Maybe you have only a few minutes to get a meal on the table. Or maybe you simply don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Either way, let the following meal ideas come to your rescue. They're fast and easy to prepare, and they fit perfectly in the Anti-Aging Diet. They make ideal substitutions for the foods in the 14-day menu plan beginning on page 487.

Breakfast: Simple Starts

Many people skip breakfast because they're convinced that they don't have time to eat. The following selections can be ready to go when you are.

Cereals. On cold winter mornings, nothing warms you up like a bowl of hot cereal. Choose oatmeal, seven-grain, rice, or cream of wheat. Top it with raisins, dates, or sliced fruit and rice milk or soy milk.

Among ready-to-eat cereals, whole-grain varieties are your healthiest choices. Some examples include fat-free granola or muesli, flaked cereals, puffed cereals, and shredded wheat. Add berries, sliced bananas, or other fruit and rice milk or soy milk.

Speaking of soy milk . . . if you tried it in the past but couldn't stand the chalky taste, I have some good news: Soy milk isn't what it used to be. Manufacturers have improved the taste tremendously. Even kids love it--and if you start them on it early, they'll grow up free of the health-eroding, immunity-suppressing dairy addiction so prevalent among youngsters today.

Personally, I've also become an aficionado of rice milk. It goes great on cereal, hot or cold.

Fresh fruits. Apples, bananas, berries, grapefruit, kiwifruit, melons, oranges--take your pick. If fresh fruit isn't readily available, opt for frozen and thaw it in the microwave.

Fruit juices. Fresh-squeezed is best. If you prefer bottled for convenience, make sure it's organic.

Fruit smoothies. These blender drinks whip up fast. Make them from whatever fruits (fresh or frozen) you have on hand. Add rice or soy milk for creaminess.

Muffins. Low-fat, dairy-free vegan muffins are not always easy to find. If you do come across them, buy several and freeze them. Try low-fat, lightly sweetened bran or wheat muffins. Or if you have time, you can bake your own using one of the delicious recipes beginning on page 503.

Pancakes and waffles. Look for an organic mix to which you can add rice milk or soy milk for delicious pancakes and waffles. Top them with fruit spread or a little maple syrup for a real breakfast treat.

Soy foods. There is no law that says you can eat only traditional breakfast fare. Why not have hot miso soup or rice and tofu for breakfast?

Toast. By "toast," I mean bread that is warmed, not browned or burned. (Browning and burning, you'll recall, generate oodles of free radicals.) As for spreads, use your imagination. Try a small amount (a level teaspoon or less) of almond butter, topped with berries or pureed fresh fruit. Or try applesauce--especially the fruit-flavored varieties. The kind with cherries is positively delicious. Other suggestions: organic fruit puree or fruit conserves, apple butter, mashed bananas, and flaxseed oil.

Lunch: Midday Meals in Minutes

You can use the following dishes as basic building blocks for a variety of meals. Just vary the ingredients and seasonings.

Baked potatoes with toppings. Potatoes are rich in vitamins B and C, iron, and protein. Just one makes a complete meal. Like tofu, a potato goes with just about anything and takes on the flavors of whatever it's paired with. So the possibilities for toppings are truly endless. Here are a few personal favorites.

• Baked beans (from a can)

• Dijon mustard mixed with fresh lemon juice

• Mango chutney

• Organic tomato pasta sauce (from a jar)

• Salsa

• Steamed broccoli, carrots, green or sweet red or yellow peppers, or other vegetables

• Stewed tomatoes sprinkled with an herb vinegar

• Stir-fried vegetables

• Sweet-and-sour sauce with pineapple and vegetables

• Tofu cubes marinated in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and vinegar

• Tofu sour cream (mashed tofu mixed with lemon juice and a dash of soy sauce)

• Vegetable curry

• Vegetable stew

• Vegetarian chili (from a can)

• Zucchini stewed with onions and tomatoes

Burgers. Replace those greasy hamburgers with soy burgers, tempeh burgers, and veggie burgers. For a fast-food­style burger without all the fat and calories, try this simple "recipe": Cook a veggie burger according to the package instructions, then put it in a warmed organic whole-grain bun. Add lettuce or cabbage, tomatoes, red onions, sprouts, pickle or pickle relish, and your favorite condiments.

Burritos. You'll find vegan burritos, along with other low-fat ready-made entrées and à la carte items, in the frozen foods section of your health food store. For a complete lunch, just microwave a burrito and serve it with carrots or a baked potato and applesauce or a piece of fresh fruit.

Hot dogs. Tofu hot dogs make superb substitutes for nitrate-laden regular hot dogs. Store them in the freezer, and when you're hungry for one, just pop one in the microwave. You can serve the frank in a whole-grain bun, on a slice of whole-grain bread, or in a tortilla. Top it with lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, ketchup, or other low-fat toppings, and you have a great-tasting, wholesome lunch.

