Healthy Tip

Smart Snacking

Surveys show that 90% of adults snack every day, often several times per day in fact. When you are snacking smart, it is actually a very good habit to have. It keeps your body’s fire burning while also keeping your blood sugar levels even. The problem is that most Americans snack on processed carbohydrates like chips and candy that are very low in fiber and nutrients.

A better way to snack is to choose those with a combination of food groups or a combination of macronutrients (such as carbohydrates, protein, and fat). An ideal snack would pack both protein and fiber, which will fill you up and boost your energy. As for the portion, a smart snack should fall between 100 and 200 calories for most people. This is just enough to satisfy the between meal hunger pangs without going over your daily caloric needs.

While we have also included an entire section of snack recipes in The Perfect Portion cookbook, here are a few quick and easy Grab and Go Snack options. Not surprisingly, they all contain 100 calories (or even a bit less)!

  • 1 medium apple
  • 5 dried apricots
  • 1 medium banana
  • 13 dry-roasted almonds
  • 2 cups Stovetop Popcorn
  • 40 baked Goldfish crackers
  • 25 grape tomatoes
  • 31 pistachios

 

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3 Ways to Tip the Scales

There are several ways that you can help tip the scales in your favor when trying to eat healthy. Here are 3 tips to aid in your success.

Perfect Portion - Make the meal Make the Meal – Cooking at home not only allows you to control which ingredients you use and in which amounts, it also requires you to literally work for your food, burning calories in the kitchen before you sit down to eat.
PerfectPortion-TippingTheScales-vegetables Bulk Up on Veggies – Most vegetables, especially green vegetables, are so low in calories and high in fiber and nutrients that you should consider them “free” foods. Add them to any dish to create larger, more satisfying portions that keep you feeling full for a longer period of time. To increase the portion size of these recipes, we frequently increased the veggies and reduced the protein with rave results. Bob’s Chicken Pot Pie is an excellent example.
PerfectPortion-TippingTheScales-bread Control the Carbs – Carbohydrates should be a side dish, not the main attraction. When it comes to carbs, especially pasta, we have a tendency to fill the entire surface of our plate before topping with a protein. For a balanced meal, your protein serving should be about the size of a deck of cards, your carbohydrate serving should be slightly smaller, and your vegetable serving should fill the rest of the plate.
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Number Crunching

Keeping track of your calories and monitoring your weight are keys to learning what works for you. The Perfect Portion cookbook makes calorie “counting” a snap, so it’s easy to keep track of how many calories you are eating. All of the recipes in the book are broken down into 100 calorie portions – whether you are looking for a 100 calorie snack or a 500 calorie dinner, we have the perfect portion you are looking for.

If you do want to lose weight, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends slow, steady weight loss by decreasing calorie intake and increasing physical activity. Whether your goal is a small calorie reduction to prevent weight “creep” or a larger reduction for greater weight loss, you can generally equate a reduction of 3,500 calories for a pound of weight loss. Therefore to lose one pound in a month you would need a daily reduction of roughly 100 calories, and to lose a pound in a week you’d need a reduction of 500 calories a day. Consult your doctor before making dramatic changes in diet or physical activity.

No matter what your weight loss goal, The Perfect Portion cookbook helps you find the healthiest way to cut calories by featuring fabulous recipes, meal planning guides and more… which in turn helps you to reduce empty calories from added sugars, fats, and alcohol ALL WHILE helping you with perfect portion sizes!

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All About the Perfect Portion

Whether you are looking to plan every aspect of your meals or are just looking to better understand portion sizes and the calories contained within them, the 100 Calorie Counting System was developed to truly adapt to you, your needs, and your goals. In this digital age, there are plenty of ways to track the calories you’ve already had. Now you have the perfect way to plan and portion those calories out before you eat them.

An example of a healthy 500 calorie dinner includes our Classic Meatloaf and Green Beans Almondine recipes as well as a comfort food favorite, Stovetop Mac & Cheese – try the recipe below.

Creamy Stovetop Mac & Cheese doesn’t just come out of a blue box; in fact, you can make it from scratch in nearly the exact same amount of time as the boxed stuff. Making an extra creamy cheese sauce from real Cheddar cheese can be difficult to do without the sauce separating, but this recipe uses both cornstarch and reduced-fat cream cheese to bind things together and keep things easy and foolproof.

Stovetop Mac & Cheese
 
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Recipe type: Casseroles & One-Pot Meals
Makes: 12 Lunch portions
Ingredients
  • 16 ounces elbow macaroni
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 (12-ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
  • 3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
  1. Boil the macaroni according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse.
  2. In a stockpot over medium-high heat, whisk the cornstarch into the chicken broth, until dissolved. Bring up to a simmer, and let cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Whisk the evaporated milk and salt into the thickened chicken broth, and bring back up to a simmer.
  4. Remove sauce from heat, and stir in cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese, until melted and creamy.
  5. Add the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce, and stir to combine before serving.
Perfect Portion Stovetop Mac and Cheese

HELPFUL TIP: It is best to make the sauce as the macaroni is boiling, so that you can add hot macaroni into the sauce. If the finished dish has cooled too much, simply warm over medium-low heat and stir constantly, until hot throughout.
Serving size: ⅓ cup Calories: 100

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Make your own dressings and Save $

You can save a lot of money and be healthier this year by making your own dressings. These will be fresh and healthy alternatives to the preservative-packed versions on your grocery store shelf.

