Strategies for Eating Out at Restaurants Without Wrecking Your Healthy Diet

I've published a new original article for Associated Content. Here's a snippet to whet your appetite:

Every month or so, my high school dismissed students early to allow teachers time for professional development. At 12:30 p.m., students would pour out the doors, pile into the car of whoever could drive, and fill up the dining rooms of every casual chain restaurant in a five mile radius, giddy with anticipation of afternoon of social fun.

I'd peruse the menu of our chosen restaurant, my waistline and the eyes of a half-dozen friends on my mind, and carefully select a "healthy" salad for my lunch. Sure, it came topped with fried chicken and with a quarter cup of dressing on the side, but it was a salad -- how bad could it be? I'd keep with my healthy theme for dessert and generously split the enormous slice of chocolate cake with a friend. Keeping it all for myself would seem piggish, but if I ate only half I was virtuous!

Read more: Strategies for Eating Out at Restaurants Without Wrecking Your Healthy Diet

Interested in seeing everything I've published on Associated Content? Visit my profile page for the full list.

Thirst-Quenching Tips for Summer

An original article I wrote for the site Associated Content is now available for perusing. Check it out if you're interested suggestions on how to stay hydrated throughout the summer: Avoid Dehydration This Summer with Thirst-Quenching Tips

Here's a small preview:

After college, I moved from the temperate climes of Chicago, Illinois, where summer is more remarkable for its short duration than its intensity, to the heat sink known as Las Vegas, Nevada. Never before in my life had I stepped outside and suddenly understood how a chicken in a convection oven feels.

Temperatures in Vegas can rise to 110 degrees during the day. Thanks to its location in a desert valley, it can drop a full 30 degrees at night, true, but that's still a roasty-toasty 80. It all comes with a blasting wind that, rather than cooling you, just makes the heat more apparent.

Go read the rest!

Spring Cleaning for Your Fridge

Spring Cleaning for Your Fridge: "The official start of the new year may be January, but it’s only when all this new life buds into being in spring that it feels like a true beginning.

Something about the warm breezes, invigorating showers, and green shoots of spring makes me (and so many others) want to spruce up the house to match the prettiness of the outdoors. It’s spring cleaning time!"

(Via Well Fed Network.)

Easter Candy Madness

Check out this informative post from the Healthy Recipe Doctor on WebMD for info on the caloric wallop packed by your Easter basket. She makes clear, though, that candy is not all bad and that indulgence in moderation is OK.

Here's an interesting excerpt in that vein:

It's better to eat jelly beans than to drink soda! Our bodies appear to be more likely to compensate naturally for the calories in a handful of jelly beans compared to the same calories in a sweetened drink. A Purdue University study found that significant weight gain might occur when carbohydrates are consumed as liquids rather than as solid food because the participants didn't decrease their intake to compensate for the added soda calories but were able to for the additional jellybean calories.

Hurray for jelly beans!

Merry Christmas!

Here's hoping Santa brought you everything you wished for.

Health and happiness, right?

OK, maybe an iPod, too!

If you have some time to kill before heading out to a Christmas soirée today, check out this blog post from the Epi-Log, "Healthy Eating at Holiday Parties." It's a nice round-up of articles on Epicurious that offer tips to keep your appetite under control during the festivities.

I hope to be able to follow all the advice at least a little today, as I really don't want to discover that Santa's stuffed some heartburn in my stocking this year.

Still, it's Christmas! Cut loose a little bit today, and make up for it tomorrow with some nice, cleansing soup and veggies. And don't forget the Pepcid.

How Do You Handle Holiday Parties?

Here's the word from Good Housekeeping's Constant Dieter:

Avoiding the Dangers at Holiday Parties - Goodhousekeeping.com: “I've been trying to adopt what I did for Thanksgiving -- relax about it all and zoom in on the stuff I really want.

