How to Beat the All You Can Eat Buffet
One of the favorite places for our family to eat is Ponderosa; second on the list is probably The Golden Corral. For those of you not familiar with these places, they are "family buffets". You know, the "all you can stuff in your face" kind of restaurant. When you're a teenage boy it's a GREAT place for dinner. However, when you're a mom trying to keep things under control, they can be a dangerous place for dinner - unlimited everything, including dessert, and you don't have to cook!
But, if you're trying to eat right and you find yourself facing mountains of mashed potatoes, piles of perfectly prepared fried chicken, tons of tasty - oh, sorry, got carried away there - facing an huge choice of high calorie foods there is something you can do. Start with a salad. Big deal, you say? It is. Fill your plate with lettuce. I mean FILL it. Lettuce is mainly water, hardly any calories worth mentioning. Add some other veggies - carrot and celery sticks, mushrooms (a good source of potassium, by the way), cucumber slices, peas, green peppers - you get the idea. If you like, add a SMALL amount of cheese. How small? Just sprinkle about a tablespoon over the top. You can add about the same amount of hard boiled egg if you like.
Now comes the really hard part - the salad dressing. If you can stand low fat, great. Whether or not you choose that option, you don't want to bury your salad under a river of dressing. D-r-i-z-z-l-e a small amount over the top and down the sides. Better still, use one of the little paper cups they put out for butter or cocktail sauce. Don't take any more than that. Seriously. I'm not kidding. Okay, you can drizzle a TINY bit over the top, and take the cup, but nothing more. Salad actually tastes good even when it's not drowning in buttermilk ranch dressing. And hey, stay away from the croutons and bacon bits. If you really need something crunchy on top, try sunflower seeds or a bit of chow mein noodles. Starting with the salad and having your dressing on the side is a good idea no matter where you're eating.
After you eat the salad - the whole thing, folks - then think about what else you would really like to eat. While you think about it, give your body a chance to realize you're already pretty full. Now you can head through the buffet line. There's nothing wrong with trying a few things, but be sensible. I know it's hard when there is such a bounteous feast laid out in front of you. Don't deny yourself something you REALLY want, just have it in moderation.
Does this work? You betcha! Not only that, but when you bring a really nice looking salad back to the table, the kids and hubby all look at it and say "Wow, that looks really good! I think I'll have one too!"