Portion Control Suggestion for Mac & Cheese

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stoogeswoman
stoogeswoman Posts: 25 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone - I don't know about you but I have a real problem with PORTION CONTROL - and my big weakness is those prepackaged boxes of highly UNnutritious macaroni & cheese!

I bought a few boxes of Fibergourmet "Mac mmm Cheese" from Amazon and I'm sure it's better for me, but even so, when I prepared the first box, intending it to be dinner for my husband AND me, I am embarrassed to say I wound up eating almost all of it myself!!

On the second box, I thought, well, I'll make it, but then I'll divide it up in separate Tupperware containers so I won't be as tempted. That helped, but I still kept hearing the extra containers calling out to me in the night ("eat me, eat me!" :-) ).

So then I had this briliant idea - which now seems like a "no brainer", but hey, consider the source, nyuk nyuk!:

Separate the DRY ingredients in the package BEFORE cooking it!

What I did was pour all the macaroni into a measuring cup, and figured out how much one serving's worth would be - then transferred each serving amount into a Ziploc bag.

Then I did the same thing with the cheese sauce mix. (note: use separate baggies for the sauce mix and the pasta, since you have to cook them separately).

And once I was done, I put all but ONE serving back in the pantry, and cooked ONE serving for lunch. Mmmm!!

I don't know why it makes a difference but it does -- having the UNcooked ingredients in the pantry is just not as tempting to me as having the ALREADY cooked finished product ready to heat & eat in the fridge. Maybe it's just because I'm too lazy to cook each serving separately just for the sake of a binge!

Anyway, thought I'd pass along the suggestion in case anyone hasn't thought of it! :-)

Replies

  • MrsRobertson1005
    MrsRobertson1005 Posts: 552 Member
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    Good idea
  • fionat29
    fionat29 Posts: 717 Member
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    Excellent idea, especially if you know you're gonna overeat without intervention. Lol:bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • rklein88
    rklein88 Posts: 71 Member
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    I always add lots of broccoli and carrots to mac and cheese and divide it into servings when I'm done cooking. That way, I get all the cheese/salt I crave, but I also feel fuller because of all the veggies. Works pretty well for me, but it still is hard not to eat a lot of it!
  • ashmx250
    ashmx250 Posts: 52 Member
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    I'm craving mac & cheese now... thanks... lol
  • evilbanks
    evilbanks Posts: 166
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    That seems like a helluva a lot of work for some mac and cheese. I just drop it altogether and eat some fruits and veggies instead.
  • MeaggyTheGreaty
    MeaggyTheGreaty Posts: 18 Member
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    Mac and cheese is really not a healthy dinner, no matter how well you portion it. Try to just save it for a treat once in a while.
  • realm69
    realm69 Posts: 23
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    Ok I admit this does sound like a lot of work just for some mac n cheese, but for someone to tell you that you should just forget about it all together defeats the purpose of you controlling your own healthy choices. I would suggest maybe making your own mac n cheese, but modifying it with reduced fat or fat free cheese and other light options and then instead of putting the other portions in the fridge try freezing the extra portions. Maybe frozen will give you enough time to pause and decide if you really want it or just feel like you need it.
  • stoogeswoman
    stoogeswoman Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks everyone! Yes, I know it's not the healthiest meal but you know, after I walked around Lake Balboa the other day (twice), I found myself craving it, to the point where I was actually tasting it -- mmm!! So every so often, it's just something I gotta have (in SOME form)!

    I agree with the suggestion about putting vegetables in with it. In fact, I'm doing that right now for our supper - a package of frozen vegetables, mixed with a can of tuna (in water) and one serving of the mac & cheese. Knowing my hubby he'll be very happy with it (especially when I add a little extra "real" cheese on top! ;-) )

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