When we decided to put healthier eating and weight loss on the front burner at our house, one of the first things we had to tackle was portion size. I decided it was time to change out some of the serving dishes we had been using for ones of smaller size. It is a "fool the eye" trick that a lot of spas use to make you think you're getting a "normal" portion.
The two bowls below are a good example of this. The one on the left was the one I used the most for serving soups and cereals. To fill it about 2/3 full...a normal serving in this bowl...takes 2 to 2 1/2 cups. The one on the right...which we now use...looks full at between 1 and 1 1/2 cups...a huge difference when Hubby begins pouring himself a bowl of cereal as a bedtime snack! And a huge difference to me when I am portioning out something like chili...that one cup serving looks so much heftier in the bowl on the right.
The two bowls below are a good example of this. The one on the left was the one I used the most for serving soups and cereals. To fill it about 2/3 full...a normal serving in this bowl...takes 2 to 2 1/2 cups. The one on the right...which we now use...looks full at between 1 and 1 1/2 cups...a huge difference when Hubby begins pouring himself a bowl of cereal as a bedtime snack! And a huge difference to me when I am portioning out something like chili...that one cup serving looks so much heftier in the bowl on the right.
The casserole dish above the little platter is 6" square and just the right size to make little individual casseroles for us.
They don't photograph well, but I also have some pyrex bowls that hold 1/2 cup comfortably that I use to serve up higher calorie foods like mashed potatoes or corn. The only thing I set on the table for seconds is vegetables.
It's amazing how large serving pieces have become. If you go to antique shops and look at dinnerware, it is shocking to see how small the plates and bowls are. And restaurant plates are just outlandish! I'm embarrassed by the size of our salad bowls until I order a dinner salad at a restaurant and what comes out could easily serve an entire family! I know we like getting our money's worth...but I wish they would trim the portion sizes and the price they charge to reflect that smaller serving...we'd all be better off.
One last thing on smaller serving dishes...I also have a few little spoons left from when the grandkids were little that I use when I want to eat a half-cup portion of dessert...the tiny little bites make it last longer! Don't throw those baby spoons away. My favorite has Peter Rabbit on the handle. I also have tiny little shrimp forks that I pull out when I want to eat a calorie dense food that requires a fork!
Well...my month of quinoa is over. I put the last handful I had in the bag in a pot of chili yesterday. My final verdict: I love the fact that it is packed with nutrition, is quite easy to prepare, and doesn't have to be subtracted from my points allowance, even though it very closely resembles a grain or pasta in recipes.
I loved the Quinoa and Black Bean Salad...I will definitely make that again. I loved being able to throw a handful into brothy soups to give them a little added texture and thickness without changing the flavor. I will take the word of others that I probably wouldn't like it as a breakfast cereal...there are too many other choices out there, but I can see making a sort of pilaf with it to go along with meat. I will probably do something like that in the future. So...I will give quinoa a thumbs up and will buy more the next time I'm at the Natural Foods Market.
I'm trying to come up with a new food for February...any ideas? I'm toying with the idea of tofu. There are many different forms of tofu and I've seen a lot of interesting ways of preparing it recently. It is something I've had in the past, of course...but I've never really used it in homecooking. Anybody have any tofu experience?
It's amazing how large serving pieces have become. If you go to antique shops and look at dinnerware, it is shocking to see how small the plates and bowls are. And restaurant plates are just outlandish! I'm embarrassed by the size of our salad bowls until I order a dinner salad at a restaurant and what comes out could easily serve an entire family! I know we like getting our money's worth...but I wish they would trim the portion sizes and the price they charge to reflect that smaller serving...we'd all be better off.
One last thing on smaller serving dishes...I also have a few little spoons left from when the grandkids were little that I use when I want to eat a half-cup portion of dessert...the tiny little bites make it last longer! Don't throw those baby spoons away. My favorite has Peter Rabbit on the handle. I also have tiny little shrimp forks that I pull out when I want to eat a calorie dense food that requires a fork!
Well...my month of quinoa is over. I put the last handful I had in the bag in a pot of chili yesterday. My final verdict: I love the fact that it is packed with nutrition, is quite easy to prepare, and doesn't have to be subtracted from my points allowance, even though it very closely resembles a grain or pasta in recipes.
I loved the Quinoa and Black Bean Salad...I will definitely make that again. I loved being able to throw a handful into brothy soups to give them a little added texture and thickness without changing the flavor. I will take the word of others that I probably wouldn't like it as a breakfast cereal...there are too many other choices out there, but I can see making a sort of pilaf with it to go along with meat. I will probably do something like that in the future. So...I will give quinoa a thumbs up and will buy more the next time I'm at the Natural Foods Market.
I'm trying to come up with a new food for February...any ideas? I'm toying with the idea of tofu. There are many different forms of tofu and I've seen a lot of interesting ways of preparing it recently. It is something I've had in the past, of course...but I've never really used it in homecooking. Anybody have any tofu experience?
12 comments:
Using smaller dishes makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the tip.
I've used tofu in stir fries, and if you have a sauce of some kind it takes on the flavor of the sauce.
Good ideas about the serving dishes.
Good post! I'm working on using smaller dishes too. Makes perfect sense.
I've been thinking about switching my dishes out for something smaller. I have regular old corelle dishes, and as you said they are huge! I know I definately want to get, and start using smaller dishes before I hit maintenance.
You're so right about restaurant plates these days! They're huge, and then your food looks "lost" on there, making you think you haven't eaten enough! We don't really get the oversize portions here that you get in the USA. I remember writing home about the size of the portions when I was there! Heaven for an overeater!
I'm going to give quinoa a try this coming winter...
I'm quite new to tofu, so I won't be of any help. But you should try some tofu smoothies. I don't consume dairy, so tofu should make a great smoothie.
I've been using smaller plates/bowls for some time now, and it indeed helped. Most of the time, I also find most plates oddly big--I have plates (given to me by my parents) in my cupboard that look like they'd be put to better use as trays. I haven't used them in ages... except as trays, that is. ^_^
The book "Mindless Eating" suggests doing exactly what you're doing ... using smaller plates. They've done a lot of research backing up that it helps control food intake.
But I confess ... I love my big huge plates. Not because of the size, mind you. They'e so very pretty. *sigh* I have a hard time not using them.
I just ate some of my greek quinoa salad while I was reading your post. I put cucmber and tomatoes and FF feta in it with a little red wine vinegar and lemon juice and oregano. Yummy!
I'm up for learning about tofu from you! I've never done anything with it at home.
On the weekend we had some fennel sauteed in olive oil with leeks. Really good and a different flavor I totally enjoyed!
On that recipe, if you like your corn bread a little on the sweeter side, you might want to increase the splenda a bit more (I cut it from the orginal sugar laden recipe), and I think I will up it just a tad next time. Enjoy!
Maybe after we remodel our kitchen I'll have space to store some plates and bowls. Another good reason to get it done.
This is brilliant... I haven't ever given much thought to the size of the serving dishes in my house. My cereal bowls are monster sized!
oohhh.. I would love to see you make some dishes with tofu! I actually just bought some for the first time on Monday and I've been wondering what to do with it ever since, besides the obvious stir-fry.
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