Have you made a resolution to eat healthier this year?  Following through with your resolution can be challenging when faced with eating outside of the home.  While eating most of your meals at home is ideal, you should still be able to enjoy a meal at a restaurant on occasion.  The important thing to remember is to make the best choices you can.  And if your favourite restaurant does not offer many healthy options, you may want to find some new favourites for 2012.

Here are 7 tips to help you stay on track while dining out:

1. Make sure there is a good amount of vegetable with your meal.  If it is not included with your dish, order a side salad or a side of cooked vegetables.

2. Choose whole grains, when available, instead of white rice, pastas or bread.  Many restaurants now have whole wheat pasta options and often sushi restaurants offer a substitution of brown rice for a small extra charge.

3. Avoid anything that is deep fried.  Ask to substitute fries with a side salad.

4. Choose tomato sauce over cream-based sauces.

5. If your meal portion is large, try not to eat the whole thing.  Ask to have it packed up and save it for another meal.

6. Skip the sugary beverages such as pop, lemonade or iced tea.  Instead, enjoy a refreshing glass of water with a squeeze of lemon or lime.

7. Don't look at the dessert menu!

Guest Post

Posted by: Tali

I don't like baking. It's too much like science...and I don't like science. I have a hard time sticking to recipes, and I like adding things off the top of my head when I cook. Nevertheless, I decided to try Aviva's Recipe of the Month. After promising myself that I would NOT add any funky ingredients that weren't listed in the recipe, I gathered all the supplies I would need. This baking endeavor was rather quick and painless, taking only like...7 minutes... to measure and mix everything and get it into a pan. I put it in the oven, and checked it after 25 minutes. It looked amazing, and when I stuck a knife in it, it was clean. But it didn't sound right...it sounded wet and squishy. So I turned off the oven, but put it back in for 6 more minutes. When I took it out for the second time, it was perfect. It sliced really well, and the pieces came out so easily. It's really moist and delicious, but still has that crumbly cornbread texture.

Now, all I need is some chili...

Notes from Aviva: I'm glad you enjoyed the cornbread, Tali. I see by your photo that you used a ceramic dish so that may have accounted for the extra baking time required (I use a glass baking dish). This brings up a great point though - If anyone making this recipe uses a non-stick/metal baking dish, it is a faster conductor of heat. You will likely need to reduce the baking time so the cornbread doesn't dry out.