Tag Archives: dinner

What is a serving size?

A Healthy Living Blog, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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!


Southwest Chicken

Dairy-Free, Entree, Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So much flavor, you won’t mind a bit that it’s also lower in fat and calories than many other marinated chicken recipes.

Serve with Fresh Tomato Salsa and Traditional Guacamole or Fruity Guacamole. Fabulous with a small side salad. For a bigger meal, serve also with Spanish Rice.

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup Lime juice
1/8 cup Tamari (soy) sauce, low sodium, gluten-free
1/4 cup Wine, white
1 taplespoon Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon Coriander, ground
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Honey
1/3 teaspoon Thyme, dried (or 1 tsp fresh, minced)
1/8 cup Cilantro, fresh, minced
6 each Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, 4-5 ounces each

PREPARATION:
Mix lime juice, Tamari, olive oil, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic, honey, wine and thyme well in a large bowl. Put chicken breasts in shallow pan with marinade mix and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Reserve marinade.

Heat grill. Pour reserved marinade into small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer a few minutes to reduce slightly and make a sauce. Grill chicken breasts, occasionally basting with some of the sauce, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Add cilantro to sauce. Serve each breast with a teaspoon or two of the sauce.

Serves 6


Tangelo Stir Fry with Scallops and Forbidden Rice

Dairy-Free, Entree, Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free, Multi-Veggie, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tangelo is a tasty citrus fruit that is a cross between orange and tangerine, and pairs very nicely with “Ocean Candy” (my nickname name for scallops!)  If you cannot find tangelos, substitute with either fresh orange or tangerine zest and juice, or even combine the two.

Grape seed oil is excellent for use in high temperature cooking techniques like stir-fry. Forbidden rice is black rice and is usually pretty easy to find (see notes below).

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen  Scallops, large, fresh, cleaned

.5 tsp Canola oil

1 tsp Grape seed oil

3 tb Tangelo juice, fresh squeezed

1 tb Vinegar, rice

1 tb Vinegar, red wine

1 tb Tamari or soy sauce, low sodium, gluten-free

1.5 tsp Sugar, brown

1 tb Tangelo zest

1 tsp Chile-garlic paste

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1tb Ginger, fresh, peeled and minced

3/4 cup Zucchini, with skin, cut in half then sliced on bias

3/4 cup Summer squash, cut in half, then sliced on bias

1 large Carrot, peeled, cut in half, then sliced on bias

4 each Water chestnuts, cubed

1/2 cup Forbidden rice (black rice)

1 cup Water

1 tb Green onion, chopped

PREPARATION:

In small bowl, mix the tangerine juice with the Hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and chili-garlic paste. In another small bowl, combine the tangerine zest with the chopped garlic and ginger.

Bring water to boil in small pot. Add black rice, stir briefly, cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 18-25 minutes. Stir in chopped green onion.

Lightly spray a large, heated pan with the canola oil. Add scallops in single layer and cook on high heat with out stirring until they are golden on bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook until scallops are firm, about 1 ½ minutes longer. Transfer to a plate.

Add grape seed oil to a very hot wok along with Tangerine zest mixture cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the carrot and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, squash and water chestnuts  to carrot and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 3 more minutes. Stir tangerine sauce and add to wok; cook sauce until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Add scallops to the wok, stirring just until heated through. Toss veggies and Scallops in Tangelo Sauce. Serve scallops and vegetables on top of forbidden rice.

TIP: Only use water, not vegetable stock, when cooking black rice- it will have a much better, lighter taste. Do not season black rice until after it has finished cooking. While rather easy to find it imported from China (where it originated), I recommend searching out for black rice from the United States or Italy (“Riso Bello” brand, “Venere” rice from Italy is my personal favorite).

YIELD: 4 servings