Portion Control and Presentation

I've always thought serving size and appearance are both very important when preparing meals, and it's something that many food gurus don't bother to mention. Serving size and presentation make a difference, not just in how much we eat, but in how satisfying we find our food.

I recently read a post from a friend who thought she could no longer have a certain food, because after eating a generous serving of it, her blood sugar went too high. The thing is, what would have happened if her serving hadn't been quite so generous, or if it had been served with other food that was just as loaded with carbs?

To the right is a sample of the nutrition labeling on foods. They suggest a serving size, then give facts, such as calories, carbs, sugar, for that size serving. Almost every day I enjoy some brown rice pasta, in moderation. What is "moderation?" It's the serving size suggested on the package, or less. In this case, it's 200 calories worth of brown rice pasta. It's also 4 grams of protein, 1.5 grams of fat, and 43 grams of carbs ~ or 14% of my daily allowable carbs.

It wasn't easy to figure out just how much fettucine this 2 oz. serving size was. So I cleaned off my table and dumped out a whole 16 oz. package, then I divided it into 8 roughly equal servings. No, I didn't count strand by strand, but the bundles of noodles were pretty much all the same size... about the size of a quarter when squashed between thumb and fore-knuckle. (Let's face it... if I cheat one day, I get short-changed on another.) So this is how much fettucine I prepare per serving. Similarly, I measure other pastas in a measuring cup. Once you have it figured out how much is a moderate serving size, cook that much per person each time.

Of course, if I served just that much pasta lightly dressed, it wouldn't be enough. It would be a tiny puddle of food in the middle of my plate... like service in one of those fancy restaurants that serve such a wee tiddle of food in the middle of a huge plate, that you feel the need to go eat out, after you've eaten out. ;p

Hence, presentation. How about some veges and hummus in a lettuce leaf? Or a nice big green salad? (Watch the serving size of that dressing!) Now, you see this picture. Doesn't that look good? Well, it's a nice size plate of food! Of course it's mostly salad, with my own dressing, made with 2 tsps. of garlic olive oil, a tbsp. of my own basil vinegar, pepper, dried parsley, and a tiddle of sea salt. I let the salad sort of spill all over the plate before serving up the 200 calories worth of brown rice macaroni with veges and the merest smattering of Daiya cheese. You see, the serving of pasta looks like more sitting up on top of some of the kale from my salad. So when I put this mighty plateful of food in front of me, it looks good! It looks like a lot of food! And by the time I'm finished this meal, I'm full!

Tips for helping you stay on your diet:
(By diet, I'm referring to a permanent part of your lifestyle, not a temporary exercise in denial done for temporary weight loss.. as it often is.)

Use a smaller plate. I mean, obviously it's going to look like less food than you might think you want if you're using a great big plate. Choose a smaller plate for your food and it will look like more!

Let those salad fixin's fall all over the plate... even under the other food. It'll make the other food look more voluminous, and you'll get to it eventually.

Make your own dressings. Yes, there are nutrition labels on store-bought dressings and you can measure them carefully onto your salad or into your pasta, but making your own with superior ingredients can be just that much more yummy and satisfying, and you can make adjustments as needed, like adding dried tomatoes, or lots of finely chopped garlic when you have a cold, or a bit more basil 'cause you like it that way.

Sure, you're on a restrictive diet because of health issues. That doesn't mean you have to rub your own nose in your food, so to speak. Measure carefully, and make both serving size and presentation a regular part of your diet. Do it for you. :)

Chicken Strips with Wedges and Coleslaw

Ok, so we don’t go out to eat anymore. In fact, it’s been a long, long time since we darkened a take-out place’s door. But occasionally the foods typical of take-out are missed. Chicken strips with wedges is a family fave:

