Gotta Love Hummus

Snacks are a particular challenge on the Zone for many people. This is one of my new favorites! Pair this with a hard boiled egg or cheese stick and you are set with a great tasting and filling 1 block snack!

Celery and Hummus- 1 block

2 cups celery sticks ( 1 block carb)

2 tablespoons hummus ( 1 block fat) check your labels here- not all hummus is the same!

Make sure you add a protein to this to make it balanced.

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Most Important Meal

Most mornings I have a small snack before I workout and a 1 block snack after I workout. However, on Sunday I like to have a big breakfast to start the day. This is one of my favorites because it keeps me full for most of the morning. Steel cut oats are great on the Zone because of their low glycemic index. I have recently found a frozen version at Trader Joe's that are broken into 1 cup portion sizes which is exactly 2 blocks of carbs! Otherwise you can make a larger batch and freeze in the portion sizes you wish.
Oatmeal and Bacon Breakfast- 2 blocks
1 cup steel cut oatmeal (2 blocks carb/ 1 block fat)
1 egg scrambled (1 block protein)
3 strips turkey bacon ( 1 block protein/ 1 block fat)
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Chicken Fajita...

This recipe is very easy and filling. I cut 1 whole tortilla in half so that I can have two separate fajitas, but you could put it all in one if you prefer.
Chicken Fajitas- 3 blocks
1 whole wheat carb balance tortilla (1 block carb)
3 oz chicken cut into strips (3 blocks protein)
1/2 green bell pepper (1/2 block carb)
1/2 red bell pepper (1/2 block carb)
1/4 cup black beans (1 block carb)
sprinkling of cheddar cheese (2-3 blocks of fat)
Hot sauce or Tabasco to taste
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To Shake or Not to Shake?

There are many different philosophies regarding protein shakes and "Zone" type smoothies out there. I will tell you that having a shake at night before I go to bed has helped curb my sweets cravings and fills me up before I go to sleep. I use ProZone because it is already balanced and I do not have to think about measuring anything. However, there are many different types of protein powders that will allow you the freedom to add in your own flavors. I would love to hear your thoughts on this one...
Zone Shake
3 tablespoons of ProZone
1 cup milk
10-15 ice cubes (more ice will make it thicker so make it to your liking)
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All American

Who doesn't love a hamburger? You can still enjoy a great burger with a few minor adjustments to what is on it and what you put on the side. Avocados would be a great addition to add fat (unfortunately I do not care for them). If you opt for eating your burger open faced you will cut down on a lot of carbs which will allow you to add in sides such as steamed broccoli and cauliflower or a salad. This is also an easy meal to Zone if you are eating out. Most restaurants will offer substitutions for french fries and taking off half the bun is pretty easy!

Chili Anyone??

I make this recipe for my whole family, so it is a bit more difficult to get an exact block count on each serving. The entire pot of chili is 10 blocks of protein and 12 blocks of carbs with really no fat. Therefore, you may have to add fat to this to balance it.
Zone Chili- (3) 4 block or (4) 3 block servings
1 pound ground turkey
1 can tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans drained
1 can chili beans
1 packet of low sodium chili seasoning
1 oz cheddar cheese
Brown turkey in your pot over medium heat. Add all other ingredients and let simmer for 30-45 minutes. I serve this sprinkled with cheddar cheese to balance out the protein and fat. I believe that 2 cups is approximately a 3 block serving.

Recommended Reading...

I love this book! I have read many of the Zone books and they all have valuable information, however, a lot of them are written from a scientific perspective which makes them a bit dry to read. "What to Eat in the Zone" keeps the information simple and easy to understand. I highly recommend buying this if you are interested in eating in the Zone. I would love to hear about any other great resources you have found...

Quick and Easy

I have this combination for lunch a lot because it is so easy to throw together. Most people will not stick with healthy eating if they think it is hard to do...so quick and easy is essential!
Toasted Turkey with Apples- 2 blocks
1/2 whole wheat English muffin (1 block carb)
1 1/2 oz sliced turkey (1 block protein)
1 slice lite Swiss cheese (1 block protein/ 1 block fat)
1/2 apple sliced (1 block carb)
3/4 tsp of peanut butter (1 block fat)
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Popeye Was a Genius...

Spinach is one of the best Zone foods because you can do a variety of things with it in recipes and you can have a lot of it! I use this recipe as a side salad, but you could easily add protein to it (eggs, chicken etc...) and make it a great meal as well.
Spinach Salad-2 block serving
3 cups spinach (1/2 block carb)
1/2 apple chopped (1 block carb)
1 1/2 oz feta cheese (1 block fat)
3 pecans broken into pieces (1 block fat)
Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette to coat
This is a little under on carbs, so you could add a 1/2 cup strawberries or raspberries on the side to balance.

Let's Compare...Shall We?

