It’s All About the Plate! Portion Control Tips + #CookingLightDiet

Nothing consumed in December has calories – okay, yes it does – but I still give myself permission to enjoy this peak season for goodies without guilt. Plus, I’m usually in marathon training, so I can usually pull off an extra serving of cheesy casseroles, homemade snack mixes , gooey brownies and pies. But with the New Year knocking on my door, it’s time to examine my excesses and make adjustments as necessary.

jen pizza

If you’ve read my blog on a regular basis, you know I strive to follow a clean-eating, lower-carb routine. But, you’ve probably heard me insist that it’s not human to forever swear off foods like pizza, pasta and chocolate. When I reward myself with just a bit of those indulgences I crave, I’m less likely to feel deprived. And, when I’m not feeling deprived, I won’t wake up in the middle of the night to finish of the leftover pizza!

I don’t count calories, but I do pay attention to portion control and serving size. By the way, there are about 45 M&Ms in a suggested serving of my beloved candy, yet I can be reasonably happy with half that amount! Also, contrary to the amount most people eat at once, a serving of cooked meat (like my favorite tenderloin) is only 3 ounces – and that provides about 25 grams of protein, the optimal amount for a single eating experience.

Portion Control Tips - TheFitFork.com

cooking light portion controlI love the 10 Secrets of Portion Control that Cooking Light.com shares. My biggest rule for portion control is at the top of their list – Dividing the Plate. Before I pile on my dinner, I mentally make a note to fill one-half my plate with leafy greens or vegetables, one-quarter with a lean protein and the other quarter a quality carbohydrate like sweet potato, whole grain bread or piece of fruit. I also make sure I’m not using a serving platter for a plate! I personally use a standard size dinner plate, but if you are trying to lose weight, another tip is to use smaller plate to help to “visually” fill you up. Research also suggests that using a contrasting color plate that doesn’t blend in with the food eating will help you load up with less – particpants in a study served themselves 22% more food when using plates that matched their food. So, chocolate cake served on a brown plate is a no-no, chocolate cake served on a white plate is better — wink, wink!

This photo shows how people serve themselves more (about 22% more) when the color of their food and plate match. Tip: Eat less by using a contrasting plate to make your food stand out.

This photo shows how people serve themselves more (about 22% more) when the color of their food and plate matches. Tip: Eat less by using a contrasting plate to make your food stand out.

While I’ve never been one to jump on any sort of fad diet bandwagon, I am excited to tell you about the Cooking Light Diet. That’s because it’s not a deprivation diet that forces you to eat strange things you normally wouldn’t or purchase special packaged diet meals. Instead, it’s a “diet” that offers a balanced menu plan that focus so much on flavor that you won’t even notice that the calories in many recipes have been cut by 30 to 50 percent.  Simply take the quick online quiz about your needs and preferences and receive custom-selected recipes for delicious, easy-to-make meals delivered straight to your inbox – everything is tailored to your likes, dislikes and specific calorie intake goals.

Here is one of their delicious dinner recipes for Fresh Tomato, Sausage and Pecorino Pasta:

cooking light diet sample recipe

 

cooking light dietCheck out CookingLightDiet.com for more information, to view a sample menu, and to get started. It’s really affordable ($3/week) and well worth the small price just for the delicious recipes – plus, you also get additional portion-control advice, practical fitness tips and cooking tricks and tips to save you time in the kitchen. Use discount code DIETSAVE20 for an additional savings.

This post is sponsored by Cooking Light; however I was not told what to say or how to say it. All opinions are my own.

So, do you have any portion control tips? Please share!

