The Perfect Snack

If you are anything like me, you would rather graze all day then eat actual meals.

With much effort, I have gotten to the point in which I eat only 1 snack a day and 3 actual meals. This has taken time and I’ve learned a few tricks along the way. One of my favorite ways to trick myself into only eating 1 snack a day is to make sure my snack hits all my taste buds… yes, I’m talking about eating a snack that is sweet, salty, spicy and a bit sour all at once.

I know this sounds disgusting but there is definitely a reason for the madness. I personally feel like when I allow myself to taste everything, I feel more satisfied. Since our taste buds are broken up into categories including sweet, salty, spice and sour, the following recipe does my waist line and my mouth a whole lot of good!

Spice Chickpeas and Pistachios

Ingredients:

• 1 Large can of Chickpeas (32 oz.)
• 1 Large bag of Pistachios (16 oz.)
• 3 tsp. of smoked paprika
• 3 tsp. of red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp of parsley flakes
• 6 tsp. of garlic powder
• 2 tsp. of salt
• 3 tsp. of black pepper
• 6 tbsp. of olive or coconut oil
• 2 tsp. of lime or lemon juice

Directions:

1. Rinse and dry off your chickpeas.
2. Combine all spices with olive oil and set into a medium bowl.
3. Take off any loose skin from the chickpeas.
4. Place chickpeas in medium bowl with spices and toss well.
5. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
6. Pre-heat to 350*.
7. Place chickpeas as well as any marinade into a large baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes.
8. After 40 minutes, remove from the oven and adjust temperature to 450*.
9. Add Pistachios into the chickpeas and toss thoroughly to make sure the pistachios are well covered in all spices and oils.
10. Baked for 15 minutes, stirring every 5.
11. Remove from the over and let cool.
12. Once cooled, enjoy!

Besides this snack tasting amazing, I love that as I go along, I have to take the pistachios out of their shell. This slows down my snacking a bit which helps me stay conscious of how much I am eating.

I eat only 1/4 Cup of this at a time because it is high in calories… very good and nutrient dense calories, but calories non the less. Be aware of this if you are attempting to lose or keep weight off.

What is your favorite snack to reach for during the day to really satisfy cravings?

Do you find yourself to be more of a “meal eater”, or a “snacker”?

 

Graze Box Give Away

Hey friends… it’s my birth week. In true gift-giving fashion, I have for all of you one give away each day of this week. I am so excited because I have some amazing companies in store for you to learn about and hopefully make to be your new friends!

Let’s think for a moment what we want in snacks. Obviously we want delicious snacks that are healthy so that we don’t feel guilty. But how about convenience? I think that a lot of people head to the vending machine for very valid reasons… usually because they are hungry and they don’t have anything to eat.

An amazing company by the name of Graze Box seems to solve all of our snacking problems! Delivered to your door, Graze Boxes come with prepackaged and healthy snacks. These snacks are unique in their flavor and womderful in nutrients. Each snack seems to be well rounded in protein-fat-carbohydrates and also has a great boost of antioxidants.

The first graze box that I received had 4 snacks in it; Cookies & Cream, Hot Cross Yumm, Coco Paradise, and Mississippi BBQ Pistachios.

Cookies & Cream was probably my second favorite of the mix and full of mini vanilla cookies, white chocolate chips, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds. This was delicious and a great prerun snack but could definitely also double as a great dessert!

Hot Cross Yumm was my least favorite (but please understand that it was still amazing) and packed with orange raisins, miniature sponge cakes and cinnamon honey almonds. I ate this as a “Dessert” one night but wasn’t loving it considering what I had early in the day {Cookies & Cream}. It was still a great mix of flavors, just not what my sweet tooth was looking for.

Coco Paradise was my absolute favorite. This prepackaged goodie had in it, Belgium chocolate, coconut and cranberries. I’m glad that they didn’t send me four of these in my graze box other wise I would have stayed home from the gym eating all four of these. I can’t wait to either get another one of these in my graze box or to recreate it in my kitchen!

Lastly, was Mississippi BBQ Pistachios. These tasty little bad boys were so very full of flavor and very filling. I actually mixed them with some of my roasted (spicy) chickpeas. These definitely kicked my afternoon cravings to the way side and had me feeling good to go for my evening workout.

It seems pretty common for people (especially young women) to spend money on monthly subscription services that deliver products to your door. If you have wanted to try one of these, or already are participate in a few, consider Graze Boxes. I promise you won’t regret it, and hey… you are doing something good for yourself! Also, this can be used both a subscription service or as a one time fun trial purchase. Graze Box leaves it completely up to you!

