Tuesday, May 17, 2011

My cup runneth over … NOT

I get portion sizes. I do. Heck, I eat my nightly ice cream from a 4-ounce ramekin.

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That’s Turkey Hill Skinny Minty. And yes, I “topped it off” but you can only add so much to such a tiny vessel. No, four sizes of ice cream for this girl.

Back on topic …

When I was actively losing weight and following Weight Watchers, I measured. I weighed. I tracked. I kept my portions to what they should be and only ate beyond that if I was hungry. I learned that a serving of pasta really is a cup – not a bowl from Olive Garden. A piece of steak is more like the “I’m going to save some cash” filet mignon and not the 12-ounce ribeye smothered in blue cheese. I got portion sizes.

Until tonight.

I prepared a Tomato & Spinach Pasta Toss using Kraft with a Touch of Philadelphia.

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The ingredient list was pretty simple:

  • 2 cups uncooked rotini (I used 1 cup Ronzoni Smart Taste and 1 cup Ronzoni Garden Delight)
  • 8 ounces Italian sausage (I used sweet Italian turkey sausage)
  • 6 ounces baby spinach
  • 1 (15-ounce) can Italian-flavored diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a Touch of PHILADELPHIA (I had received a coupon to try the cheese via the Kraft First Taste program)
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 button mushrooms sliced thinly (this was my own addition)

Simple and short. But when you break it down for a serving, it’s pretty pathetic.

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There wasn’t even 1.5 ounces of protein per serving! And when you consider my healthy substitutions and my omission of the grated parm (on accident), the calorie count for a dinner portion was between 200 and 225.

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“Woman, where is my food!”

Mark thought I was mad at him for leaving his shoes in the hallway when I gave him his portion. I then explained to him my confusion at the serving size and promised that I’d give him another scoop.

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And then he was happy. So happy that he magically transported us to a bright, warm day at Cedar Point four years ago. Funny how those things happen …

Are you mindful of portion sizes? How do you keep portions in check?

5 comments:

  1. Maybe you could have served your pasta toss in a 4oz. ramekin and it would look a little more hearty. :)

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  2. I try to pay attention to serving sizes as much as possible - but you are right, just a tiny bit in the bowl is not nearly enough!! The pasta looks SO good! I may have to try it! :0)

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  3. The pasta looked delicious, but I'd definitely need another scoop too! I try to be mindful of portion sizes, especially when I'm snacking. I usually just eyeball it though. Lately I figure if I'm still hungry after I've slowly eaten, I can have some more. No sense in letting the Peanut feel hungry. :-)

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  4. I'm not that great at portioning. I mean...sometimes when I know that whatever I"ve made probably isn't the healthiest dinner option, I tend to be a little more careful. But I definitely eat more than I need to/should a lot of the time.

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  5. I can't figure out pasta portions at all. I think what I typically eat is really 4-5 servings. Good thing I don't really eat pasta!

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