You may think this is strange…but I LOVE to prepare my snacks for the week. Love, love, love. Actually, I think of it as self love. This concept, I don’t think is too strange but perhaps just having fun prepping my food is! It’s super easy to open up a packaged box and eat whatever is inside. It takes time to prep. I understand why the packaged route is convenient but feeding the body goodness straight from the Earth is self love.
While I was coaching a hard-working older couple at the grocery store, she mentioned to me that she simply does not have the time to eat whole foods. I absolutely understand this. In this day and age, everyone is working and working hard. Sometimes endless hours. She viewed her life as only having time to work and nothing else. There is no time for exercise and definitely no time to eat healthier. Even though many studies have provided the information that diseases are connected to our packaged foods with additives and chemicals, even though many studies have concluded that a healthy diet is key to a healthy lifestyle, even though studies have shown that exercising (even for 15-25 minutes) daily has shown to help lower the chance for disease, she didn’t have time. What I heard is that she really doesn’t have time for herself. It is up to each one of us to decide what is important for us in our lives. Evaluating and examining our choices are a really good way to start the process.
I prep my snacks to make sure I am giving myself a great start to a healthy week. My snacks are ready just as the boxes are ready sitting on the shelves. I put on one of my favorite cd’s and prep! Of course finding the time for me can be a challenge as well. I have two kids, ages 4 and 2 who I am caring for plus everyday odds and ends BUT I make it happen. Sometimes, I do it 10pm at night. This may not be ideal for you however the quiet time works well for me.
Here is what I prep for the week:
The traditional carrots and celery sticks. WHY? Because they are GREAT for the body! I cut them into match size sticks for easy nibbling. During our 10:30 am snack time, I serve them to the kids. I also package some for my husband, who works in a van, and he places them in his cooler. Sometimes we eat them plain and sometimes we add peanut butter.
Next on the prep list are peppers! I love peppers. I also make or purchase a package of hummus. We love making hummus at our home and we make lots of different varieties!
For lunches, I take a wrap and place the hummus on it with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Or we dip our carrots, celery and peppers in it for snack.
I also make a weekly stir fry which includes carrots and peppers. Since the vegetables are already prepped, it’s easy to throw in for an even quicker side dish or dinner!
Lastly, I make hard boiled eggs and make homemade granola.
I love hard boiled eggs in salads or as a quick snack so we always have them on hand.
Granola is my favorite breakfast choice. Served with almond milk, it turns into a cereal. Around 3pm, our snack time, I give the kids some in a snack bowl. Sometimes I make bars instead of granola, it depends on my mood.
Other snacks that we eat that does not require prepping are:
- avocados
- bananas
- apples
- peaches
I do change my snack food prep weekly to give us varieties. If you like this post and want more ideas, just let me know! It is worth finding the time to set yourself up for healthy food choices. Give yourself the self love you deserve! Eat healthy. Eat delicious!