Rather than stressing about every little morsel, I just focus my cravings.
When I arrive at a party, I first scope out the situation by taking a slow, unobtrusive walk around the party to survey what munchies are being offered. And I look for THE thing. THE thing that I want to eat so badly I know I can't resist. (Last night, it was warm brie and crackers.) Then I make the decision to zoom in on that particular thing. And I go for it.”

I know I can't (yet, at least) look past the delicious food set out at a party. Frankly, I look forward to parties for the food, as I'm not much of a social creature.

To reduce the deleterious effects of my party-snacking habit, I first make sure to keep a calorie-free drink in my hand at all times. If I can keep my mouth filled with diet soda, I don't have to entertain it with cheese as much.

Second, I nibble my noshes. If I take small bites of a chip with creamy dip, it will last me longer and I can relish it.

Finally, I rely on the classic strategy of zeroing in on the veggie tray. However, I really like raw vegetables with dip, so it still seems like a treat to me. If you can't dig the crudités, you might want to attempt the Constant Dieter's strategy.

Meringues and Handling Cookies at the Holidays

Check out this post from my second, cookie-themed blog:

A new and interesting offering today!

Meringues typically fall on the healthy end of the cookie spectrum. They use no flour and, in pure form, no fat. Like angel food cake, the base of these cookies are whipped egg whites, with cream of tartar for stability, sugar for sweetness, and an extract for flavor. Simple, light, yet tasty, too.

If you're trying to make it through the holidays without putting on extra pounds, meringues are one cookie that you can pop several of, guilt free. You won't feel left out of the merriment, and you won't have to leave a trail of half-eaten cookies in your wake.

Still, watch out for the chocolate that coats the bottom of Tyler Florence's spin on the classic meringue kiss. While a plain meringue packs a mere handful of calories, the chocolate coating makes these Snow Peaks more indulgent.

But hey, it's dark chocolate. That's supposed to be healthy these days, isn't it?

Check out today's recipe on Food Network's site, or download Chocolate Covered Snow Peaks into MacGourmet.

Visit The Cookie Book for daily cookie recipes and pointers this December. It's decidedly less healthy than what I post here, but there's a secret: I eat very few of the cookies I bake, especially at the holidays.

I love to bake cookies, so I stockpile them in the freezer to put out at parties and on Christmas Day. The rest then go into gift boxes for friends and family. It's a great deal all around: I indulge my hobby, get a reasonable number of baked goods to indulge in myself, and my loved ones get a homemade gift I've put a lot of thought and effort into producing. A joyous occasion, indeed!

Holiday Programming Hits the Airwaves on Food Network

Is it temptation around the corner on Food Network?

Set your TiVos, fellow food TV lovers: Food Network’s annual Season’s Eatings slate in full swing, offering tips and recipes to get you ready for the holiday season.

Saturday night, tune in for the programs that get me in the Christmas spirit on Holiday Cookie Night. Following a Yuletide-themed episode of Paula’s Party at 7 p.m. Eastern, we’ll be treated to three hours of cookie-baking mania.

Be still my heart!

Read the full post, with details on Food Network's upcoming holiday cooking programming, on Edible TV or Well Fed, if you're interested in planning the next big party.

How do you cope when faced with an onslaught of recipes for rich, festive fare?

First, I look for healthier recipes I can incorporate into the menu. True, roasted vegetables slathered in olive oil aren't particularly low in calories, but the extra calories provide special occasion indulgence while still packing you full of vitamins, minerals, and heart-healthy fats.

Look for holiday recipes that feature healthy ingredients without being bland, compromised "diet food."

Second, I find ways to make heavy recipes a little lighter or more nutritious. This year, for example, I substituted some whole wheat into my stuffing and roll recipes, I used reduced-fat cream cheese in the gratin, and I blended turkey bacon into the cheese ball. I also sautéed using oil rather than butter where I thought the flavor wouldn't be missed to cut down on saturated fat.

