The Plate Palette: A Plate Divided (with Horseradished Potatoes!)

Growing up, dinner always consisted of three main things -- a meat, a veggie (usually green), and a bread or starch of some kind.  This system of eating was so ingrained that when I went to college, my meals never felt complete unless I had those three things on my plate. (Side note: I gave up my meal plan 2 weeks into my freshman year because I realized that my own cooking was far more interesting and tasty -- it's amazing what you can whip up in a tiny dorm kitchen.)

What I didn't know then (but do know now) is that my Mom was conditioning me to put together "The Ideal Plate." In my last post I talked about ideal portion sizes, but how does that translate to your plate?  Well the experts recommend that you divide your plate into sections (as demo'd in photo above).

• 1/4 of your plate should be dedicated to lean meats or proteins
• 1/4 of your plate should be reseved for whole grain starches (which includes high carb/starchy vegs)
• 1/2 of your plate should be filled with veggies and/or fruits

By doing this you will be able to help control your portion sizes (assuming you don't change out your regular-sized dinner plate with a larger charger) and to find a healthy balance in your meal.

Okay, don't want this to turn into a preachy thing so...hey look! is that a recipe? Yum!

Horseradished Potatoes

1 large Russet potato
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp butter (or favorite butter substitute)
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1-1/2 tsp horseradish
salt, to taste

Scrub your potato well then cut into large chunks, leaving the skin on.  If you really don't like the skin, you can remove it but remember, the skin is where the bulk of the nutrients are found.

Boil until fork tender then drain.  Add milk and butter to potato and rough mash.  If you really don't like lumpy potatoes, you can put them in a mixer or food processor to smooth out.

Add in horseradish and chives.

Mix potatoes until well blended.  Salt to taste and serve.

NOTES

One large Russet potato will yield 4 ideal serving portions.

For the horseradish, you want the real stuff, not a horseradish sauce, but if you do use the saucy version, then double the amount listed above and reduce the butter by a tsp.  The sauce will help give the potatoes a creamy texture.

I enjoyed mine with some steamed carrots and green beans, and a nice lightly marinated piece of Talapia.  Mmm, mmm, great.