serve with oil and balsamic vinegar dressing)
2 breadsticks
Red Zinger tea
Snack
1 orange
1/4 cup of dry-roasted almonds
Dinner
Pasta with Mushrooms (see recipe)
1 cup of lettuce tossed salad with 1/4 medium sliced avocado, 1/2 sliced tomato, and 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette dressing
1/2 cup of frozen yogurt
Day 4
Breakfast
1 Orange Corn Muffin (see recipe)
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
8 oz of skim milk
Lunch
Veggie wrap (Fill 1 whole-wheat enchilada wrapper with 3 oz of low-fat Monterey Jack cheese mixed with lettuce and tomato and 1 tablespoon of vinaigrette dressing)
8 oz of V8 juice
Snack
1 cup of nonfat fruit yogurt
1 medium peach
Dinner
4 oz of poached salmon or halibut
1 cup of tossed salad with 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese
6 steamed asparagus spears
3 small red potatoes
Mango slices
Day 5
Breakfast
6 oz of grapefruit juice
1 low-fat bran muffin
1/2 cup of strawberries
1 cup of nonfat yogurt
Lunch
1 cup of vegetable soup
Spinach salad with chicken or turkey (Toss 1 cup of fresh spinach, tomato, and red onion with 3 oz of grilled or deli chicken or turkey breast slices and 1 tablespoon of raspberry vinaigrette)
1 sourdough roll
Snack
Jicama, celery, and carrot sticks with 2 tablespoons of low-fat Ranch dip
Lemon tea
Dinner
Penne with grilled veggies (Toss 1/2 cup of cooked penne with grilled eggplant, red bell peppers, and mushrooms, sautéed garlic, chopped basil, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese)
1 whole-wheat roll
1/2 cup of strawberry sorbet
Day 6
Breakfast
8 oz of skim milk
3/4 cup of oatmeal
1/2 cup of fresh fruit
Lunch
Tomato slices and 2 oz of low-fat mozzarella on baguette with 1 tablespoon of olive oil
8 oz of skim milk
Snack
1/2 cup of fresh fruit
1/2 cup of nonfat yogurt
Dinner
4 oz of grilled chicken breast
1 cup of sautéed vegetables
1 whole-wheat roll
Mini Blueberry Cheesecake (see recipe)
Day 7
Breakfast
6 oz of orange juice
1 whole egg plus 2 whites, scrambled
1 slice of whole-wheat toast with 1 tablespoon of jam
Lunch
Black bean salad (Mix 1/2 cup of cooked black beans, diced tomato, diced red bell peppers, red onion, and scallions with 1/2 cup of diced papaya, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 4 tablespoons of vinegar; serve over greens)
1 flour tortilla
Snack
1 Orange Corn Muffin (see recipe)
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
Dinner
Shrimp scampi (sauté 6 oz of cleaned shrimp with chopped onion, garlic, and 3/4 cup of white wine)
1/2 cup of steamed rice
1/2 cup of steamed broccoli
1 pear
RECIPES
Orange Corn Muffins
2 oranges, zested then peeled (reserve zest)
1/4 cup of honey
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of brown sugar
4 egg whites
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup of mashed banana
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
Cut oranges into six slices each and remove all seeds. Place a teaspoon of honey into each muffin cup and top with an orange slice; set aside. Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine sugar, egg whites, buttermilk, bananas, and 2 tablespoons of zest; mix well. Fold mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Spoon batter into cups about three-fourths full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Makes 12 servings. Nutrition information per serving: 170 calories, 38 g carbohydrate, 1 g fat, 5 g protein.
Chicken Enchiladas
1/2 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 chicken breasts, skinned and cubed
6 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes
1/2 cup of feta cheese
6 corn tortillas, warmed
Ready-made tomato salsa
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sauté onion and pepper with chicken for three minutes in a medium-sized pan lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook five minutes more, or until chicken is fully cooked.
Remove pan from the heat and fold in oregano and chili flakes. Drain excess liquid if necessary; the mixture should be moist but not overly wet to avoid soggy tortillas. Fold in feta cheese. On low heat, warm a dry frying pan and heat each tortilla separately. Transfer tortillas to a plastic bag to keep warm. Remove one at a time and coat both sides with salsa. Place 2 tablespoons of the chicken-vegetable mixture on each tortilla and carefully roll them up. Place enchiladas seam-side down in an ovenproof dish lightly sprayed with nonfat cooking spray and cover. Bake for 20 minutes, or until filling is hot and bubbling. Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information per serving: 160 calories, 18 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat, 14 g protein.
Pasta with Mushrooms
1 pound of fettuccine
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 teaspoon of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 pound of porcini or button mushrooms, washed and dried
1 cup of low-sodium canned vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground nutmeg
Cook pasta in a large pot according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a medium pan, sauté the onion in oil until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock and cook 1 minute more. Stir in tomatoes, basil, and nutmeg and cook for 1 more minute. When the pasta is done, drain well and return it to the pot. Toss sauce with pasta and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information: 366 calories, 75 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 14 g protein.
Mini Blueberry Cheesecake
Crust:
1 whole graham cracker, crushed
2 tablespoons of unsweetened apple juice
Filling:
2 tablespoons of unsweetened apple juice
1/4 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup of plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons of nonfat ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of fresh lime juice
1/4 cup of fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an individual ramekin with nonstick cooking spray. To make the crust: Combine graham-cracker crumbs in a small bowl with apple juice and stir until moist but not sticky. Press mixture into the bottom and sides of the ramekin. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool completely. To make the filling: In a small saucepan, bring apple juice to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off heat and sprinkle gelatin over juice, stirring until it dissolves. In a food processor, blend yogurt, ricotta, brown sugar, lime juice, and gelatin mixture until smooth. Mix in three-fourths of the blueberries. Pour into crust and smooth out. Top with remaining blueberries. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Makes 1 serving. Nutrition information per serving: 240 calories, 51 g carbohydrate, 1 g fat, 9 g protein.
CHEF’S LOW-FAT COOKING SECRETS
Chef Bill Wavrin, the author of The Rancho La Puerta Cookbook, who created this meal plan, shares some of his cooking tips.
Prioritize freshness. Wavrin stresses the importance of freshly picked vegetables, noting that once picked, they begin losing flavor and nutrition. “If you lack a green thumb, visit your local farmers’ market or find a grocery store with exceptional produce,” he advises.
Add spices. Play around with no-fat flavor boosters like chili peppers, garlic, fresh cilantro, herbs, curry, vinegars, or a splash of lime or lemon juice.
Incorporate tofu and tempeh. These are healthy and tasty, lower-fat alternatives to meat.
Minimize oil usage. When sautéing, use just enough olive or canola oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
