Check out my progress on Clean Plate Club
As I was finishing up dinner this evening, I was pondering potential topics for tonight’s post. By the end of the meal, I stared down at my empty plate—and the idea came to me.
On a daily basis I share my meals with you all via photographs. While these pictures primarily serve the purpose of emphasizing aesthetic pleasures of the food, they also depict my typical serving sizes (which are usually quite voluminous!). What I don’t tell you is how much of these meals I actually eat. Truth be told, I am a proud member of the Clean Plate Club. With the exception of restaurant meals, I almost always consume everything that appears on my plate.
Although “cleaning your plate” has become a shunned practice in today’s obesity-stricken world, I have no shame in admitting to finishing all my food for two main reasons:
- I know portion sizes. Over the years I’ve developed a pretty good sense of how much food I’ll need to be satisfied. Hence, I rarely over- or under-serve myself.
- I hate leftovers. As I’ve said before, life is too short to eat the same thing twice (in a row at least!).
How about you? Are you a member of the Clean Plate Club? Do you generally serve yourself enough food to satisfy?
Here’s a look at the meals I polished off today.
Kiwi-raspberry=new favorite fruit combination.
Lunch was something like a hybrid between a Cobb salad and a chopped salad, featuring a few colorful veggies and tempeh bacon.
Once home from a rather lengthy lab session, I made a simple chickpea curry…but not without demolishing a bag of carrots dipped in PB in the meantime. Oops. I was hangry.
I’ve got a microbiology test tomorrow…off to cram in some study time. Wish me luck!
Filed under: Meals
Caroline Yoder, dietitian-to-be and all-around foodie.
I am definitely a member of the clean plate club. Sadly, even at restaurants or when there is a lot on my plate I almost always clean it even though I don’t need it all. Until the plate is taken away I will pick at it and graze.
its very rare that i dont finish whats on my plate. and i always take leftovers home from restaurants.
Do don’t like leftovers?!?! I live for leftovers, mostly because I hate making lunch. I love cooking dinner, but stopping my day to make lunch (or pack one early in the AM) drives me crazy. Plus, I think some stuff tastes better when it’s a day old.
BroccoliHut Reply:
July 28th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
I know, I know–my leftovers aversion is sometimes very inconvenient. That being said, I do agree that some dishes are better a few days later–meatloaf sandwiches are way tastier than meatloaf itself, for example.
I always clean my plate. I prepare my own meals based on how hungry I am and I usually only cook enough for one meal. It works for me!
I love leftovers too
being in a big family we needs to have them! My parents are part of the clean plate club. I usual take home food from restaurants!
I am so in this club. Even at restaurants. I have a problem lol.
I usually clean my plate but am aware of how much I put on there in the first place.
your pineapple-coconut milk lassi looks so delicious! i love mango lassi and used to indulge a liiiiittle too often in mango lassi ice pops when i used to work at a restaurant that sold them!
how did you make your lassi, if you don’t mind me asking? i’ve never thought about making them myself, but now i’m eager to try!
BroccoliHut Reply:
July 28th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
I’ll be honest, I don’t really know the precise definition of a “lassi,” but I usually think of it as something involving mango/pineapple and a creamy component. (See the recipe that I tried a few months ago http://thebroccolihut.com/lonely-sprouts/).
In accordance with this very general definition of a lassi, I just combined frozen pineapple with coconut milk and a touch of honey.
Authentic or not, it was pretty delicious and refreshing
Hope the test went well! At home, I usually do a pretty good job of cleaning my plate. Occasionally, I think I can consume more fruits and veggies than I can. As I get more and more pregnant and there is less room for my stomach, I have to eat smaller meals more frequently. I want your lunchy salad
You know, it really depends – sometimes I clean my plate, and sometimes I don’t. And I don’t think it has to do with not knowing how much will satiate me, it’s just that sometimes my stomach decides I’m full or that it doesn’t want any more of what I’m eating. At restaurants, it also depends, based on a) how much I like the dish, b) how much it cost me (cuz I ain’t wasting anything expensive!), and c) if I have a place to store the leftovers in a timely fashion or not.