When I open a new block of cheese, I check the Nutrition Label to see what size of cube constitutes one ounce of the cheese and cut the cheese up accordingly. For instance, the Nutrition Label on some Cheddar Cheese I bought recently said that a cube 1-1/8 inches square constitutes one ounce. I measure to a 1-1/8 inch width along the length of the block of cheese and cut off that width of cheese. I then mark of 1-1/8 inch sections along the length of that piece of cheese. I wrap the cheese in plastic wrap and continue to cut the rest of the block of cheese in a similar fashion.
When I want one ounce of cheese, I know exactly how much to cut off. I know that I’m getting the approximate number of calories that the Nutrition Label states are in one ounce of this cheese.
I can also cut slices off the one-ounce section to be eaten with crackers. I know if I cut the 100-calorie cube into three or four slices, that I’m getting about 34 calories with three slices or 25 calories with the four slices. Yes, I’m that persnickety when I’m figuring out the calories I’m eating in cheese. Cheese is a wonderful food, and I love it, but it is a high-calorie food. I’m not that picky when I’m eating low calorie foods.
When I shred cheese for omelet recipes I use the microplane grater and shred the cheese onto a paper towel. I used to grate it onto plastic wrap or into a bowl, but the cheese tended to stick to both the plastic wrap and glass bowl, so I’d end up losing some some of my precious cheese. I find paper towel works the best. I suppose it would work better if I used a larger grater. The advantage of the microplane grater is that the cheese is more finely shredded, and you think you are getting much more cheese. I usually grate only 1/2 ounce of cheddar cheese (55 calories) for a two-egg omelet. If it’s Sunday and I need a special breakfast treat, I grate one ounce of cheddar (110 calories) for my omelet. When I’m ready to dump the cheese onto my omelet in the frying pan, most all of the cheese easily drops into the pan.
One of the other things I do when need a Sunday morning treat is to coarse shred a carrot, chop some green pepper, chop some green onion, and cube two pieces of Jones Canadian bacon. I sauté the vegetables until they are limp then add the bacon long enough to warm it up. I put this mixture aside while I prepare the omelet. At just the right moment, I add 1/2 ounce of the shredded cheddar cheese and then the sautéed vegetables. I also remove the skin from half a garden-ripe tomato and dice it to use on top of my omelet. Yum. And can you believe this delicious combination is only 313 calories? Sometimes I prepare my omelet in 1 Tablespoon of real butter so I add 100 calories to the total then. This is really a hearty, filling breakfast especially with a nice cup of hot green tea.