Substitute healthier ingredients when it's possible to do so without affecting the integrity of the dish.

The last bit is key - fat-free cheese, for example, makes sacrifices too great in the texture department for my taste. And the taste of many others - a serious compromise may just lead to everyone neglecting that dish.

Third, I plan on putting out appetizers. I love a big tray of veggies and dip myself, but consider your personal tastes. Reduced-fat cheeses work well if you buy most of your cheese from the case dominated by Kraft anyway, and a flavorful jerky can replace cured sausages. Popcorn is plenty festive, too, and you can dress it up with strong flavors (grated parmesan, garlic salt, herbs, and so on). I tend to fill up on hors d'ouerves long before dinner, which helps me implement the most important strategy: Eat less dinner!

Plan to fill up before you hit the buffet.

Finally, don't forget it's the holidays. This time comes only once a year, so please, allow for some indulgence! As long as you don't eat yourself sick every night, you can maintain your healthy lifestyle even while enjoying some December cheer.

Eat Less Meat - Lose More Pounds (and Fewer Dollars)

We had visitors here from Thanksgiving to yesterday, and today I'm working hard getting ready for Christmas travel. Please enjoy this post I wrote a few months ago for another blog, which is new here and still contains eminently relevant thoughts.

A new article from Mark Bittman at the New York Times just popped up in my newsreader. It continues a theme the Minimalist has been pushing a lot lately, that of eating less (but not no) meat.

The reasons to cut back on meat consumption are many and are covered in various past articles. Some important ones are improving health (as meat is generally high in saturated fat), cutting costs (because meat is more expensive than grains and produce, even with rising costs for grain -- animals here are fed grain, after all), and reducing environmental impact (in several ways, including this weird yet true bit: Cattle flatulence is a source of air pollution).

We've cut down our meat consumption considerably while living overseas. Our egg sandwiches are baconless, and our burgers are often made out of beans. The ultimate reason for us is that we are on a tight budget, what with the currency having tanked this year. Subbing beans for beef is economical and healthy.

Still, I've also reduced meat portions in straight-up meat-and-potatoes meals. Now, we share one boneless, skinless chicken breast piece between the two of us rather than each having our own, for example. (I do pound them flat and cut them into cutlets first, though, so it looks like a normal size).

But even though this is ostensibly "less," I find it's better this way. Growing up, we were never big meat eaters in our house. I don't know why, but the habit of cutting up a portion of the meat dish into small pieces for the kids to take never left my mom. Thus, even as a teenager I was putting maybe six small cubes or a chunk smaller than a deck of cards on my (American-child-sized, European-adult-sized) plate and considering that a full portion. I never grew to like big meat portions much, always preferring the side dishes.

In a way, then, I feel like I'm getting back to normal rather than moving away from it.

Managing Cookies for Christmas

New today on Edible TV:

Holiday baking fans, start your mixers!

Food Network’s annual sweet-treat bonanza, the 12 Days of Cookies newsletter, comes out of the oven starting December 1. That’s less than two weeks away, cookie monsters!

I know, I know . . . cookies?! How can they be part of a healthy diet?!

I obsess over cookie baking during the holidays, so I need to find ways to incorporate them into my healthier diet. And you know what?

We can bake our cookies and eat them, too!

All in moderation, of course. Moderation, as always, is the key to a healthy diet. Moderation can mean many things -- for big trigger foods, it can mean only eating them outside of your home (so you are inherently limited in the amount you can consume); for unhealthy but not necessarily crave-able foods such as butter, it might mean finding ways to substitute at least some heart-healthy oil or nonstick spray in your recipes. Of course, it can just mean eating less.

You have to decide for yourself what route you need to take with cookies, but here are my tips for keeping the cookie monster under control:

1. Spread the wealth. I bake up to a dozen batches of cookies each holiday season, but I would never eat them all myself. Ugh, you'd be rolling me to the Christmas tree . . . Anyway, I utilize my love of baking to create gift boxes of homemade cookies.