You can also pair tofu hot dogs with canned vegetarian baked beans or vegetarian chili. Be sure to read labels, though: These canned products can be high in fat.

Roll-ups with hummus and vegetables. Start with a whole-wheat tortilla. Add hummus, grated carrots, grated cabbage, chopped tomatoes, and chopped lettuce. Drizzle with a little low-fat dressing and roll it up.

Salads. Here's an opportunity to exercise your culinary creativity. First, prepare a basic salad by combining your choice of the following ingredients: lettuce, spinach, cabbage, bok choy, carrots, celery, scallions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and sprouts of all kinds. Then experiment. Maybe you have some leftover pasta, rice, or steamed vegetables to toss into your salad. Some cooked beans, steamed potatoes, or marinated tofu chunks to mix with the other ingredients. Or some broccoli stalks or raw beets to grate over top. Add low-fat dressing as well as a few sunflower seeds or walnuts for extra crunch. There you have it--a veritable green feast.

Sandwiches. Use whole-wheat, oat, or multigrain bread or whole-wheat pita bread. For filling, use your imagination. You might try a microwaved tofu burger, baked tofu (you can make your own using the recipe on page 524), soy cheese, canned beans (such as vegetarian baked beans) mashed into a tasty pâté, or leftovers from dinner the night before. Then for crunch and moisture, add lettuce, tomato slices, cucumber slices, shredded carrots, sprouts, or spinach leaves.

You can even put a new, healthy spin on the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Trade in the peanut butter for almond butter, which has a better essential fatty acid profile. (But it's still high in fat, so use it sparingly.) Instead of jelly, use fruit conserves or a small amount of honey.

Soups. You can turn virtually any combination of ingredients into a soup. To make it as nutritionally complete as possible, be sure to include a grain and/or beans as well as vegetables. You can choose from the following or come up with your own: barley or rice, bay leaf (remove before serving the soup), carrots, diced potatoes, leeks, onions, pasta, sliced zucchini, small navy beans or other beans, soy sauce, tomatoes, and your favorite seasonings. You can even toss in several cloves--or an entire bulb--of garlic.

To get acquainted with the basics of soup-making, try this quick and easy starter recipe: Cook ramen noodles in boiling water according to the package directions, adding your choice of fresh or frozen chopped vegetables. (Make sure the noodles aren't fried--read labels.) When the noodles and vegetables are done, add chunks of tofu for extra body and protein. Serve the soup with low-fat wheat crackers.

For an even simpler soup, add quick-cooking vegetables and a leftover starchy food--pasta, potatoes, or rice--to vegetable broth. Cook until the veggies are done.

Tortillas. In my household, tortillas are a staple. We use them several times a week to make quick and healthy meals. Simply heat a corn or whole-wheat tortilla in a skillet (without oil) or in the microwave. Fill the warmed tortilla with almost anything: beans, rice, tofu, leftovers from the night before. Top the filling with lettuce, tomatoes, or other vegetables of your choice. Spoon on salsa or drizzle with soy sauce, and you have a tasty meal. For variety, use chapati (a bread from India that's similar to a tortilla) or pita bread instead of tortillas.

Dinner: Plate Expectations

Most of us were raised to believe that dinner just isn't dinner unless it features some form of meat. And vegetables belong on the side, bit players to meat's starring role.

To eat for Renewal, you may have to change your perception of the evening meal. It could consist of several complementary dishes, all of which get equal billing on the plate. And of course, these dishes consist of only plant-derived foods--no meats or other animal-derived foods allowed.

Any of the lunch suggestions above will work equally well for dinner. You may also want to sample some or all of the following items.

Basic stir-fry. Prepared properly, a stir-fry is positively packed with vitamins and minerals. You can use almost any combination of vegetables. (At our house, we often make stir-fries in order to use up the leftover veggies hiding in the crisper bins and at the back of the refrigerator.) The trick is to heat the ingredients while minimizing the browning and burning that generates scads of free radicals.

When you make a stir-fry, begin by steaming the grain, because it takes the longest. You can try different grains to vary the taste and texture of the dish. Whole-grain organic brown rice is a good choice, but at my house we also occasionally use basmati rice, bulgur wheat, couscous, or quinoa.

Next, chop onions and garlic. Figure on half of an average-size onion and four cloves of garlic per person. Place these ingredients in a nonstick skillet or wok with enough olive oil or soybean oil to just cover the surface of the pan (a teaspoon or two should suffice). Slowly cook the onions and garlic until they're translucent. You want the temperature high enough that cooking doesn't take all day but not so high that browning occurs. Medium-high heat often works well.

Now you can begin chopping the rest of the vegetables for the stir-fry. Start with the firmest veggies, such as cauliflower and carrots, which take longer to cook. Other good candidates for stir-frying include (but are not limited to) bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, chard, eggplant, green beans, green peppers, kale, spinach, sugar snap peas, sweet red peppers, and zucchini.