Two of you will be receiving a Graze Box as my birth-week gift to you! To enter this contest, leave a comment below or by clicking here, telling me what your favorite snack is. If you have had any of Graze Box snacks before, please also leave a comment telling us what you thought of them. The winner will be chosen (at random) at midnight then will be contacted by email tomorrow.

If you want to go ahead and try Graze Box, use the code “LeahM8YTP” to receive a box of your own for free. You will have to pay shipping for this, however it is still a wonderful discount!

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and make sure to check back tomorrow to enter a new giveaway.

*** I am not compensated for this post, the company Graze Box does not even know I exist.**

 

Banana Chia Seed Pods

I was frantically searching for some yogurt for my screaming baby while in Whole Foods this week, when I came across “Banana Chia Seed Pods.” I thought, “I’m going to give this a try.” It was amazing!! Mia loved it so much that she ate an entire Pod by herself. But I was disgusted when I looked on my receipt and found that it was $3.99 for a small pod. So, I began searching for recipes to create this pudding myself. It’s so simple. Only three ingredients. It’s so healthy. It’s so yummy!

Chia Seeds are all the rage in today’s slowly growing health-cautious American diet. They are known as one of the richest plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids. They are also very high in fiber, with a whopping 10 grams in only 2 Tablespoons, and high in antioxidants, which help the body protect itself against free radicals and cancer. So, here is the awesome recipe I found thats simple and easy to make at home!

 Ingredients:

• 1 Ripe Banana
• 1/4 cup Coconut MILK (not water)
• 2 Tablespoons chia seeds

*can add a dash of vanilla extract if you wish

Directions:

1. In a food processor or blender, combine banana and coconut milk and process.
2. Throw in the chia seeds (and vanilla extract) and pulse a few times or mix evenly.
3. Place mixture in a container overnight and let seeds swell.
4. Enjoy in the morning!

Back to School Lunches

Alight friends, I owe you this one… so It’s going to be big because, well that’s what you deserve!

The topic of school lunches for your young ones is a bit of an eye-rolling subject. Everyone (you and them) seems to get sick of turkey sandwiches with carrot sticks and apple slices. So I thought we could revamp together how lunches are made and really consider doing some new things that should be very helpful.

1. People always hate this tip, so I’m just going to start off with it so that we can get through it! If a person is hungry (child or adult), they will eat what they can. Stop giving your children garbage (sugars and nutrient lacking carbohydrates and fats) if you want them to be at all willing to try healthy food. I know this from experience. If you can not feed your child/spouse and processes garbage for 1 week, they will eat what is available by day 3. This is because eventually they will be hungry, and once they try something and realize it isn’t as terrible as they thought it would be, they’ll try it again, and again, and again. Before you know it, they will like it. Look at it as a project for yourself for the entire school year.

2. Carbohydrates are needed, but not in excess. If you feed your kids a lot of carbs at lunch, they will sugar crash within about 2 hours. This will lead to poor learning near the end of the day and sugar cravings after school.

3. Protein fills you up AND keeps you full. Which is extremely important for learning and development. What most people forget is how versatile protein is and in how many forms it comes in.

4. Fruits and Vegetables are easy to pack, easy to eat and easy to keep fresh for a few hours. My personal preference is making your lunch 60% fruits and vegetables. The main reason is that they contain the perfect type of carbohydrates for sugar stabilization.

5. Mix things up… just like you don’t want to eat the same thing everyday for lunch, neither does your kid!

6. Left overs are a wonderful thing to use for lunches. Try to re-use your left overs at least once a week. Over time they will become your best friend and eventually, if you are anything like me, you will just make double your dinner and use it for lunches.

7. All kids are picky eaters, stop saying it in front of your kids and they wont realize (because you’ll stop telling them) it and eventually be more willing to try new foods.

So let’s break it down by category…

Proteins:

Lunch meat… sandwiched in bread or vegetables.

Tuna, Chicken and Egg in salad form with crackers.

Bean salads

Soups, cold or hot.

Carbohydrates:

Vegetables and Fruits

Nuts

Beans

Fats:

Cheese and other dairy

Oils in Nuts, Salads and Soups

If nothing else, just try to make sure that you can find in your childs lunch protein, healthy fats and good quality carbohydrates.

Celery topped with nut butter and wanuts

Nut butters serve as a great source of protein, carbohydrates AND fat

Garbonzo bean salad with dill relish

Turkey roll up with tomato and cucumber , and seed crackers to sandwich

Hummus makes for a great dressing, spread or veggie dip

Sandwich protein between veggies to help stabilize sgar

Fruit and veggies make for easy packing, good carb sources and they stay fresh