Size does matter...

That's my dog Maxx on the right.  Yes, the big one. The other two, Bella and Ginger, belong to my friends Justin and Jill.  They are all Yorkies (not Justin and Jill, of course), but Maxx is obviously a little....uh, larger.  Justin prefers the word "fat;" I prefer the term "well-loved."  But realistically, he's "well-fed."

So recently I enacted a little portion control in his life.  That and a much-needed haircut, have reduced his size to a healthy, happy one.  If only a haircut worked that way on the rest of us!  Since it doesn't work that way, and since I was recently blamed for a certain someone gaining 5 pounds since we started cooking together, I thought mabe a little blog about portion control was in order.

The problem with cooking great-tasting food (and living alone) is that it's hard to not go back for seconds!  Because I write recipes for my cooking classes as well as for this blog, I generally prepare recipes that serve four to six people..... keeping myself to just one serving when a big pot of deliciousness is staring at me is a challege some days. 

So here's a little guide on what "a serving" looks like.  I refer to it in my classes as "a serving that's healthy," not  to be confused with "a HEALTHY serving," like what you see in most restaurants....which is waaaay too much food.

A serving of animal protein (chicken breast, fish, meat, etc) should be about the size of a deck of cards.
A cup of veggies or fruit is about the size of a baseball.
A half cup of grains, beans, pasta, etc. is about the size of your computer mouse.
1 1/2 ounces of cheese is the size of 2 9-volt batteries (not to be confused with the deck of cards, Suzanne!)
1 teaspoon of oil or other fat is about the size of your thumbnail (unless you have really large hands!)

Hope that helps put things in perspective, and helps you stay comfortably in your favorite jeans!