As soon as the onions and garlic are soft and translucent, begin adding the remaining vegetables to the pan--again, firmest ones first. You want the veggies to cook fast, so keep the heat fairly high. Add a little water or vegetable broth if you hear sizzling, which indicates too much heat. (The liquid reduces the temperature to boiling.) When the vegetables are crisp-tender, or al dente, remove the pan from the heat. Add soy sauce to taste.

For me, the most difficult part of preparing a stir-fry is getting each vegetable to cook to the proper consistency. But I'm pleased to report that my technique is gradually improving. (I know this because the broccoli doesn't disintegrate like it used to.)

Serve your magnificent creation over the steamed grain. Add a tossed salad for a complete longevity-supporting meal.

Healthy pizza. Spread a whole-wheat crust (which you can purchase ready-made) with tomato sauce or tomato paste. Then add generous amounts of your choice of toppings: green or sweet red or yellow peppers, broccoli, diced veggie burgers, garlic, onions, shiitake mushrooms, pineapple, spinach, tofu slices, tomatoes, zucchini. Be creative.

If you want cheese on your pizza, soy cheese makes a good substitute for mozzarella. It's now widely available in health food stores. Bake the pie according to the package instructions for the crust.

Pasta. Pasta dishes are not only delicious but also fast and easy to prepare. Simply bring a pot of water to a boil, add whole-grain noodles, cook, and drain. Serve the pasta topped with spaghetti sauce (many organic sauces now come in jars). Add a tossed salad and broccoli, carrots, or another steamed vegetable, and you have a complete, nutritious, satisfying meal.

Potatoes. Earlier in this chapter, I alluded to the potato's exceptional nutritional value and versatility. Eat them often--baked, boiled, microwaved, or steamed, but never, ever fried.

Instead of french fries, try my recipe for home fries: Thinly slice potatoes and place the slices on a baking sheet lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Add a sprinkle of salt and bake at 400šF for 15 minutes, turning once, until the potatoes are lightly browned and tender. If you want, you can top the potatoes with ketchup made from organic tomatoes and other natural ingredients. (Several brands are available in health food stores.)

These home fries taste great. You can eat them anytime--for breakfast, lunch, or dinner or as a healthy snack.

Rice and beans. Rice and beans go well with a wide range of foods. Cook up more than you need and store the leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer. Then all you have to do is reheat them.

Serve rice and beans with a stir-fry or with steamed vegetables such as broccoli or carrots. Wrap them in a tortilla or chapati, or stuff them in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, and steamed vegetables. Add a little soy sauce, ginger, and garlic to give them an Asian flavor; a little curry powder for a taste of India; or some salsa to send them south of the border.

And of course, if you're in a hurry, you can eat your rice and beans plain.

Steamed vegetables. You can build an entire meal around steamed vegetables. And they cook up fast and easy. All you have to do is boil water. Be sure to use a stainless steel steamer rather than an aluminum one. (Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's disease.) Add your veggies from firmest to softest: carrots and potatoes first, broccoli next, and squash last.

Tofu. Soy is one of the few plant-derived foods that contains complete protein. Tofu, a soy product, makes a great meat substitute. And it's so versatile that it can blend with the ingredients of almost any dish. Try lightly sautéing it with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and onions. Serve it with rice and/or vegetables.

Snacks: Smart Munching

Snacks certainly have their place in the Anti-Aging Diet. In fact, they can contribute to your daily intake of vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients--provided you make healthful choices. Any of the following foods will satisfy between-meal hunger pangs without a lot of fat and calories.

Applesauce. I like the kind with added fruit, such as apricots and raspberries. Scrumptious!

Corn chips. Make sure they're made with little or no added fat. Sample different brands until you find your favorite.

Fresh fruits. They're the ideal snack--nutritious, naturally sweet, and portable. Stock up on whatever is in season: apples, berries, grapes, kiwifruit, melons, oranges, peaches, and pears.

Juice pops. Make your own with pure organic fruit juice, embellished with chunks of real fruit (if you prefer). Or instead of juice, use a smoothie. You can buy plastic ice-pop trays in discount stores and some grocery stores.

Juice-sweetened cookies. Read the label before buying. Some brands are very high in fat.

Potato chips. Grocery stores and health food stores now carry several brands of low-fat, baked potato chips. If you prefer, you can make your own "chips" by baking or microwaving thinly sliced potatoes. Serve them with ketchup, salsa, or a dash of soy sauce.

Pretzels. These treats supply lots of crunch without lots of fat or calories. Look for organic varieties, preferably whole-wheat.

Rice cakes and crackers. Many delicious flavors are now available. Look for a brand that is made with organic rice. Enjoy these snacks with one of the dips or spreads beginning on page 508.

Wheat crackers. Make sure that they are whole-grain and additive-free. Watch out for added fat.