It's a fairly frugal gift (that is, if I find good sales on butter and nuts!), so I can make certain to recognize everyone I care about at the holidays, plus since it's a homemade gift, everyone knows I put in plenty of time and effort to make it special.

The healthy eating bonus is that I get my bounty of baked goods out of the house so my family isn't so tempted to binge!

2. Use the freezer. Most cookies freeze superbly. Pop a well-wrapped dozen in the freezer, and you'll have fresh-tasting cookies at the ready throughout the holiday season for unexpected guests. I store my cookies for gift boxes this way, too.

It's an excellent strategy for batches you plan on eating yourself, too. The freezer keeps the cookies from going stale, so you don't feel the pressure to eat handfuls at a time so they won't go bad.

3. Try healthier recipes. I have King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking book, which offers a number of cookie recipes punched up with, as you would expect, whole grains. For Thanksgiving, I'm planning to make Sparkling Cranberry Gems, which offer the option of using white whole-wheat flour and are relatively low in fat. If you're not ready to make the leap into whole-grain desserts, consider classic healthier cookies like meringues, oatmeal cookies, and ground nut-based macaroons.

And remember, baking is light exercise. My shoulders feel the burn of lifting sheet pans after hours on my feet as surely as my fingers feel it if I forget the potholder.

Picture: Food Network 12 Days of Cookies Newsletter

The Consequences of Merriment

Boy, have I been feeling the pain of joy the past couple of days.

Not being a physician, I can't diagnose what causes my stomach to seize up and my fingers to swell, but I blame what most people blame: It must have been something I ate.

"Somethings" would be more like it. The problem, to my mind, is not any one thing in particular but rather eating too much, eating too richly, and eating too . . . spicy.

Ugh, does the spicy ever get to me. Don't get me wrong. I long enjoyed hot foods: buffalo chicken, salsa, red pepper flakes on spaghetti sauce . . . but these days, spicy doesn't get along with me.

Did I mention I'm only 26?

Enough about my particular issues. What is a good plan for facing down the platters of abundant, fatty, highly seasoned (gurgle) foods so prevalent during the holidays?

1. Eat healthy, plant-based foods as much as possible. When not at a celebratory feast or experiencing the grueling recovery (when I can't stomach anything that isn't very bland), I need to stick with the fruits and vegetables that make my body feel nourished.

2. Eat sparingly. Well, at least try to keep away from that stuffed feeling. I found this strategy didn't do me much good at our election-night party, but again, that's because I chose to indulge in the foods that I know irritate my stomach as well as just generally rich foods. So . . .

3. Avoid known enemies. Good bye, chiles, cayenne, raw garlic, and red pepper flakes. So long, heavily salted foods. My hands won't miss you, tortilla chips, even if my tongue might. Oh, and let's slow things down, coffee, just for good measure. At least horseradish and mustard give me no pain.

I need to take my own advice more on that last one. I can feel the fluid retention already from the handful of tortilla chips I plopped alongside my grilled cheese. Leaving off the hot salsa isn't enough.

And yes, I know cheese and butter are poor choices for a sick tummy, but I just go with whatever sounds appealing when I'm feeling ill. They at least don't make my stomach churn away or, perhaps more irritatingly, add to the hiccups.

Ah, the holidays. They inject such joy into our lives!

Comparison Shopping for Calories

Last week, I explained the concept of energy density.

If you'll recall:

A food's energy density, then, is the ratio of its calories to its weight (as measured in grams). To calculate it, divide the number of calories on the nutrition label by the number of grams given for that serving.

Let's now put our energy-density knowledge into practice by slimming down some favorite foods.

Would you rather eat . . .

1 large egg (74 calories) OR 4 large egg whites (69 calories)?

1 small (2.6 oz) McDonald's French fries (248 calories) OR 1 big (8 oz/half a pound!) baked potato (220 calories)?