Creamy coleslaw: I buy prepackaged coleslaw veges for a meal like this because there are two kinds of cabbage in it and it doesn’t make sense for me to have two cabbages on the go in my family. Of course, if you have cabbages and carrots in the house that you want to use, just put chunks of cabbage and some carrots into the food processor and pulse, just to chop it to the desired bits. Then just make the dressing by combining g-free mayo, some brown sugar and a splash of alternative milk. Whisk well. Then add a little white vinegar and whisk again. A little salt and pepper, and some celery seed seasons it. A little g-free dijon mustard gives it a kick if you like. Then add the slaw veges and mix well, or pour the dressing into the food processor and pulse some more. Cover and place in the fridge. It should chill for at least 20 minutes before it’s ready to serve. This softens it and makes it yum. (Tip: It's important to add the milk to the mayo and sugar and mix, before adding the vinegar. This acclimatizes it to the mayo. If you do it in the wrong order, you'll sour the milk... even a milk alternative.)

Potato wedges: Russet potatoes work best for these. I buy organic, then I look for the biggest, longest potatoes in the bag, wash them, and cut them up into large wedges. No need to peel them. They’re nicer with the peel on, and that’s where a lot of the nutrition is. Place them into a large baking pan and dress them with a little garlic olive oil and some Tex/Mex spice. (Get gluten-free if you can, but I use the Club House brand because it doesn’t bother me. Can’t say the same for all their spices, but the Tex/Mex seems to be fine.) Toss ‘em ~ using your hands, it works better. Spread them out and bake them in a 350 degree oven (preheated) for 40 - 45 minutes.

After you get those in, the chicken strips: I buy organic chicken pieces, in this instance, the boneless breasts. These are expensive. Really cool when they mark them down 30% a couple days before the best before date. :) Cutting them into chicken strips makes them go as far as they will. Just cut each breast up into thin pieces and bread them.

Gluten-free Breading: I use gluten-free corn/flax flakes put through the blender. I put this into a bowl and add a little g-free flour, such as whole bean, just to smooth it out. The flavour is in the herbs and seasonings: Rosemary is very important ~ and yummy ~ and some dried parsley, sweet basil, a little sea salt and pepper all makes it fine. Don’t be too heavy-handed, but flavour is important. Mix well.

Beat an egg with a little water or alternative milk. (I used a little soy milk.) Beat well. Dip strips of chicken into breading mix first, then egg, then back into breading mix, coating well, but... you know, not too thickly. Place breaded strips onto cookie sheet. (There is no need to grease it.) When the potatoes only have 17 - 20 minutes to go, slide the chicken strips into the oven. Turn them over half way through. (Taters too at this point.)

Ok, I know the coleslaw and dipping sauce are missing from this, and that's what gives it colour. But I have to be quick with pics, because the food disappears fast. Anyway, if your family doesn't dig coleslaw, a side salad, carrot and celery sticks, sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes dressed with a little vinegar.... it's all good! Have what you like!

Serve with gluten-free dipping sauces of your choice, or make the dipping sauce by combining honey, lemon juice, tamari sauce and garlic put through a garlic press. Add a little warm water to thin it out if neccessary, and/or heat it up a bit in the microwave. Just a bit. I wish I could give amounts, but I don’t measure when I make food like this. For a cake recipe it’s kind of necessary to stick to exact amounts, but for a meal like this, it all depends on how many you’re cooking for, the taste that appeals to you, how the spirit moves you, and the consistency you desire. So go fearless into it and experiment. You can always add a little more milk alternative to the egg mixture, or a little more g-free flour to the breading mix, or a little more mayo or mustard to the coleslaw dressing. Make it the way you like it.

Cost: One thing I can tell you is that I get about 4 servings of chicken strips out of a package of 2 chicken breasts. These packages usually run around $12. - $13. each here, but if I time it right at the store, they’re around $8. - $9. with the discount. Just make them up pretty much right away. So that’s only around $2. a serving for the chicken. The potatoes and slaw (and incidentals) might set you back another buck per serving. Even paying full price for the chicken, this meal is much cheaper than going out to a take-out place for strips and wedges, and much, much healthier than anything you’ll get out. I know, part of going out is to give the cook a rest. But the smiles and smackin’ lips make this very much worth the work. Serve it on recyclable paper plates. Sure, there’s still dishes, but they can wait till later. ;o)