Article By Beth W. Orenstein | Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

No matter how serious you are about watching your weight, practicing portion control, and maintaining good eating habits, it’s easy to find yourself in certain situations that can really test your willpower. Here are some common “danger zones” to watch out for when you’re trying to stick to a healthy, low-calorie eating plan. It’s important to know your overeating triggers because then you can plan ahead and deal with the situation, says Marjorie Nolan, RD, a national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a nutrition and fitness consultant in private practice in New York City.

Eating in Front of the TV  The problem with eating in front of the TV is that you’re not giving your meal or snack your full attention. Realistically, though, if you’re alone, you might want the TV for company. “If you are going to watch TV and eat, prepare your meal fully and portion it out,” Nolan says. Once you’ve eaten what’s on your plate, STOP. Also, give yourself a set timeframe. Eat during just one half-hour show and not all night with the TV on.

Buffet Dining Here’s a way to approach the buffet table without overeating: Fill up ONE plate with small portions and STOP. Practice portion control by taking less of the unhealthy choices. Another trick: Make several trips, but limit yourself to one food group each time. For example, start with portions of vegetables, go for protein the next time, and carbs last. “Filling up your plate according to food groups helps you be more in control and have a sense of what you’re eating,” Nolan says.

Weekend Indulgences “We always talk about how not to overeat at the party,” Nolan says. But the day after can be just as challenging. People rationalize by saying, “I’m already overeating, so I’ll wait until Monday to resume my good eating habits.” It’s fine to overindulge for an evening, but start back on your eating plan with portion control immediately afterward. You’ll only make it worse if you continue overeating. “It needs to stay just at that party or evening,” Nolan,says “Give yourself a specific timeframe.”

Dining-Out Diet Disasters Never arrive at the table famished. It’s really hard to maintain good eating habits and have portion control when you’re starved. To avoid overeating, have a few carrots or almonds before you leave to meet your friends. If you’re drinking alcohol, limit yourself to two drinks at most to save on calories and keep from getting inebriated and losing your self-control. Another tip: Space your two drinks at least an hour apart. That way you won’t feel deprived, Nolan says.

Vacation Eating A good way to avoid overeating while on vacation is to decide each morning which of your three meals will be your special one. “Keep it to one indulgent meal a day, not three,” Nolan says. One day it might be breakfast, the next dinner. Having one meal a day that is beyond your normal eating habits and higher in calories is fine as long as you’re not doing this all day. If you want dessert, share the portion with fellow vacationers.

Meals on the Go Pack healthy meals and exert portion control on snacks for when you’re traveling. “I rarely leave it up to the gods where I eat when I’m on the road because you never know what they’re going to have,” Nolan says. “If you pack non-perishables and don’t eat them because you found a good restaurant, you can save them, and you’re not wasting.” Portion your snacks in individual baggies. If you must take the original bag, include a measuring tool so you can eat the right portions.

Emotional Snacking Some people find themselves overeating when they’re upset or under stress. If you’re having an emotional time, the solution is to be conscious of how your eating habits are being affected. Keep a food journal to help you see the portion sizes you’re eating. Another trick is to do something fun that doesn’t involve food to distract you from your worries. Get your nails done. Call a friend you haven’t seen in a while and have a long chat. Take a hike. Ride a bike.

Eating on the Job When you’re really busy at work, you tend to eat quickly and not pay attention to portions or calories. Again, the answer to portion control is to plan ahead. Pack lunches and snacks the night before that will fill you up during the day. You won’t have to run to the convenience store around the corner and grab the first thing you see or risk overeating. Also, force yourself to stop work for just 15 minutes to eat. You need the break, and you’ll feel fuller if you take time out to eat.

Sleep-Induced Hunger When you’re overtired, it’s easy to eat mindlessly and before you know it, you’re overeating 1,000 extra calories. One solution is to take a nap rather than reach for another portion of peanut butter cookies. If it’s late at night and you’re about to start overeating, go to bed rather instead of wandering into the kitchen.

Meals to Go can help with the above categories:
     Eating in front of the TV - our meals are already portioned for you
     Weekend Indulgences - after you've had that wonderful meal out, then Meals to Go are waiting for you back at home, portioned just so you are getting the right amount of calories and not overeating.  It's ok to splurge once in a while.
     Eating on the Job - we've already pre-packaged and pre-portioned your meals for you.  Take them to work or to school.  Eat good tasting food that is healthy, too.

Our goal with "Meals to Go" is to help people eat great tasting food, be healthier and have more time to do what they want.

Repeat after us: “I do not need fancy equipment to make ice cream.” One more time: “I do not need fancy equipment to make ice cream.” Not convinced? Then try our recipe for a ricotta-honey version. We whip heavy cream and fold in ricotta cheese sweetened with honey, then simply transfer the mixture to a baking dish and freeze--no churning required. Sure, the method may not be 100 percent traditional, but the result is 100 percent delicious.

RICOTTA-HONEY ICE CREAM
A PureWow Original Recipe
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
START TO FINISH: 4 HOURS (INCLUDES FREEZING TIME)
 
INGREDIENTS
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup wildflower honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
1. Pour 1¾ cups heavy cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ cup heavy cream with the ricotta cheese, honey, vanilla and cinnamon to combine. Whisk vigorously to help thin the texture of the ricotta so it’s less clumpy.