12 corn tortilla chips (139 calories) OR 4.5 cups of air-popped popcorn (138 calories)?

The Savings: Here, we're just cutting extra fat from the original food. Fat, with 9 calories per gram, is the most energy dense of the five food components. Alcohol, incidentally, is the next most energy dense at 8 calories per gram, if you need further encouraging to be the designated driver!

Would you rather eat . . .

1 small box (1.5 oz) of raisins (129 calories) OR 35 seedless grapes (118 calories)?

1 cup of cooked spaghetti (224 calories) OR 2 cups of cooked whole-wheat spaghetti with broccoli (231 calories)?

1 slice (1 oz) of cheddar cheese (113 calories) OR 1/2 cup (4 oz) of creamed cottage cheese (116 calories)?

The Savings: This is a classic Volumetrics density-lowering technique: Add more water. Water alone doesn't fill you up the way food does, but water that's incorporated into food (like in a broth-based soup) gives you the bulk you need to feel satisfied without extra calories. Fiber also adds bulk without calories (as it's indigestible), so whole-wheat pasta saves you calories both ways (in addition to being generally more nutritious).

In short, to make your dishes lighter without sacrificing the satisfaction of big portions, try cutting down on the alcohol and fat content while packing in high-water and high-fiber extras. As a bonus, you'll end up increasing your intake of vital nutrients (through eating more whole grains, veggies, and fruits) while decreasing your intake of harmful saturated and trans fats!

Healthy and slim. What a concept.

Photo: Colleen Fischer

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Paula Parties with Michelle Obama

We're just about a month away from the presidential election, and even the food television world was getting into the spirit. Paula Deen welcomed Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, onto her show Paula's Party.

From my article on Edible TV:

Politics was the word Saturday night as Paula Deen welcomed Michelle Obama to her grease-themed episode of Paula’s Party.

Actually, it seemed almost the other way around, as Paula took to the road to catch up with Obama on the campaign trail. Michelle Obama is as tall as she is lithe; she admitted upfront that she made sure to wear flats so as not to tower over Paula, who’s only 5′5″ (average-height girls unite!).

Despite all that, she showed no lack of enthusiasm for the piles of deep-fried food she and Paula produced, snacking on spicy fried shrimp throughout the segment. “Let me tell you, that lady is a good eater!” Paula told Edible TV.

Admittedly, a show full of fried foods doesn't fit too well with the theme of this site. On the other hand, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of deep-frying. In fact, we'll be deep-frying a turkey this Thanksgiving in the giant electric fryer my husband's parents bought us. It will be juicy and delicious and no more unhealthy than my usual roasted turkey.

"Really?" you query innocently, before going for the jugular: "But what about all that oil?!"

What about it? Oil is the cooking medium, yes. But where does most of that oil end up at the end of your fry session? Still in the fryer! When I make my roasted turkey, there's often with butter rubbed under the breast skin for moistness and oil drizzled over the top for some lovely browning, meaning that as much or more fat ends up in the final product.

My point is, just because you bake or pan-fry your chicken fingers, they're not necessarily any less fattening if you've laced the crumbs with four tablespoons of oil or if you've thoroughly coated the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Food deep-fried in a heart-healthy oil is just as reasonable in moderation as any other food involving oil.

As for the political content of the show . . . I'd suggest going elsewhere for political debate!

Photo: Courtesy of Food Network

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Reducing the Fat in Meats

Many of the tastiest meats -- bacon, salami, ground beef -- pack a hefty fat punch. Worse, the fats are the nasty saturated kind that raise your bad cholesterol. What can you do to continue to enjoy these flavorful meats without sending your calorie count soaring?

First, always consider buying leaner versions of traditionally fat-laden meats. Chicken and turkey sausages, turkey bacon, turkey pepperoni, ground poultry, super-lean ground beef, and vegetarian "meats" all offer easy alternatives that are lower in fat and calories.