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki is a creamy, tangy Greek sauce and dip made from fresh cucumber, dill, and yogurt. It makes a refreshing topping for meats seasoned with Mediterranean spices like oregano, in the same way that you would top a Mexican dish with sour cream. Beyond that, it’s also an incredibly low-calorie dip that is excellent with baked pita chips or fresh-cut vegetables.

Tzatziki Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Dressings, Sauces & jams
Makes: 10 Topping or 5 Dip portions
Ingredients
  • 1 medium cucumber, peeled
  • ½ teaspoon salt, divided
  • 18 ounces nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons minced red onion
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Directions
  1. Slice cucumber in half lengthwise, and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds, making sure to get all of the translucent flesh around the seeds and discarding it.
  2. Chop the seeded cucumbers, and place in a colander. Cover with a paper towel, and press down to squeeze as much water as possible from the cucumber.
  3. Sprinkle the cucumber with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and toss in the colander to mix. Let drain in sink for 15 minutes, as the salt brings out the liquid in the cucumbers. Press cucumbers through a paper towel once more before proceeding.
  4. Add the drained cucumbers and all the remaining ingredients, including the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt, to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse in short bursts for 1 minute to finely grate the cucumbers and combine everything into a sauce.
  5. For the best flavor, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours to let the flavors marry before serving.
Perfect Portion Tzatziki Sauce

HELPFUL TIP: Some brands sell nonfat plain Greek yogurt in 18-ounce tubs (Fage brand is 17.6 ounces, which is close enough), but if you are having any issue finding that size, the easiest thing to do is purchase 3 (6-ounce) cups.
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

Avocado Caesar Dressing

Mona’s Family Favorites: I LOVE avocado. It’s one of those healthy ingredients that creates creaminess with less fat than mayonnaise. In this recipe, we used puréed fresh avocado instead of the egg yolk and Parmesan cheese. Not only does the avocado make this dressing thick and creamy, it also adds nutrients, great flavor, and only unsaturated fat! This delicious Avocado Caesar Dressing knocks it out of the park.

Avocado Caesar Dressing
 
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Recipe type: Dressings, Sauces & jams
Makes: 6 Dressing portions
Ingredients
  • 1 medium Haas avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and chopped
  • ½ cup 2% milk
  • 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
  • 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
  1. Place the avocado in a food processor, and process until mostly smooth.
  2. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the Parmesan cheese, and process until smooth and combined.
  3. Fold the Parmesan cheese into the dressing, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Store refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Perfect Portion Avocado Caesar Dressing

HELPFUL TIP: Anchovy paste can often be found in the Italian food aisle, although 2 whole canned anchovies can be used in its place.
Serving size: ¼ cup Calories: 100

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5 Easy Ways to Burn 100 Calories

Start your New Year Right! Here are 5 easy, possibly unexpected ways to burn 100 calories, from walking to dancing to cooking to cleaning! The calories burned can add up if you incorporate any of these into your daily routine.

Perfect Portion 100 Calorie Burn - Walking

Walking: 20 minutes
Perfect Portion 100 Calorie Burn - Dancing

Dancing: 35 minutes
Perfect Portion 100 Calorie Burn - Shopping

Shopping: 30 minutes
Perfect Portion 100 Calorie Burn - Cooking

Cooking: 35 minutes
Perfect Portion 100 Calorie Burn - Vacuuming

Vacuuming: 20 minutes

The times listed are based on a 150-pound person performing these activities at a moderate speed.

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Eat a Bunch of Crunch

Raw veggies not only add color and crunch to your party, plus the fiber keeps you fuller. For 20 calories or less, you can enjoy 1 cup of celery sticks, broccoli, zucchini, baby carrots, peppers, or cucumbers! Happy Munching!

Smart Dipping

1 cup sugar snap peas = (35 calories)
1 cup sliced radishes = (20 calories)
1 cup celery sticks = (15 calories)
1 cup broccoli florets = (20 calories)
1 cup baby carrots = (70 calories)
1 cup sliced cucumber = (15 calories)
1 cup sliced zucchini or squash = (20 calories)
1 cup sliced bell pepper = (20 calories)
½ cup Oven-Fried Potato Chips, see recipe below = (100 calories)
7 whole-wheat pita chips = (100 calories)
10 pretzel chips = (100 calories)
6 reduced-fat woven wheat crackers = (100 calories)
8 multigrain tortilla chips = (100 calories)

 

We forego the mess of deep-frying with a tidier and healthier alternative, the oven-fried chip. Rinsing our potato slices washes away sticky surface starch, allowing us to use a mere 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a couple of spritzes of cooking spray to “fry” our chips. Not to mention, they taste fantastic! You can have your chips and eat them too, without any guilt.

Oven-Fried Potato Chips
 
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Recipe type: Satisfying Snacks
Makes: 8 Snack Portions
Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 475°F. Spray 2 sheet pans with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Slice the potatoes into very thin slices, about ⅛ inch thick. For best results, use a mandolin slicer or the slicing attachment of a food processor.
  3. In a large bowl filled with water and the ½ teaspoon of regular salt, soak the sliced potatoes for 10 minutes. Drain well, and pat potatoes dry.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, toss the sliced potatoes with the olive oil, separating the slices to ensure that each is evenly coated.
  5. Arrange the oiled potatoes in single layers on the prepared sheet pans.
  6. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges of the potatoes are well browned.
  7. Season with the seasoned salt, pepper, and chopped chives before letting cool for at least 5 minutes.
Perfect Portions Oven-Fried Potato Chips

HELPFUL TIP: Soaking the sliced potatoes in salted water helps remove some of their excess starch and liquid content, making for crispier baked chips.
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

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