's motd Thurs June 26, 2008 - Appetizers

[Guest guest]

FOR STARTERS

Thursday, 26 June 2008

I'm not going to kid you. The first thing I do when I get to my hotel room while I'm on the road is head straight for the room service menu. Do you do that, too? On those menus, they used to use the word "Appetizers" for a little beginning something to eat leading into dinner. But now that section of the menu often says, simply...For Starters.Hey, if you're going to start your dinner, I guess that means you may as well start it in a big way, don't you think? Or at least, that's what those menus seem to think.

No, you won't find many low-fat, low-calorie dishes on this section of the menu. Uh-uh! I'm sure I don't have to remind you that it's just the opposite. I sit there, reading that menu and just about break out into a cold sweat! From your own experience, you probably already know what kinds of food they'll offer up, uh...for "starters"...On every menu nowadays, it seems you'll find that spinach-artichoke dip served with pita chips or some fancy, exotic bread. Have you ever tried making this dip at home? Let's just say that every time you dip your bread or chips into the dip, you're adding lots of calories to your hips!The next item on the starters menu is often the nachos platter...oh, oh! Fried tortilla chips, covered in warm, melted cheese, olives and sliced jalapenos. And look! There's some nice ranch dip along side it.

Then there's the blooming onion. It's a great big-old onion they've cut, breaded and dropped into the deep fryer. As it fries up in all of that grease, the onion magically spreads open and resembles something like a large tropical flower. Get it? Blooming! Oh, you don't even have to chew it, those pieces of fried onion just about slide on down your throat all by themselves.Potstickers! Another fried item, of course. And...they come with three kinds of dipping sauces. Potstickers are dumplings stuffed with shrimp, pork and vegetables, then deep fried until they are a golden brown.And let's not forget the Buffalo wings and those innocent celery sticks on the side. But to keep the celery sticks company, there's that bleu cheese dressing. (And there goes the "innocence" of those celery sticks, too!)

Boy, just look at all of the calories and fat grams they've got lined up...for "starters!" Some of these starters actually have more calories than the main meal!

So if you find yourself in a hotel or restaurant, checking out that list of appetizers, just know that the really best way is to start your meal. It's with a nice green salad. Get yourself some chopped Boston, Romaine or other kind of lettuce. Add shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, some tomato slices and top it with a light, lemon vinaigrette dressing. Now, that's a nice healthy starter to a balanced and good-for-you dinner!Love,