I gathered four different bars in order to compare them side by side. I picked these four because they seem to be the most accessible to people. I am comparing only total blocks (and whether or not they are balanced) and sugar content. All of these bars are peanut butter flavored.
Zone Bar- a balanced 2 blocks per bar with 17 grams of sugar.
Think Thin-just shy (by a gram in each marker) of being a balanced 3 blocks with no sugar.
Balance Gold- a balanced 2 blocks with 16 grams of sugar.
Pure Protein-3 blocks of fat, 2 blocks of carbs and 4 blocks of protein with 3 grams of sugar.
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A Little South of the Border

If you love Mexican food as much as I do, you will love this very easy salad!
Turkey Taco Salad- 3 block serving
3 cups mixed greens (1/2 block carb)
1/8 cup kidney beans (1/2 block carb)
1/4 cup black beans (1 block carb)
1/3 cup corn (1 block carb)
3 oz ground turkey taco meat (2 blocks protein)
1 oz cheddar cheese (1 block protein/ 3 blocks fat)
Season with hot sauce to your liking.
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What is a Block?

There seem to be a lot of questions regarding what a food block is on the Zone. I am going to really simplify this, so I urge you to do some research on your own on this subject.
Carbohydrate-(9 grams of carb= 1 carb block) Most of your carbs should come from fruits and vegetables on the Zone. However, if measuring your carbs off of a label make sure you subtract the dietary fiber content from the total carbohydrate amount. Dietary fiber does not enter the bodies bloodstream, and therefore should not be included in the equation.
Protein-(7 grams of protein = 1 protein block) Protein blocks are made up primarily of meat, eggs and cheese. If you use lower fat versions of these you will be able to have a higher quantity. For example; ground turkey is 1 1/2 oz for each protein block with negligible fat content. Bacon is 1oz for 1 protein block with 5 times the fat.
Fat- (3 grams of fat= 1 fat block) Fat block should come from either monounsaturated (olive oil, nuts, avocados) or omega-3 fatty acids (cold water fish).
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Bang for Your Buck!

There is some debate as to whether chicken is 1 block of protein per ounce or per ounce and a half. I would love to hear what the general opinion is on this issue.
Chicken Stir Fry
4 oz chicken cut into strips ( 3 blocks of protein) until I do further research I figured I would cut the difference down the middle
1 1/2 cups broccoli cut into small pieces( 1 block carb)
2 cups cauliflower chopped (1 block carb)
1/2 red bell pepper (1/4 block carb)
1/2 green bell pepper (1/4 block carb)
1 cup celery chopped (1/2 block carb)
6 cashews chopped(2 blocks fat)
2/3 tsp olive oil ( 1 block fat)
Saute chicken in olive oil until browned. Add veggies and cook until tender.
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Snack Time...

Snacks can be difficult for some people to put together on the Zone. I tend to eat snacks that are easy to transport because I eat them on the go a lot. There are many great snack combos, and I would love to hear you ideas on this. Here are a few of my favorite "grab and go" snacks.

1 hard boiled egg ( 1 block protein)
1/2 cup applesauce (1 block carb) TreeTop makes an unsweetened cup that is 1 block
3 almonds (1 block fat)

1 cup raspberries (1 block carb) strawberries would work too
1 cheese stick ( 1 block protein) if I use a higher fat cheese I count that as my fat as well
3 cashews (1 block fat)


1 block of turkey or beef jerky- read your labels on these as some are high in fat and carbs
1/2 orange (1 block carb) or 1 whole clementine
6 peanuts (1 block fat)

Zone Bar- 2 blocks
Be careful not to overuse these as snacks. They are higher in sugar than you would like, but in a pinch they work well. Cut in 1/2 for 1 block snack.
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Perfection

Strawberries are one of my favorite foods. This entire bowl is equal to 1 block of carbs! They are a great addition to almost any meal.
Lunch- 2 blocks
1/2 whole wheat English muffin (1 carb block)
3 oz sliced turkey (2 protein blocks)
1 cup strawberries (1 carb block)
1/3 tsp mayo (1 fat block)
3 almonds (1 fat block)
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Start Strong

Breakfast is one of the easiest meals to Zone. Most people are pretty close to eating the right kinds of foods, they may just need to focus on portion sizes and combinations. Here is an example of a quick and easy 2 block Zone breakfast.

2 eggs scrambled (you may also do 1 egg and 2 egg whites)
1/4 cup spinach leaves
1 apple
6 cashews
Cook eggs and spinach leaves until spinach leaves are wilted. Add apple and cashews. (You may also cut apple into slices and eat with 1 tsp peanut butter)

That's A Wrap

Chipotle Chicken Wrap

1 Whole Wheat Carb Balance tortilla

2 cups mixed greens

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 red bell pepper

3 oz chicken breast cut into strips

1 oz cheddar cheese

1 Tb chipotle seasoning

Saute chicken strips and chipotle seasoning until cooked. Add peppers and saute until tender. Layer tortilla with greens, cheese and chicken mixture. Roll tortilla and cut in half.

This recipe makes one 3 block meal.

WELCOME!!!

Welcome to the newest addition to the CFSCC site! We are adding this link to our existing site to try and supply both information and support regarding the Zone, Paleo, and other nutritional choices of eating. Our hope is create a place where people can get support, ideas and encouragement, as well as finding information and motivation. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge within our community, so please feel free to share any information you think may be helpful to others. Enjoy!





Recipe : Flank Steak Salad (2) 3 block servings for a meal)

6 cups of mixed greens
1/2 cup kidney beans
2 1/2 cups sauteed green and red bell peppers
6 oz flank steak cut into small strips
1/4 cup feta cheese
olive oil/ balsamic dressing to coat

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