But what if cost is a concern for you? Unfortunately, buying leaner meats often means paying more. For some reason, fat is less expensive than protein . . . a contributor to the obesity crisis, perhaps?

You can use a few simple techniques to render fat out of your meats before consuming them. You'll also concentrate the flavor of cured meats by eliminating the excess fat, and your recipes will turn out less greasy. No more pools of oil to blot off the pizza!

For regular bacon, start by choosing normal, thin slices over trendy thick-cut strips. Next, try cooking the bacon in a 350-degree oven on a rack set over a foil-covered baking sheet. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes to crisp up, and the fat will drain away into the foil as the meat cooks. Additionally, Alton Brown of Good Eats recommends starting the bacon in a cold oven to encourage more fat to render out. Finally, pat the bacon with paper towels to absorb any additional grease.

For pepperoni and salami, follow the advice of America's Test Kitchen: Arrange the slices or strips on a plate lined with paper towels. Microwave the meat for 30 to 90 seconds (depending on the thickness and number of pieces) to render the fat onto the towels. Alternatively, put the meat in a cold, dry skillet, and then apply medium-low heat until most of the fat renders out. Pat the pieces dry with paper towel and use the pepperoni or salami as planned in your recipe.

The Hillbilly Housewife offers a clever technique for reducing the fat content in that cheapest of the cheap meats, 70-percent-fat ground beef: Cook the ground beef in a skillet to render out the fat, drain it, and then rinse it. Rinsing off the meat with hot water eliminates the fat still clinging to the meat, leaving you with super-lean protein.

If you're interested in seeing some evidence of your fat savings, consider draining your meats over a fat jar. Not only will you save your pipes from greasy buildup, you'll have a visual reminder of how much fat is not circulating in your arteries.

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Eating on a Jet Plane

New post today over at Fit Fare:

As I type this, I’m cruising thousands of feet over continental Europe, finally on my way home after a long stay abroad. Or at least almost home — we’re plunging straight from Europe into a series of whirlwind family visits that will take my husband and me through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, and Washington in the next month and a half.

Naturally, I have travel on the brain. And I can’t think of travel without pondering travel snacks! When I was a kid, the one thing that made eight to 14 hours in the car with my parents and five brothers bearable was the variety of snack foods and beverages my mom let us stock the van with before leaving. My mom didn’t usually allow us unlimited access to junk food as kids, making what was clearly a keep-quiet bribe an extra-special treat.

Click over and check it out!

Honestly, I did draft this one while up in the air. I started it over the Atlantic, continued through Greenland, and finished it up over Canada, I believe. I was also working on a post for Edible TV at the time, thought that one isn't quite finished yet. I did post recently about an upcoming Food Network casting call, if that interests you.

Speaking of Food Network, when will we see someone on Next Food Network Star with a focus on the big trends sweeping the food blog world, like local, organic, and health-minded eating?

Photo: MorgueFile

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Five More Healthy Snacks

Coming home sure has tested my resolve to eat better. In fact, I would say I've failed miserably these past few days after we transitioned from "visit" to official "vacation." As the vacation portion of our visit won't be over for a few days yet, it seems appropriate to remind myself of some of the many healthy-snack possibilities out there. For more tasty but nutritious snacks, check out the previous Five Healthy Snacks post.

Yogurt: My husband particularly loves this one now that the new season of Burn Notice is airing. Still, you don't have to be a former spy to appreciate the low-fat protein, calcium, and tangy flavor available in yogurt. Buy a brand with live and active cultures for possible immune- and digestive-system benefits.

Vinaigrette-Based Slaw: I made a big tub of slaw flavored with Asian-sesame dressing earlier this week that I at least incorporated into lunches, if not snacks. However, slaws, which can last several days in the fridge, make terrific, highly flavorful snacking fodder. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable like broccoli, and it's packed with filling fiber and nutrients. If you flavor your shredded cabbage and veggies with a light dressing rather than mayo, it won't weigh you down with excess calories.

