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What is a serving size?

What exactly is a serving size?

How much is just right?  Everyone has heard by now that, whether dining out or eating at home, the average American’s plate is often filled with over-sized portions. But what exactly is a proper serving size? Here is a handy, quick guide comparing  single-sized  food portions to everyday items:

3 ounces of poultry, beef or fish ~ a deck of cards, or a checkbook

2 tablespoons peanut butter ~ a golf ball

an ounce of nuts ~ about a handful

1 cup cereal ~ a baseball

1 cup pasta ~ a tennis ball

1 dinner roll ~ a yo-yo

1 baked potato ~ a computer mouse

1 cup green salad ~ 1 baseball

1 serving of fruit (1/2 cup) ~1/2 a baseball, or a standard ice cream scoop

1 serving of vegetables (1/2 cup) ~ 1/2 a baseball, or a standard ice cream scoop

1 ounce cheese ~ a pair of dice

1 teaspoon butter ~ 1 “Scrabble” game tile

Another way to roughly estimate portion sizes is by using your hand (of course, make adjustments accordingly if you are way above or below average-sized!):

About one cup~ your fist

About 1 ounce meat or cheese~ your thumb

About 1 tablespoon ~ your thumb tip

About 1 teaspoon~ your fingertip

Make sure to take the “What to Eat: Personalized” quiz to learn exactly how many servings from each food group (Meats and Beans, Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Dairy) is right for you.  Knowledge is power.

Happy healthy eating!


Roasted Peppers with Quinoa and Corn Stuffing

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup               Tofu, extra firm, crumbled

1 tb                  Lemon juice

¾ tsp               Paprika

½ tsp               Cumin

¼ tsp               Black pepper

¼  tsp              Coriander powder

1/8 tsp             Chili powder

1 tb                  Thyme, fresh, chopped

½ tsp + ½ tsp   Olive oil

1/4 cup              White onion, small dice

1 clove             Garlic, minced

¼ cup              Quinoa grain, red

¼ cup              Quinoa grain, white

1 cup             Vegetable stock

2 tsp                Vinegar, white wine

¼ tsp               Salt, sea

½ cup              Corn kernels, fresh cut off the cob

¾ cup              Zucchini, small dice

¼ cup              Scallion, chopped

¼ cup              Parsley, fresh, chopped

1/8 cup             Basil, fresh, chopped

2 each              Pepper, yellow bell, large, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 each              Pepper, red bell, large, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 each              Plum tomato, small, sliced into thin rounds

8 tsp                Feta cheese, low fat, crumbled*

As needed        Cooking spray

PREPARATION:

In a small bowl, mix crumbled tofu with lemon juice, paprika, cumin, black pepper, coriander, chili powder and thyme; refrigerate for several hours so flavors meld.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In small pot, heat vegetable stock. In a medium pot, sauté onion and garlic in ½ teaspoon olive oil until onion is softened. Add red and white quinoa and stir to coat grains. Add the hot vegetable stock and bring to a boil; reduce to simmer, cover and cook until stock is absorbed by quinoa, about 15 minutes.  Place quinoa into large mixing bowl; toss with white wine vinegar and salt.

In a sauté pan with ½ teaspoon oil sauté zucchini and scallion about a minute; add basil and parley and sauté about 1 minute more; remove from heat. Add the sautéed vegetables to the quinoa, along with the seasoned tofu, corn kernels, parsley and basil. Toss well to mix ingredients.

Stuff each pepper half with 1/8 of the stuffing mixture; top with a couple of tomato slices plus 1 teaspoon of feta cheese, then place on a sprayed baking sheet.  Cook in oven until pepper is roasted and cheese is melted, about 9-12 minutes.

Plating: Serve each person 1 red and 1 yellow stuffed pepper half on a small bed of baby arugula greens.

(*omit Feta Cheese if cooking Vegan)

YIELD: 4 servings


Buckwheat Cereal with Orange and Almond

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups     Buckwheat groats
8 cups      Water
1 cup        Orange juice
1/2 cup  Almonds, raw, unsalted
2 tb          Olive Oil
1/3 cup   Honey
1 tb            Cinnamon
1tsp           Nutmeg
1 tsp          Vanilla
1 tb            Orange zest
¼ tsp        Salt

PREPARATION:

Place buckwheat groats in a large container with the water and let soak overnight (groats will double in size), or for at least 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Pour orange juice into a small saucepan, simmer, and reduce to about a ¼ cup. Let cool.

Put almonds into food processor and slowly add olive oil to nuts while chopping. Process until almonds become a nut butter consistency.

Pour soaking buckwheat in a colander to strain. Rinse under running water until water coming from out of the strainer runs clear. Let groats sit a couple of minutes to fully drain water.

In a large bowl, combine orange juice reduction, almond butter, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, orange zest, and salt; stir to fully combine.  Add in buckwheat groats and stir to completely coat buckwheat groats.

Lightly coat sheet pan with cooking spray.  Thinly spread out cereal mixture with a rubber spatula.  Bake cereal in oven for about 20 minutes, gently flip cereal with spatula then bake another 20-35 minutes, or until cereal is completely dry.

Allow cereal to cool; place into an airtight container.  Can keep one week room temperature when well-sealed; keep in the refrigerator or freezer for longer storage.

Variation: substitute the orange juice and zest with blood orange instead- even better color and flavor!


Black Eyed Pea, Wild Rice and Fresh Corn Salad

This is a great summertime salad. Serve it at your next picnic or barbeque.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Black-eyed peas

1/4 cup Onion, white, minced

2 tablespoon Olive oil

1/4 cup   Rice, wild, long grain, dry

1/2 cup   Vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon   Cumin

1/8 teaspoon   Black pepper, fresh ground

1/8 teaspoon   Sea salt

1/8 teaspoon   Chili Powder

1/8 cup  Thyme, fresh, minced

1/4 cup  Cilantro, fresh, minced

1 teaspoon  Vinegar, white wine

3 tablespoon Lemon juice, fresh squeezed

1/2 cup Corn kernels, fresh cut off cob

1/4 cup   Pepper, red, minced

1/8 cup   Pepper, green bell, minced

1/4 cup  scallion, diced

PREPARATION:

Cover peas in plenty of water and soak overnight.  Drain and rinse. Put soaked peas in small water with more fresh water and cook on a high flame until boiling. Reduce to simmer and cook until tender. Drain water and chill beans.

In a small pan, heat vegetable stock. Saute onion in a medium pot with a very small amount of the olive oil; cook until translucent; stir in rice.  Add heated vegetable stock, cover and simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed by the rice.

In a small bowl, combine cumin, pepper, salt, chili powder, thyme, basil, lemon, vinegar, and remainder of oil. Whisk to combine.

In a large bowl combine cooked peas and rice with the corn, peppers and scallion. Toss with dressing to combine. Serve room temperature.

Yield: 6 servings

Serving size: 1/2 cup