Say CHEESE!!!!

Happy Friday!!! I'm not sure how often I will update as I'm sure people will get sick of hearing from me.  After all, my husband says these blogs are emotional vomit, and who can argue with that?!  He meant it in the best way possible, because he's NOT an emotional person, and I tend to be OVERLY emotional.   For those of you who know me, you know what I'm talking about!
I have been thinking lately about the choices we make and which ingredients seem to (usually) top the charts.  And because I have small-ish children, one ingredient screamed out at me.  It seems to me that the easiest ingredient (and probably most beloved) is CHEESE!  And why not?  It's so versatile and there are a million renditions of this meltable creamy deliciousness.  You can put it in a tortilla and call it a quesadilla; throw it in pasta and call it Mac n Cheese, throw it on Broccoli and get your kids to actually eat the "green thing", so whats the beef????
The problem isn't the ingredient itself; rather the amount that we consume when we decide to put it first on our plates! 
One portion of cheese is however much you choose to eat, but one serving of cheese is  the amount equivalent to an 8-ounce glass of milk.  That amount is consider to be one serving from the dairy group.  One serving of cheese is:

• 1½ ounces natural, hard cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, Parmesan)
• 2 ounces processed cheese (American)
• 1/3 cup shredded cheese
• ½ cup ricotta cheese         
• 2 cups cottage cheese (cottage cheese is low in calcium and so you need to eat a lot)

• In terms of visual inspection:
  
  • 1½ ounces of hard cheese is as big as a 9-volt battery or your index and middle fingers
  • 1 ounce of processed cheese is as big as your thumb
  • 1 cup of anything is as big as a baseball or your fist

So, my question to you is this: if one SERVING of cheese is 1.5 oz of hard cheese..(or on visual inspection is a 9 volt battery) How many '9 volt battery's' do you think are in a (for example, only) Rubios Quesadilla??  AND.....how many CALORIES do you think that adds up to?   I will let you know in my next blog! 
Now as a side note; please keep in mind; I'm not AGAINST cheese.  I'm all for it!  I DO, however, believe that this is one of the areas....for the sake of our children....we should be aware, AND approach with caution!

I hope you have an AMAZING Thanksgiving week!  If you have suggestions on topics, please feel free to let me know!  YOU, will inspire me to lead in a new direction!
Take care, and thanks for letting me vent!
Cat