There are certain foods that are just hell on a diet. Not only are they high in calories (and points) they are foods that have been made too convenient because you can get them frozen or in a large quantity at a restaurant.
In the past, it was much more difficult to have these foods, especially on a regular basis. In the time before frozen convenience foods and cheap restaurant food, it was easier to lose or maintain your weight.
So, here is a solution that lets you have your cake and eat it too (or have your cake and diet too). Any food that falls into your high calorie/high point category that you LOVE; only allow yourself to have it if you make it from scratch.
Cake is a great example. Making a cake from scratch (no box mix) takes time and specific ingredients, then there's the icing. That's one of the reasons that cake was considered a special event item in the past. If you are dying for cake, make one, buy all the ingredients, plan the time to make it, then share the love when it is done.
Same goes for french fries. Potatoes aren't expensive, so restaurants are happy to dish up a heaping helping along side anything you order. They (usually) taste great and are so easy to just keep picking at as you wait for others to finish or the check to be paid. To make them correctly at home takes time, effort, grease. If you LOVE fries, get the best potatoes you can, cut them, soak them, fry them, then share them. This same idea applies to potato chips too.
Ice cream is another good item to put on your "only from scratch" list. If you made one luscious batch a month and shared with your family or friends, you could have full fat, full of goodies, ice cream (and not the pretend stuff).
Pasta can be put in this category. It takes time, effort, and supplies to make a batch of home-made pasta (not to mention the sauce). Bread can go on this list too. Homemade bread is super yummy and worth the effort, occasionally. Imagine the calorie/point savings you would get from only having bread when you made it yourself.
The other upsides to all this cooking is learning to make different foods and making them exactly the way you like them. Get your family involved. Let them see what goes into making their favorite foods and get creative with new recipes. Labels: diet, homemade, TFS