3. Whip the heavy cream on medium speed until it forms medium peaks. (More tips on whipping cream here.)

4. Gently fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture, mixing just until fully combined.

5. Pour the mixture into a storage vessel (a casserole dish, cake pan or loaf pan would work) and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until set, 3 to 4 hours. Soften for 15 minutes before scooping and serving.

Meals to Go
Save Time & Money - Ready to eat in 30 minutes or less. You're busy.  You work full-time, care for a loved one(s), run a household  AND  you don’t always have time to make nutritious meals.  Like many people who want to eat healthy on a budget, you probably rely on those handy frozen entrees that don’t taste that great and are processed, packaged, and preserved.

 Hey Diddle Diddle Catering & Coffee makes meals for busy families using better quality ingredients so that you’ll always have a supply of quick and tasty meals on hand—foods you actually like to eat! 

Compared to store-bought our meals are:

Healthier. Many commercially-prepared foods are full of salt, artificial ingredients, preservatives and unhealthy fats. We control what goes into our meals and use quality ingredients so that you and your family are eating healthy.

Inexpensive. The prices of our meals per person are typically cheaper than a restaurant bill.  You are also saving $$ by not having to purchase ingredients that you won't finish.

Time Savers. Making your own meals doesn’t have to be time-consuming. We’ve done all the shopping and prep work for you.  You can have one of our full meals on the table in 15-25 minutes or less.

Full of Variety. We create different menu choices every week.  Choose one or more entrée’s each week.  Request your favorite dish and we will add it to our menu selections. 

Make Your Own Salad Dressings and Sauces  Toss those store-bought sauces and dressings, and top your foods with homemade versions instead. That way, you can control the fat — and perfect the taste.

By Krisha McCoy, MS
Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Flavorful salad dressings and sauces can bring healthy eating to a whole new level — they make vegetables, lean meats, whole grain pastas, and other foods taste even better. And since store-bought products can be loaded with fat, calories, and sodium, learning to make your own sauce and salad dressing recipes is an important part of healthy cooking.

6 Secrets of Homemade Salad Dressings and Sauces Follow these guidelines when whipping up your own healthy recipes:

• Cut down on oil. A homemade salad dressing should contain more vinegar, lemon juice, or orange juice than oil to keep calories in check, says registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, LDN, author of The Flexitarian Diet and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. You’ll need to adapt standard recipes, which usually call for more oil.
• Opt for flavor over fat. When making salad dressing recipes, Blatner recommends varying the vinegars and oils you use to keep your taste buds satisfied without adding a lot of extra fat. "Try balsamic, sherry, or apple cider vinegar, and experiment with olive, walnut, flax, and sesame oils," she suggests. With both dressings and sauces, Blatner says that fresh and finely chopped herbs can add a huge flavor boost, as well as healthy antioxidants.
• Choose low-fat ingredients. When using ingredients like sour cream, mayonnaise, or yogurt in your salad dressings and sauces, choose low-fat or non-fat versions to lighten the caloric load. And consider skipping fattening ingredients altogether. "Puree roasted vegetables, such as roasted red peppers, with a splash of broth for quick sauces," says Blatner. (Remove the charred skin before processing.)
• Limit the salt. Healthy recipes for salad dressings and sauces should not be loaded with sodium. This means adding little or no salt, and choosing low-sodium or no-salt-added ingredients, like low-sodium tomato paste or sauce.
• Skim off fat. When you make a meat-based sauce, cool it in the refrigerator before you use it to separate out the fat. You can then skim the fat from the top of your sauce (where it will often harden) to dramatically reduce the fat content.
• Use low-fat thickening agents. Instead of using a butter-based roux to thicken a sauce, cut back on fat by thickening it with a small amount of cornstarch or flour. You can even get more creative. "For creamy dressings and sauces, use silken tofu or pureed cashews and water as the base," says Blatner.

Always have containers of your favorite homemade salad dressings and sauces available when you need them. Blatner says that you can keep a supply in the fridge for up to a week, and many sauces can be frozen. But don’t overdo it: Simply use them to add moisture and flavor to fresh vegetables and cooked dishes.

Hey Diddle Diddle Catering will be happy to make a salad dressing for you.  Just tell us what you're topping and what flavors you're looking for and we'll create it!!

   Our lives can get pretty crazy with our busy schedules.  I know that it's can be so much easier just to stop at a fast food place and pick up dinner for your family.  Stop and think a minute.  How many times a week do you do that?  How much does it cost, in dollars, and potential damage to your health and weight? 
    Tonight, I want you to take dinner (making it or picking it up that is) off of your mile long to do list.  Sitting down for a meal without interruptions is a great way to carve out some very important family or just sit down and relax time.
   Hey Diddle Diddle Catering's "Meals to Go" is easy, affordable and it tastes good.  Just warm it up, dish it up and enjoy!!!
   To see what's on our stove and learn more about the "Meals to Go" program visit our website page Meals to Go.