New Healthy Snack Finds
This post is not sponsored by any companies or products mentioned. Just purely opinion.
I have yet to successfully “diet” or stick to any sort of plan when it comes to eating. There are SO MANY options out there to explore. It is no longer Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. There are million ways to eat smarter and healthier. There are more popular plans such as Paleo, plant based, Keto, or Whole30. They all have their merits and work for different people. However, I felt like I was never able to grasp onto one clear cut plan. I would try for a couple of days and then, well life with work, toddler, and just family in general would change things. One could say I am not dedicated enough or lazy. Sure, I can take the blame! However, recently I really wanted to tap into food being “fuel” for the body. I have done research into many different plans or food lifestyles. All this information is compiled in my brain and overwhelming. Most importantly, I am a hungry human being that enjoys food.
With all that being said I started noticing that I pay so much attention to what Siena is eating, I forget about myself. While I know this is very common in the mom world, I was starting to see a clear problem. I am mostly tired or working on my last legs. I usually continue taking care of her and other things, and I put off eating/drinking. I hate to admit it, but I put myself in ER twice because of personal neglect. I will spare you all the details. I make sure Siena has fruit, and vegetable options all day long. Why am I not eating any of these myself? I will tell you why, I AM STUBBORN! In addition this, I am not a true “snacker.” I want a full meal, to eat the whole sandwich with all the condiments. I just can’t eat a rice cake and call it snack. Anyone else with me?
However, I wanted to do better. I wanted to enjoy food but also try to be more responsible with it. As I stated before, I wanted to fuel my body with things that would help my energy levels. First, I started with my lack of water consumption. I got myself the hydromate bottle and I am pretty good at keeping up with it. Then I found a couple of new things that I found made me happy or look forward to eating. Once you get in the habit of that healthier snack it does actually become what you look forward too. I am going to list them out below! And feel free to let me know what your favorite finds are!
Dang Thai Rice Chips in Toasted Sesame- These are salty and sweet, even Siena loves them
Celery + Cream Cheese+ Everything Bagel Seasoning- I always have this seasoning in my pantry. I am not one to grab a celery stick and be happy. I had to add a little something to it in order to give it more life. The addition of the cream cheese and seasoning is reminiscent of the bagel, but of course no substitute!
Lundberg Organic Rice Cakes with Tamari and Seaweed- Pretty much the only rice cake I am down with at the moment. That is because I top it with a thin layer of cream cheese, sliced tomatoes and sprinkle Ocean’s Halo Seaweed Salt. If I have avocado on hand or I am feeling real crazy I throw some red onion on there too! Another way to use the salt is to sprinkle it over watermelon, TRUST ME!
Do you ever have a chocolate craving that just hits you, hard? Sometimes, it is not even that I want something sweet, I just want chocolate for some reason. However, I do NOT like dark chocolate, which is the healthy option. Figures, right? Recently, during a chocolate strike I tried one of these Genius Whole Coconut Smoothies and I was impressed. It actually had a chocolatey taste, and I also love the underlying coconut flavor. It was a great afternoon pick-me-up. Better than having a straight up chocolate milkshake, but it definitely gave me that feel.
I felt like I was the coolest person ever when I discovered I loved a plant based dip. One of my target trips yielded an unexpected now staple, Good Foods Buffalo Style Dip. It is super flavorful and has clean ingredients. I use it with wheat crackers, pita chips, and veggies. It actually makes me want the carrot sticks now!
Another fun snack I created was Kimchi Cucumber boats. I was buying mini cucumbers to slice up for Siena when I thought of this idea. I cut a cucumber in half, hallow it out, then fill it with leftover white rice, and top it with Kimichi. It is a hearty and spicy dish! I love having it for lunch or even as a side now when I do a stir fry.
Some other favorites of both Siena and I are now coconut chips, dates (she things they are fruit snacks), and Siena likes to make cucumber hummus sandwiches haha!
I hope this may give you some ideas to try to incorporate some healthier snack options in your life. I am in how way a health coach or poster child for fit living. I am busy mom, wife, and friends who was looking for a way to have more energy to do what I love. Instead of hearing myself complain I started making small changes where I could. Not everyday is perfect, but making some of things part of my daily routine has now made it second nature.
Please note I am not licensed nutritionist, dietician or any sort of health professional. These are just simple ideas that in my mom life experience have proved helpful.