SoCal chef recommends toast as a meal base

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Local chef and author Patricia Greenberg wants people to stop wasting food, time and money while eating meals.

"Anything you want is right here in your kitchen," she said.

Greenberg, also known as the "fitness gourmet," wrote "Scrumptious Salads, Sandwiches and Snacks" to help people understand how to get needed nutrients with simple foods such as toast.

"It's boring eating salad over and over and over," she said.

Greenberg recommends eating toasted whole grain breads with a mixture of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

"One slice of bread with a little bit of protein on top and some vegetables is wonderful for portion control. It's a way of putting everything you need on your plate in an adequate amount without overeating," she said.

The fitness gourmet recommends trying recipes such as farmer, cottage or cream cheese with raspberries and blueberries or avocado on rye with salmon, greens and peppers.

Greenberg said each toast combo is around 200 calories. She offers a nutrition label in her book for every recipe so people can understand what's in the food.