Whole-Wheat Bread with Light Soft Cheese: A slice of whole-wheat bread gets you one of those three daily servings of whole grains, and spreading the bread with soft cheese (think Laughing Cow Light or light cream cheese) nets you some protein and calcium. Butter and jam, on the other hand, add only empty calories. Bonus: Being back home means I can finally toast bread again! Toasting makes bread taste better without adding calories.

Cherry or Grape Tomatoes: August is tomato season! Check out your local markets for tomatoes grown in your neck of the woods, which will certainly taste sweeter and more aromatic for not having been picked days in advance to allow time for travel. Luckily, cherry and grape tomatoes, besides being small and poppable, usually taste delicious year round.

Jerky: I've been thinking about trying this snack again all through my year abroad, and now opportunity knocks! Jerky is surprisingly low in fat yet plenty high in protein. Check nutrition labels for jerky (which is available not only in beef but also turkey and soy) that is lower in sodium.

Are there any healthy snacks you particularly enjoy?

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Reaping Your Rewards

Picture this: You've committed yourself to a healthy lifestyle change, and it's started to show significantly on the scale. You're ecstatic, and you justifiably think you deserve a reward for your hard work. You hop in the car, drive to your favorite restaurant, and . . .

What's wrong here?

Most of us have associated food with rewards since the first time we were give a cookie for being good as children. It's a bad practice that's ingrained early, and if your goal is to have a healthy attitude toward food, it's time to drop that habit like a buttery hot potato.

Instead, look for rewards that don't involve indulging in rich foods; preferably ones that won't break the bank, either. For inspiration, consider the goal you achieved. What have you really earned the right to by what you've accomplished?

Reaching a goal weight. Congratulations! You have a newly trim body to show off. So show it off! Reward yourself with a sexy new outfit in a smaller size. Buying any article of clothing in your new size is doubly rewarding, as you'll get both the item and the satisfaction of seeing yourself in flattering duds.

Receiving good grades or a promotion. Awesome! Bet you had to work hard to earn those high marks. The logical reward, then, is giving yourself permission to relax for a while. Set aside at least a few hours to dig into a novel or watch a DVD. Let yourself forget work for a while and relish the perks of a job well done.

Finished a marathon or met a fitness goal. Terrific! You pushed your body, and it rose to the occasion. Now, reward those tired muscles with a professional (or amateur, if you have a willing partner) massage or spa visit. Your soreness will melt away as you bask in the glow of your accomplishment.

Other rewards. A few more alternatives to the big slice of cheesecake:

• Go see a movie on the big screen (and sneak in your own healthier popcorn).
• Take a day off from work and engage in the activities you love.
• Have a game night with friends and family.
• Take yourself out to the ball game.
• Plan a fun weekend getaway.
• Buy yourself a small gift.

Remember, food can be a treat. There's nothing wrong with indulging in a handful of chips every now and then as long as you're prepared to balance it out with healthier food later. But when you're looking for a reward, not a treat, try looking beyond the fridge.

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Sneaking in Some Beans

My first post over at Fit Fare is live!

Beans and I have been friends for years. The likable legumes are firm yet yield readily to the teeth, releasing a creamy mess of comforting flavor. They can be spiced up, sweetened up, or tarted up however you like. They easily take a meal from skimpy to satisfying.

But when I learned about all the health benefits of bean consumption, mere like turned to outright love. Where else can you find such a nutritional powerhouse in cheap, tiny package?

For more, including tips on how to fit more beans into your cooking routine, click on over Fit Fare to read the whole article.

Photo: Colleen Fischer

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Slick Oil Trick

Here's some fat to chew over the weekend: Do you really need to take a recipe's instructions to use "1 tablespoon oil" for stovetop cooking literally?

