When I was planning my pre-gym snack today, at first I just thought to grab a protein energy bar, but then I realized I didn't have to stick to the calories on the package: I could cut them in half!
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| Parmesan-Crusted Trout with salad & vegetables |
I'm trying to keep my snacks to 80-100 calories each so I can eat many small meals, and not get to the end of the day and be stuck skimping on my dinner, my favorite meal of the day.
It sounds like a no-brainer: Cut it in half. But how often do you do it? Isn't it just as satisfying to eat half a bar as it is to eat a whole one? Because after the first two bites, the main enjoyment has been had, right? On the other side, it's really hard to just eat half if the whole thing's in your palm or staring up at you from the plate.
So much harder to eat half, so much easier to cut in half and only take half.
For lunch I invented a fantastically-rich tasting but calorically-poor entrée I call "Parmesan-Crusted Rainbow Trout." Please check it out. Unbelievably delicious, takes only 10 minutes to make. Here's the link (on the Weight Watchers website): Parmesan-Crusted Rainbow Trout
(Makes two portions, 140 calories, 10g protein per serving.)
What I discovered is that while light mayonnaise tastes the same as regular mayo in a recipe, light cheese does not. No, no, no!
I also found that mixing the light mayo with a little dijon mustard makes the sauce go farther. Real Parmesan cheese, instead of some wannabe "light" cheese, makes a huge difference in taste. But only a small amount still gives you the rich flavor. Halfsies, again: Use only half the amount of real, flavorful cheese as you would the full amount of "lite" cheez-product and you get all the flavor for the same number of calories.
This fish is so moist and tender! I cut the finished entrée in half and saved the other half for dinner.
Voila: 3 strategies in one:
It sounds like a no-brainer: Cut it in half. But how often do you do it? Isn't it just as satisfying to eat half a bar as it is to eat a whole one? Because after the first two bites, the main enjoyment has been had, right? On the other side, it's really hard to just eat half if the whole thing's in your palm or staring up at you from the plate.
So much harder to eat half, so much easier to cut in half and only take half.
For lunch I invented a fantastically-rich tasting but calorically-poor entrée I call "Parmesan-Crusted Rainbow Trout." Please check it out. Unbelievably delicious, takes only 10 minutes to make. Here's the link (on the Weight Watchers website): Parmesan-Crusted Rainbow Trout
(Makes two portions, 140 calories, 10g protein per serving.)
What I discovered is that while light mayonnaise tastes the same as regular mayo in a recipe, light cheese does not. No, no, no!
I also found that mixing the light mayo with a little dijon mustard makes the sauce go farther. Real Parmesan cheese, instead of some wannabe "light" cheese, makes a huge difference in taste. But only a small amount still gives you the rich flavor. Halfsies, again: Use only half the amount of real, flavorful cheese as you would the full amount of "lite" cheez-product and you get all the flavor for the same number of calories.
This fish is so moist and tender! I cut the finished entrée in half and saved the other half for dinner.
Voila: 3 strategies in one:
- Streamlining by making two meals at once
- Going halfsies
- Shaving the cals by using light mayo instead of "Real"
The meal pictured is only 225 calories, using a light dressing on the salad and tossing the veggies with a few flavorful drops of toasted walnut oil.
What about you? Do you find yourself cutting things in half? When and why?
