Greek Roasted Peppers

Controlling how much you eat can be as large a challenge as deciding what to eat can be when you are trying to control diabetes and eat smarter.  At first it can seem a bit daunting, but with time and understanding it becomes a bit easier . . .  the changes almost become  seamless part of your life.   What to put into your shopping card . . .  how to count carbs, downsizing servings, etc.   all are steps towards becoming a healthier person.

 

Sometimes how much you eat can be as much of a challenge as trying to decide what to eat, which in and of itself can be quite daunting.   I've come up with a few tips that I have found very helpful on this journey so far, along with a delicious, light and healthy lunch recipe!



Just switching to a smaller plate can be a huge help.   We have huge dinner plates and smaller "sandwich" plates.  The smaller ones are a good 9 inches in diameter, which is still plenty big.  Placing smaller portions on a smaller plate doesn't make it seem so much like you are eating less.  Smaller serving utensils also help!

 

Keeping serving dishes off the table also helps.  It removes the temptation to keep helping yourself.  It's been actually proven that if you place a large bowl of pasta on the table (for instance) men will eat 20 percent more and women 10 percent more than when the bowl isn't nearby.  Who knew?  You can fool yourself by using smaller taller glasses as well, when it comes to drinking liquids.  It is a bit of an optical illusion I suppose . . .  tricking your brain into thinking you are having more when you are actually having less, hence replacing the feeling of deprivation with the feeling of abundance!



It also helps to keep really hard to resist foods just out of the house altogether.  If it isn't there . . .  you can't eat it.   It can be hard at first . . .  you still want the cookies and the chocolate and the potato chips . . .  but you soon find yourself replacing those urges with eating an apple or some other healthy option.  And in all truth after a couple of weeks, you don't really find yourself thinking overly much about the cookies, the chocolate of the potato chips anyways!  That's what has been working for me at any rate anyways, and I find myself one month later down a full stone of weight (14 pounds), which just goes to show you how much I was eating of the things I shouldn't have been eating.

 

I quite often would bake myself a frozen mini pizza for my lunch for instance . . .  the other day however I baked us some of these lovely Greek Roasted Peppers as a healthy lunch time option and in all truth they were every bit as tasty as a pizza would have been . . .  minus that high carb crust.  We both really enjoyed these.  Tender roasted peppers with black olives, cherry tomatoes and some feta cheese nestled inside.   Yummo! I hardly missed the crust at all.

*Greek Roasted Peppers*

Serves 2

Printable Recipe 

 

Simple and delicious.  You could have a slice of crusty bread with this to sop up all of these delicious juices. 

 

2 sweet bell peppers, halved and deseeded (I used yellow and red)

12 cherry tomatoes

8 pitted black olives

50g of feta cheese, crumbled  (6 TBS)

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp fresh oregano

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

 

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Place the peppers onto a baking tray, cut side up.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.   Divide the tomatoes and olives between the peppers, placing them into the cavities.  Sprinkle with the feta cheese and oregano.   Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 30 minutes until the peppers are tender. 

 

Calories: 162

Carbs:  12.5g

Protein: 6.5g

11.5g sugars

3 portions of fruit and vegetables