Watch television cooking shows for any amount of time and you'll notice that the chefs never measure anything. Some, like Rachael Ray, even take the time to teach you that measuring slows you down in the kitchen.

What's this tell us? That standard one tablespoon of oil thrown in the pan before your meats and veggies is nothing but a recipe writer's fudge. In fact, not every recipe needs nearly so much oil to succeed.

Chefs add oil to the pan to promote browning, even cooking, and flavor. It also keeps food from sticking to stainless-steel pans; for that reason, use these techniques only with nonstick or seasoned cast-iron pans. Otherwise, when deciding your approach to oil, consider what your food needs:

Fighting the stick factor. If you're only worried about your eggs or fish cementing themselves to your skillet, switch to a quick spritz of nonstick spray or aerosolized oil. Alternatively, moisten a paper towel with a little oil and rub it all over the pan bottom.

Even cooking and flavor. I usually slash the tablespoon of oil down to a mere teaspoon when I sauté. That's enough help the pieces soften evenly without burning in spots, and even a little fat adds plenty of flavor to a finished dish.

Even browning for large items. Vary your pour based on what you're cooking. I find one teaspoon is enough for one cutlet. Basically, you need enough to cover the meat with a thin coat. Pour each teaspoon directly into the pan or rub it on the cutlet directly as you prep.

Frying. Counterintuitively, the more oil you use to fry, the less your food will take in. Fill a deep pan with a few inches of oil and heat it to temperature (use a deep-fat thermometer) before adding any food. Ample oil ensures that the fat will return to the correct temperature quickly after the food is added, minimizing the cooking time and the amount of oil the food will absorb as it cooks. Still, avoid frying frequently as it's hard to tell how much oil you'll be consuming.

By the way, the chefs are right: Measuring will slow you down. Use the teaspoon measure the first few times you cook with less oil, and you'll soon learn to eyeball it as well as you might now eyeball a tablespoon.

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Five Healthy Snacks

Feeling peckish? I can't make it through the afternoon without a stop to nosh myself. A snack keeps my energy up, quells the noisy rumbling in my stomach, and prevents the onset of insanity when dinnertime rolls around, allowing me to follow through with my cooking plans rather than caving to cravings.

Here are five of my favorite snacking options for when hunger strikes:

Whole-Grain Cereal: Fiber is both nutritious and filling. Cereal, being on the sweet side, can stop a dessert craving in its tracks. Use a kitchen scale to ensure that you are pouring a correct serving size, and use a small bowl so that the portion looks especially satisfying. Top it off with some fat-free milk or yogurt.

Nuts: Nuts are packed with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. A small handful of walnuts provides more than 90 percent of the omega-3 fatty acids you need daily, and almonds (my favorite!) are a great source of vitamin E. Nuts do have a lot of calories, but small servings pack a satisfying punch.

Cucumber: My mom puts out a bowl of sliced cucumbers for munching with every dinner she serves. Their mild flavor is kid-pleasing, and their high water content helped us fill up without eating too many French fries. A whole cucumber has less than 50 calories, and sliced up, with a little low-fat vinaigrette for dipping, it makes a tasty and big snack.

Popcorn: Did you know that popcorn is a whole grain? It also provides decent doses of fiber and protein. Three tablespoons of kernels pops up into four whole cups of the white, fluffy stuff, and without oil, it will only cost you 120 calories. Just pour the kernels and some salt into a paper bag folded tightly shut or into a large, covered, microwave-safe bowl, then heat until you hear two or three seconds between pops.

Large, Whole Fruits: I couldn't make a snack list without mentioning fruit! Fruits such as apples, oranges, and bananas are naturally snack-sized, and their tough skins make them easily portable. Whole fruit packs more fiber than juice, and thus more satisfaction.

Mmm . . . this list has me salivating! Luckily, snacking, when it involves reasonable amounts of healthy foods eaten when you're actually hungry, won't derail your weight-loss or -maintenance plan.

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