Hey Food Finders!

What is the first thing to come to mind when you think of a GIANT Sunday brunch buffet? You know, the kind with a million choices from very healthy to totally unhealthy and everything in between. Filled with excitement, eyes wide with the sight of it all, you reach for a plate. The impulse is to pile your plate high with some of everything and eat until you have to roll yourself out of the restaurant! What is it about a buffet that leads everyone to lose their minds, and their control, and go nuts?! If you are trying hard to maintain your health goals, the thought of needing so much will power is enough to make you avoid buffets at all costs, right??

Nope! It does not have to be that way. When it comes to going out to eat, I’m all about strategy. I want to enjoy myself AND my food. As long as you have a good strategy, you can go to any brunch buffet, eat, and enjoy!

Once a month I meet my good friends Marina, Paulette, and Mitchell at a local restaurant in my town that has a GIANT brunch buffet. A few years ago, with my own personal health goals in mind, I devised a plan to tackle this particular buffet. And it WORKED! So with this plan in action, I never hesitate to meet my friends for our monthly get together.

I am now going to share my secret buffet “3-Plates Strategy” with you!

Yep, you get to have 3 plates of food, as long as you follow my guidelines below:

First, scan the entire buffet to see what all of your choices are. Be particularly mindful to look for what you CAN healthfully eat, and give less attention to the items you are choosing not to eat. When you are aware of everything that’s there, you can then start making your choices. This is all about choices and only you can choose which foods fit best into your own health plan (and which don’t). I have no doubt that there will be so many things you will be able to happily put on your plate. And speaking of plates, buffet plates are usually smaller than dinner plates which builds portion control right in. Smaller plates allows the restaurant to make more money and have less waste, and allows us to actually eat less without realizing it. It’s a win-win!

Plate #1: Salad & Vegetables.

There are always many delicious and varied salad choices as well as roasted, grilled, and/or steamed vegetables. Having this plate first will help curb your appetite so you can feel more in control as you choose your food for the following plate. Choose the salads and veggies that are not swimming in oil, dressing, and cheese. There was some dressing on my salad, and oil on my grilled vegetables but here is a tip: When there is dressing or a sauce involved, take the items from the top. The dressing and sauces always sit at the bottom of the serving dish, so if you take it off the top, you will have a piece with far less oil, sauce, or dressing.

Plate #2: Protein.

I found some perfectly steamed shrimp, a chicken breast dish, salmon with dill, and lox with capers. Even the Eggs Benedict is a great choice if you leave off the Hollandaise sauce. It’s just a poached egg, a thin slice of ham, and half of a plain English Muffin! How could you go wrong with that? The chicken and salmon both had a sauce, but as I did in the previous step, I took a small piece off the top that was not immersed in the sauce. And don’t forget that great omelette station is another option! Just tell them not to use extra oil in the pan and fill that omelette with lots of great veggies. They make it to order so just tell them exactly how you want it. Don’t be shy, they are more than happy to oblige!

Plate #3: A beautiful fruit salad for dessert.

Put some gorgeous strawberries, and sweet watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew on your plate. There is always fruit at a brunch buffet. Fruit and a hot cup of coffee is the perfectly sweet way to end a delicious brunch!

And here’s the great news! There is ALSO room for a few bites of whatever your favorite item is if it’s more of a splurge food. So when you do your scan at the beginning, pick out 1 or 2 things that you would like to have a few bites of and if you really want it, have it! (Unless you think it will throw you off the rails, and then just stick to the 3-plates strategy above.) Personally I love their sausages, so I will put 1 or 2 breakfast sausages on my protein plate. Or if I am really wanting to taste a dessert, I’ll add a sliver of my favorite one to my fruit plate. Today I just stuck with fruit and coffee for dessert (but I did have my sausage!)

Strategy and choices are the name of the buffet game!

So with my “3 Plates Strategy” in mind: a salad & veggie plate, a protein plate, a fruit salad plate (and a small portion of your favorite splurge!), you will ALWAYS be able to enjoy yourself and eat delicious food at a giant brunch buffet while still maintaining your health goals!