Meatless Monday! Spicy Carrot-Leek Soup

Sorry Angel, it's not for puppies! Meatless Monday lunch: spicy carrot/leek soup (211 calories) and a small lentil/edamame/olive/walnut bowl (200 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes together: 411 calories, 56 g carbs, 18 g protein, 16 g fat, 14 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 278 g sodium.

Lazy dinner: garbage salad

One of my go-to quick meals is the "garbage salad" - usually based on a lean protein (chicken, shrimp, fish or tofu), a leafy green (parsley, kale, spinach or baby bok choi), a small serving of some kind of bean (usually edamame, lentils, kidney beans or chickpeas), a nut or seed (usually chia seeds, flax, walnuts or pine nuts), cherry tomatoes, celery, onions (I always have these at home, so they're a given) and something sugary (beets, bamboo, apple, pear or pineapple... the opportunities are obviously endless).

Nutritional stats for this one: 309 calories, 41 g carbs, 34 g protein, 5 g fat, 11 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 151 mg sodium.

Low Calorie Avocado-Spinach Soup

Lunch! Avocado-spinach soup with lime and pumpkin seeds (213 calories), and some bread and tomatoes. Much yummier than it looks.

Nutritional stats for soup, bread and tomato salad: 356 calories, 45 g carbs, 11 g protein, 18 g fat, 12 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 327 mg sodium.

Spicy Cabbage-Apple Soup!

Post-yoga lunch: spicy apple-cabbage soup (226 calories), and a manzanilla-edamame-lentil bowl (163 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes together: 426 calories, 72 g carbs, 16 g protein, 13 g fat, 20 g fiber, 34 g sugar, 312 mg sodium.

Carrot-Fennel Soup With Agave and Garlic

Lunch! Carrot-fennel soup with agave and garlic (229 calories), and a chicken-veggie plate on the side (108 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes together: 376 calories, 54 g carbs, 27 g protein, 9 g fat, 17 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 305 mg sodium.

Carrot-Orange-Ginger Soup & Lentil-Walnut Pate Sandwich

Today's lunch: whole grain oatnut sandwich with lentil/walnut pate (315 calories), and carrot/orange/ginger soup (153 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes: 478 calories, 76 g carbs, 14 g protein, 16 g fat, 16 g fiber, 21 g sugar, 574 mg sodium.