Muffin-tins aren’t just for muffins anymore! If you search for “muffin-tin recipes” online, you’re sure to find a ton of creative ideas, such as:
- Mini-meatloaves
- Frittatas and omelets
- Mac & cheese cups
- Personal casseroles
- Pot pies and Shepard’s pies
Muffin-tin meals are more than just a fun cooking trend, though. When you prepare a savory recipe in a muffin tin, you automatically practice a built-in form of portion control!
If you’re actively trying to manage your weight or blood sugar, you may already know that how much you eat is just as important as what you eat.
Food portions have increased exponentially over the past few decades. This increase is concerning because research has shown that the average person eats whatever food is on his/her plate, even if the portions are larger than what he/she needs or wants. As a result, adults today consume an average of 300 more calories a day than they did in 1985.
If you are trying to watch your weight or just generally want to eat a nutritious diet, here are some tips to practice portion control:
- Use smaller plates, dishes, cups and bowls. Dish sizes have also increased over the past few decades, and a normal serving of food on a large (9”) dinner plate may appear smaller than it actually is. People tend to eat more food when they serve themselves using large dishes and underestimate how much they have eaten.
- Measure out servings of food using the serving size listed on the nutrition facts label instead of eating directly from the bag or box.
- Divide bags and boxes of food (crackers, pretzels, cereal, etc.) into single-serving portions that you can grab as you need them.
- Freeze leftovers or divide them into single-serving storage containers so you’re not tempted to finish the whole batch in one sitting.
- Try a muffin-tin meal! Leave a comment below with the recipe you plan to try.
