Lesson 5: Eating Healthy When Eating Out

Eating out can be challenging when trying to lose weight (or even maintain for that matter). This lesson presents 4 keys to healthy eating out:

1. Plan ahead
2. Ask for what you want
3. Take charge of what's around you
4. Choose foods carefully

Plan Ahead

• Pick where you eat carefully. Go somewhere that you know offers low-fat/calorie choices. If there is a restaurant that is challenging for you - don't go there. Avoid 'all you can eat' places - DANGER!
• Do a little research. Call ahead or look online for nutritional information and choices. Plan what to order before you go so you won't be tempted once there.
• Prepare yourself. If you know you will be eating out later in the week, budget your calories to allow extras for your day out. That day, watch your calories earlier/later in the day. Eat some fruit or drink water before you go so you aren't 'starving' when you get to the restaurant. 
• Other things to consider. Don't drink alcohol before eating. For evenings at a friend's, bring a safe side dish from home to share with others.

Ask For What You Want

• Think, When Harry Met Sally . Ask for lower-fat/calorie options cooked in a healthy way. For dressing, ask for them to be served on the side. Don't be afraid to ask for items that are not on the menu.
• Ask for the amounts you want. You can ask for a half serving. Or, just ask to box half of it up to take home. Also consider ordering just an appetizer or something from the children's menu.
• Be NICE. Be decisive, but not threatening. 

Take Charge of What's Around You

• Be the first to order.  Don't be influenced by those around you.
• Keep foods off the table. Have chips/salsa, bread, etc removed or place on the other side of the table where you can't reach them. 
• Ask for your plate to be removed when you are finished eating. No picking on what's left!
• Watch Alcohol. There are often large amounts of empty calories and can cause you to let your guard down.
• If at a social gathering - stay away from the food table!

Choose Foods Carefully

• You know what to do...
• Stay away from fried foods. 
• Watch out for fatty sauces. 
• Trim visible fat.

Where are your favorite places to eat? How will you change your habits to fit your new lifestyle?

Strawberry Cake

Yep - still working with strawberries. We have a few more weeks - so just humor me.

I have a post almost ready to show about eating out. But, can't seem to get the photos right.

So, until then...

Picking with the kids was fun. Still planning on going back at least one more time.

I had the craving for strawberry cake. I found this recipe and thought I would try it. I decided to do half with my regular buttercream frosting for the kids and the other half with cream cheese frosting and some no sugar jam (for ME!!)

This is how it turned out. YUM.

Mine...

The kids...

I must say, next time, I think I will try without the jello - or maybe half the jello? I found the cake base to be a little too sweet.

Do you have a favorite strawberry cake recipe?

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin mini muffins - plain

 Large pumpkin muffins (not jumbo) with raisins and walnuts. YUM!

These are my FAVORITE muffins. Healthy? Well, partly. I use whole grains, pumpkin, reduced fat - but they still have plenty of fat and sugar. Don't make these too big (although the structure can handle it and the original recipe made these jumbo muffins). I just try to make them smaller to help control calories.

3 cups flour (I use 1 cup white flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup ground oatmeal - sometimes this varies depending on what I have on hand. If all you have is white and whole wheat flour, don't go less than 1/2 white flour or you will notice a difference in flavor and texture.)
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice

1 cup sugar
1 stick butter + 2 TBSP (cool room temp about 68deg)
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup fat free yogurt

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F.
Combine 1st 5 ingredients in a separate bowl.
In Mixer: Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Add eggs, one at a time until incorporated.
Add the pumpkin. It will look like this...

Add 1/3 the flour mixture.
Add 1/2 the yogurt.
Add 1/3 flour mixture.
Add remaining yogurt.
Add remaining flour mixture. It will look like a thick cookie dough...

Put liners in the muffin tins.
Fill cups 3/4 full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. You may need to rotate pans halfway through cooking (depending on your oven).
Makes 15-18 muffins.

You can add to these muffins - I like to mix in raisins, shredded carrots and nuts. Just don't add too much - they are healthy, but do add calories. My kids really like these with mini chocolate chips. If I eat those - they are for dessert!

This is a pick of raisins and walnuts added to the dough. Yes, it looks just like chocolate chip cookie dough.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Lesson 4: Reducing and Changing Cues

Why do we eat what we eat?

There are many reasons we eat.
1. Hunger. Yes, physical hunger is the obvious. We need to eat to nourish our bodies. BUT, there are also times we have a desire to eat without feeling physical hunger.
2. Thoughts and Feelings. Emotions can trigger eating. For example, I go to sugary treats when frustrated or bored.
3. What other people do. If a friend offers you some food, you may feel obligated to eat it - or just want to eat it.
4. Sights and Smells. Just seeing or smelling food can trigger the desire to eat.
5. Activities. Watching TV, going to a ballgame, going to the movies. How often do you NOT think of the foods you will eat when doing these (or other) activities? Never right? right? Yeah, me too.

So, how do we change our behaviors and habits?

1. Stay away or hide!

• Don't keep your 'trouble' foods in the house or at work. If you must, use single servings, or hide them. Don't keep them in plain sight.
• Use opaque containers.
• When you finish eating (at home or a restaurant), remove the plate or put a napkin on top.  If at a restaurant, ask for a to go container right away. Put any 'extra' in the box so you won't be tempted to eat 3 servings instead of one. 

2. Build a new healthier habit.

 

 

• Keep the healthy stuff in sight. Put the healthy stuff in prominent locations in the fridge, not so healthy stuff in the back.
• Set a designated eating place in the  house. Restrict your eating to this one place.
• Separate eating from other activities. No more watching TV while eating. :(
• Use smaller dishes - ones that better fit the correct portion size. You are less likely to feel 'cheated' if using smaller dishes with the correct portions. Correct portions and large dishes makes you feel like you are eating nothing.
• Don't eat while cooking/baking. (Ohhh, the calories I must consume before we are ready to eat!!)

Shopping: Yep, this can be troublesome for all of us. Make a list. Stick to it! Don't go to the store hungry. Don't be a slave to coupons. Just because it is on sale - doesn't mean it is good for you.

Examine your habits...

Make a plan. Figure out what your 'bad' habits are and make a plan to change them. Write it down. There is something about having something in writing that helps to stick to the plan!

So - what are your habits? How do you plan to change them?

Strawberries, Strawberries, and MORE Strawberries

I am VERY excited! It is Strawberry season in NC. My youngest BEGGED me this morning to go picking. How could I resist? So, away we went. We didn't pick a ton - as the others will want to pick as well.

Happy Dance!

First, we ate a few - because who can resist strawberries staring at you and calling your name?

Then we got home and washed a few to eat a few more.

Then, I decided they would be REALLY yummy with chocolate! Instead of dipping, I drizzled - in the interest of not going crazy on calories. But, you will see some are a bit heavy on the chocolate (the kids will get those - they don't have any problems running around outside!).

Then, I had a bit of chocolate left over - time to cover some bananas,

pretzel rods,

and since there was some bacon sitting left over from last night's dinner I put some chocolate on that. WHAT??? Yes, I decided to give it a go. A friend said it was AMAZING. I haven't tried it yet - I will have to update you on the result later.

Hope you all are enjoying your strawberries (or are starting to plan what you will do with yours once they are ready).

Jam making this weekend!!!

Addendum... Chocolate covered bacon - good, but not at all worth the calories. At least, not for me. Hubby liked it more than I did, but he loves bacon so much, he would prefer no chocolate. It was fun to experiment though!