Greek Yogurt Sundae Bedtime Snack + Dallas Marathon Recap

Eating a bed time snack is NOT evil, nor will it make you fat. All my life, I’ve heard misguided food rules like “don’t eat after 8 pm” or “eating fat makes you fat.” Sure, you can’t pig out on a whole pizza or pint of gelato and expect to stay at a racing weight, but a healthy snack packed with 10 to 20 grams of protein is a smart choice for nocturnal noshing. This amount of protein helps to satiate hunger as it goes to work repairing muscle damage from workouts earlier in the day. My blood sugar remains stable through the wee hours and the result of this protein snack is that I don’t wake up in the middle of the night hungry or in the morning drained of energy.Greek Yogurt Sundae with Raspberries & Chocolate Chips - TheFitFork.com One of my favorite snacks to eat before bed is a bowl of Greek yogurt with raspberries and mini chocolate chips. Chobani is a favorite brand, the texture is so smooth and creamy and the company only uses natural non-GMO ingredients. There are so many delicious flavors like coconut and key lime — but I usually get the plain and mix in a flavored Stevia (like NuNaturals Vanilla or Chocolate Syrup) along with raspberries and a teaspoon or two of mini chocolate chips. It’s my version of a fudge sundae! I get 15 grams of quality protein thanks to this sensible sweet treat and all the ingredients I just listed have barely over 120 calories combined! An added bonus is that Greek yogurt has lots of calcium, and I could always use more of that bone-building mineral!Dallas Marathon - Jennifer Fisher So, on to the Dallas Marathon — I basically blew up at mile 18.Although I was super hydrated (I thought) and reasonably well-rested, I couldn’t hang at my planned pace in the high humidity conditions. At mile 15, I felt leg cramps coming on. Thank goodness my mom showed up with my favorite Nuun Hydration tabs (Kona Cola) super concentrated in a bottle of water — I drank full bottles during my TWO porta potty stops (ugh — there went 5 minutes).

mom giving me nuun at dallas marathon I had to start run-walking at mile 18 and was literally just making it 100 yards at a time near the end. This was my second worst marathon finish ever by a minute at 3:32 , 22 minutes off my plan and 42 minutes off an ancient PR, yet I notice that people roll their eyes when I mention the 2nd place age group finish — that was a surprise considering my condition. The highlight of the race was not when I fell into the door of the port-a-potty and scraped up my arm, but instead the highlight was proving to myself I had the grit not to quit. Ryan Hall was at the finish line and put the medal around my neck – that was awesome! So I am left with a dilemma. Ever since getting back to running in my 40s, nabbing a marathon time that correlates training and effort-wise to my other race distances (in everything from the 1 mile to 1/2 marathon) eludes me. In some ways, I’m ready to break up with the marathon . . . . but I can’t let my  final experience be this last one. But, that means I have to run another . . .

Have any of you runners ever had these feelings? What’s the longest you’ve ever “broken up” with running?

Southwestern Shrimp & Guacamole Starters + Avocados & Athletes

Southwestern Shrimp & Avocado Starters - TheFitFork.com

Avocado Superfood

Head over to Core Power to check out my post on Guacasuperfood! Five Reasons Avocados are a Super-Fuel for Athletes.  Of course, I adore guacamole, but this nutrient-dense fruit also makes a rich and creamy addition to smoothies or spread on sammies – it’s also a heart-healthy swap for some of the fats used in baking!   Avocados are also a good source of fiber and protein and pack an array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – find out exactly how they can help you as a runner, triathlete, CrossFitter, mountain climber, yogi, gymnast or other active person at CorePower.com.

Meanwhile, dig into my recipe for these super easy, super yummy Southwestern Shrimp & Avocado Starters –they are “starters” because once you start eating, you won’t be able to stop. That’s okay – they’re good for you!  These amazing appetizers will be the hit of your holiday party spread — you could also present them in disposable condiment cups if you don’t have enough tiny bowls or would prefer to avoid clean-up.

Southwestern Shrimp & Avocado Starters - TheFitFork.com

Southwestern Shrimp & Avocado Starters Recipe

  •  1 large avocado
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
  • 1/3 cup mixture of roasted corn with red peppers*
  • 18 roasted or grilled shrimp*
  • 18 unbroken tortilla chips
  • Garnish: cilantro sprigs

In small bowl, mash together avocado, lime juice and garlic salt. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon of this guacamole mash into 1 ounce condiment cups. Sprinkle a bit of the corn mixture to top of avocado and then top with one shrimp, tail side up. Set a single tortilla chip behind this for scooping out the remaining guacamole once the shrimp is eaten. Repeat steps for remaining appetizers. Makes 18 appetizers.

*I used thawed Green Giant Honey Roasted Corn in the steamer bag and grilled shrimp from the take-away food section of the market for convenience.  

If you’re looking for other small bites for your soiree, these Holiday Appetizers from Cooking Light make a statement and are sure to keep the conversation going!

