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By Mackie Shilstone

For those of you who want to start the new year off on the right foot by eating the right foods, I have good news for you: You can now eat many of the foods you already enjoy and still maintain your health. There are ways that many of your favorite foods can be prepared that are healthy, nutritious and delicious. Taken from my current book, The Fat-Burning Bible, I thought you would enjoy a few of these tasty yet healthy "Mackie Meals." Let me share a few of these recipes with you.

Do you like burritos for breakfast? You can still enjoy them without all the calories normally associated with them. Just use whole-wheat tortillas instead of those made with bleached flour. Chop up a red and a green pepper and half an onion; add two whole eggs and four lightly beaten egg whites, half a teaspoon of salt, and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper and salsa. After cooking and preparation, they contain only 286 calories, plus 18 grams of protein, 40 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of fat. They're a lot better for you than the burritos you might get from a fast-food place or out of a package.

Chicken salad for lunch? Skip the creamy, fatty dressings and top it instead with low-fat raspberry vinaigrette. Slice up 4 ounces of grilled skinless chicken breast instead of the fattier dark meat with the skin. Serve it with half a sliced green apple, a tablespoon of chopped walnuts and crumbled gorgonzola cheese, and 2 cups of mixed greens. This contains only 390 calories, 34 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbs, and 19 grams of fat.

Love pasta but hate the calories? Try my chilled pasta salad. Use a cup of cooked whole-wheat bowtie or penne pasta instead of those made with bleached flour. Add 2 tablespoons of low-fat ranch dressing, a tablespoon of pine nuts, a quarter cup of broccoli florets and sliced carrots (both lightly steamed) and six cherry tomatoes. Toss them all together and serve chilled over a bed of romaine lettuce. It tastes just as good, if not better, than a traditional pasta salad, with only 310 calories.

With the right ingredients, you can even enjoy your favorite oyster dressing with only a fraction of the calories found in a more traditional version. You can savor mashed white potatoes with garlic and cauliflower by mixing them with low-fat or skimmed milk and spreads that are free of trans-fats and saturated fats. Do you want healthy, low-fat soups to keep you warm on these cold winter days? Try my recipe for chicken Florentine soup using skinless chicken breasts instead of dark meat or my recipe for cabbage and red bean soup. They're very good for you -- and they taste great!

You can even enjoy your favorite bisque without risk. When preparing crawfish and corn bisque, use fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth, skimmed milk, and low-sodium whole corn, along with the other standard ingredients. You won't even notice the difference between my bisque and the more traditionally prepared type.

You're probably thinking garlic shrimp, home-style fried chicken and eggplant lasagna would be on your list of foods to avoid. Avoid no longer. If you prepare them according to my directions, you can enjoy them without the guilt. Cooking the shrimp with olive oil instead of oils with a higher fat content will yield fewer calories. Using whole-wheat breadcrumbs and low-fat buttermilk on skinless chicken breasts will give you that same fried chicken flavor with only a fraction of the calories. And eggplant lasagna made from low-fat cottage, ricotta and mozzarella cheese and very lean cooked ground beef will give you a dish as tasty as you'll find in any fancy restaurant, but a lot healthier.

I also have healthy recipes for Cajun jambalaya, meatloaf, and dozens of yummy desserts. Seventy-five of them are listed in The Fat-Burning Bible, plus hundreds of others I have on file. I have entire meal plans worked up to accompany exercise programs that are designed to take excess weight off and keep it off. Please feel free to contact me at the number listed below or check my Web site for more information. Have a happy and healthy new year!

Mackie Shilstone is Ochsner Clinic Foundation's performance enhancement expert. He is the author of the books, Lose Your Love Handles (Perigee Books), Maximum Energy for Life (John Wiley & Sons) and his just-released, The Fat-Burning Bible (John Wiley & Sons). He can be reached at 842 -9503 or through his Web site www.mackieshilstone.com.

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