I spent the afternoon cooking with my friend Scott. She wanted some ideas on how to make diet food taste good and I immediately volunteered. It took me forty minutes at Whole Foods and Martin’s to gather supplies. They are very close by and in Richmond there is no traffic. I do not know if I could do it in LA or NY. Yes, I am picky and I go to two supermarkets: there are things I cannot find at Whole Foods and vice versa. I should also tell you that I go to Cosco and I cannot resist a trip to Southern Season for all the specialty items that can make any culinarian go crazy.

I like the idea of taking a day a week to stock the freezer and the refrigerator with healthy and low cal food to have on hand once the hunger pangs start and you have no time to cook. In Brazil our skinny friends have help in the kitchen and once they are home from the gym or from work, the food is on the table: that perfectly grilled chicken and one or two veggies carefully sautéed. We on the other hand have to chop-chop quite a lot to have dinner on the table therefore a well-stocked freezer is our best friend. I pack my meals in 1 cup or half cup containers so I can pull out the perfect amount when needed.

Two of our most successful dishes were chicken with balsamic and soy and a mushroom quinoa risotto.

You should try them. The risotto will be a perfect Meatless Monday dinner if paired with a salad. The chicken is wonderfully delicious with brown rice (yes you should always have brown rice in the freezer) and a seasonal veggie. We did it with cauliflower….

Call a friend and get to work! If the two of you are committed to healthy eating and becoming “Brazilian fit” doing it together will increase your chances of success by tenfold. Get the cell and start dialing…