Mini Meals

I've always possessed a big appetite. I've never been one to leave uneaten food on my plate or eat a few bites of something, saving the rest for later. As I get older, my big appetite has posed a big problem--issues with portion control and weight gain.

Something that's really seemed to help is eating more frequently--mini meals, if you will. I eat about five to six times each day, starting with breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack and finally, supper. Sometimes I'll sneak in a low-calorie snack before supper, so I'm not tempted to graze while I cook.

I like to keep my mini-meals (snacks) light and satisfying. No cardboard-tasting food for this hungry, Midwestern girl.















In order to prevent a re-creation of the famous Godzilla scene at my office and home, these are some of my go-to foods:

• Mini bags of light popcorn
• Single-serve bags of pretzels
• Cheese sticks
• Yogurt
• Apples with peanut butter
• Hummus and veggies
• Oranges
• Oatmeal
• Celery with peanut butter
• Carrot sticks
• Berries
• Almonds
• Grapes
• Mini whole wheat bagels
• Cottage cheese
• Serving of dry cereal (such as Special K)