Holiday Appetizers from Cooking Light

Snack Nation Box - TheFitFork.comI also want to let you know about a great service that delivers healthy snacks to your home or office – Snack Nation.  My box couldn’t have arrived at a more perfect time, as I was about to gnaw my arm off in hunger desperation. I tore into the box and it was brimming with sensible snacks including long-time loves (Quest Bars, Krave Jerky and Pirate Booty) and some new favorites (Bare Fruit and Rip Van Waffles).  Perhaps what I appreciated more than the snacks, was the fact that this company gives back to end world hunger through their HUMAN donation program – each delivery is matched by a one month’s supply of nutrient packs delivered globally to people facing malnutrition.  If you’re looking for a unique holiday gift (and one that’s also healthy, tasteful and socially conscious), you really need to check out this fantastic home snack delivery service – plans start out at just under $30 a month and you can sign up for a free trial.

So, tell me, how many AVOCADOS do you eat per week?

What is your favorite healthy packaged snack food?

Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash + More Healthy Recipes

Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash - TheFitFork.com

Call me a clairvoyant, but I know you’re making sweet potatoes sometime in the next week. Everyone eats sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving Day, it’s the law. Even though my Kale & Caramelized Onion Sweet Potato  recipe was a huge hit at home, I really don’t like to make the same recipe for dinner twice in the same month!  So, tonight, I decided to cauliflower-ify my favorite tuber – and yum, yum, yum! Gosh, now what am I going to come up with for Thanksgiving dinner?

 Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash Recipe

  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes
  • 1 pound cauliflower florets
  • 3 tablespoons milk of choice
  • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh chopped parsley for garnish (or Instantly Fresh Parsley)
  1. Peel and cut sweet potato into 1 ½ -inch chunks.
  2. In large pot with steam basked, steam sweet potato and cauliflower with 1 inch of water in bottom of pot. Vegetables will be ready in about 10 – 12 minutes, or when fork tender.
  3. Place in large bowl and mash the potato and cauliflower with the milk. Stir in the Greek yogurt, garlic powder, salt and pepper. If too thick, add milk 1 tablespoons at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
  4. Serves  4 – 6

Bowl of Mashed Sweet PotatoesHere’s the Kale & Caramalized Onion Sweet Potatoes I was mentioning.

jennifer fisher thefitfork sweet potato ruffle

Last year, I made this recipe for Sweet Potato Skillet Stack with Srirracha Orange Glaze – delish!

 

Of course, you know Cooking Light knows how to do up a sweet potato right, check out this gallery for additional inspiration.

Cooking Light Sweet Potato Recipes

So, how do you like to eat sweet potatoes best?

 

 

Cranberry Recipes for Thanksgiving Feasts + Health Benefits

Check out What's Thanksgiving Without Cranberries?!

by The Fit Fork at Foodie.com

This post is sponsored by Foodie.com.

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without cranberries on the table and I’m happy to be sharing a collection of cranberry recipes I put together for Foodie.com – you’ll find healthy cranberry recipes for Thanksgiving and the remainder of the holiday season.

12 Healthy Cranberry Recipes for the Holidays - thefitfork.com

If you’ve wondered why we mainly eat cranberries in the fall, it’s because they are in season October, November and December – the primary holiday meal making months! However, this sweet-tart berry has so many health benefits that I like to eat them year round.  Many of these health benefits are attributed to the phytochemicals known as proanthocyandidins found in cranberries – this compound in cranberries inhibit bacteria from adhering and multiplying in the body – that’s why drinking cranberry juice is a natural remedy for urinary tract infections. Cranberries may lower incidence of cancer; studies show polyphenolic extracts from cranberries diminish the growth of prostate, lung and esophageal tumor cells – cranberries have the highest level of this powerful antioxidant than 20 fruits and vegetables tested. As an athlete, cranberries are also a great source of natural carbohydrates to fuel workouts. Health Benefits of Cranberries - thefitfork.com

So, how can you enjoy cranberries year round when the store shelves are cleared out at the New Year? You can freeze fresh cranberries to use later in sauce, relish and other recipes. If you’re in a hurry, simply place original packing inside a heavy duty freezer bag and freeze for up to one year. If you have more time, I’d suggest rinsing and drying the cranberries and then freezing in a single layer on a baking sheet before placing in an airtight container. This allows you to grab a handful at a time without the berries being clumped together.

Do you have a favorite cranberry recipe? Please share!