This meal is one of my favorites, and is extremely easy to make. It is very healthy and I love it as a meal before and after exercising.

Ingredients: White rice, frozen vegetables (or real vegetables), fruit juice, 1 or 2 hot dogs, 1 can of Bush’s Baked Beans.

Step 1: Steam the white rice. This is extremely easy with a rice-cooker. But, if you lack a special rice-cooker, measure 8 cups water, 1 cup rice, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add salt to the water, and bring it to a boil. Add the rice and stir well. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain it, place it in a colander, and cover and steam it until it’s dry and flaky.

Step 2: Thaw the frozen vegetables. Follow the instructions on the bag. If you don’t have any frozen veggies, get your favorite assortment of fresh veggies, and cube them (into small cubes).

Step 3: Heat up the Hot Dog(s). Wrap up the hot dog in a paper towel (use only one paper towel per dog) and stick it in the microwave for 17 seconds on power 7 (your microwave may differ). The point is just to heat the hot dog up, so adjust cooking time or power if necessary.

Step 4: Open up the can of Beans. Use a can opener (duh!) to open the can of beans. If you need to heat them up, stick ‘em in some tupperware, open one corner, and microwave them appropriately.

Step 5: Cut Hot Dog(s). Cut the hot dog(s) in half (the long way) and chop it(them) up into little pieces.

Step 6: Make the combinations. Combine the rice and veggies in a bowl. Combine the beans and hot dogs in a different bowl.

Step 7: Enjoy. Enjoy the meal with a glass of fruit juice.

Note on step 7: If you are eating this meal before exercising, have fruit juice. If after exercising, have milk. If not exercising, you can choose between fruit juice and milk.

This meal provides nearly every food group on the pyramid, and gives you a TON of energy from protein, fat, and carbohydrates. You may be questioning the taste of hot dogs and beans, but it actually tastes really good. If you are eating this before exercising, make sure to eat an hour before exercising, and have some extra veggies and rice (to get more carbs). If after exercising, eat this meal soon, and have more beans, hot dogs, and milk (to maximize muscle growth and recovery).

Even if you aren’t a tennis player/exercise junkie like me, this meal is still extremely good for you.

Best of all, it doesn’t cost a lot!