I like what I've been reading about the Sonoma diet and am ready to get over to Barnes and Noble to pick up the books and start tomorrow BUT... I see a lot of talk of "Grilling". Girls, I don't grill. I don't have a grill. Can someone tell me how to grill in my kitchen with minimal cost and no counter top space?

Also, another full time worker and mom here- mornings are nuts. Are there simple breakfasts on the Sonoma diet? Or does everything have to chopped, whipped and sauted? (Breakfast was my main problem with Atkins- no time to cook a quiche or fancy omelette at 6:30 a.m. Not much appetite then for it either.) Does Sonoma allow for toast or fruit or a bowl of cereal?

Welcome to the Sonoma boards. Hope you'll hang around and join us. Don't forget to check out the recipe sub forum at the top of the page as well as join us on the Exercise Sticky also towards the top of the page.

As far as breakfasts, I make mine in advance.. a couple of servings of oatmeal for the week and a couple of soy sausage egg muffins for the week. The key to Sonoma and a busy lifestyle is planning and using your freezer. When you cook, make full batches of everything.. and freeze leftover for fast healthy meals on nights you are almost too tired to open a can.

As far as a grill, you can get electric ones that can be stored away when not in use or ones that fit over a couple of burners on your stove.

I suggest you check into the other stickies at the top of the page.. Both talk more in depth about Sonoma, Wave 1 and Wave 2 etc. The titles are What you can expect to eat on this diet and What is the Sonoma Diet? You can have toast and you can have cereal and you can have fruit, but no fruit until Wave 2. Also, do check out the book at your local bookstore, skim it before you buy it or check it out from your local library.

You can get the Wolfgang puck indoor grill at Sams Club for about $50, and it works great.

I'm in a very small kitchen with a dinky stove. Found that a 1-burner cast iron grill pan works great for my needs. Just did shrimp last night, have also done flank steak. My mother has a monster electric one with a griddle on one side and raised grill bumps on the other. The trick is to get something that will get super hot (without flaky non-stick). Rachel Ray is always using her 2-burner cast iron grill. Adds a lot of good char flavor, as it gets quite hot.

mmmm Rachael Ray has a lot of yummy meals that can be turned Sonoma, esp her love of EVOO