Food Prep: How to Measure a Portion

One of the challenges I had while learning Meal Preparation was how to determine a serving size. I would measure by cup and try to eyeball the measurements. But that is very difficult to measure with cups as well.   Remember that every new skill takes time. I hope the little lesson gives you a shortcut for something I wish I knew earlier!

So for instance, my steamed vegetable bag would say 4 servings of green beans but damn if I could get 4 out of the bag!

The best investment I made was a chefs scale. You can measure by ounces or grams and once you get the hang of it, it's no big deal. 

The food scale became my friend. This has simplified my meal planning immensely. I want to show you how I use it. 

First of all any container you use, you put on the scale and you can zero out the weight so you don't have to accout for the added ounces. (Example in the above picture- the container weighs an 1/8th of an ounce.)

When measuring a serving of green beans the stream bag says 2/3 C or 85 Grams. This is how I weigh the serving size.  Now before I add my protein I zero out the scale again. 

I add the turkey, 6 oz. and finally I can finish it with grape seed oil and Ms. Dash and there is my prepped meal. 

The goal is not to dirty multiple containers, just one to measure my ingredients in the same container I would prep my meal.  Voila!! Lunch is served!