My friend, Jenn, has asked me to share with you a few food ideas! Now, mind you, this is the Jenn that in high school I sat and ate a sleeve of chocolate covered hostess donuts with...and I finished them off with a diet coke! I've come a long ways since then and have found a much better way of living.
I preface this again with the knowledge that we live in the greater Seattle/Tacoma area where health food stores, small markets and the like are readily available with a quick 20 minute drive.
So, what do I eat for lunch? Good question! Most days a simple GF sandwich...the great thing about GF bread, is the serving size is realistic - no 'super size' sandwich here. I load it with whatever organic veggies I can squeeze in there and then add a slice or two of lunch meat (Trader Joe's or Columbus from Costco) and some fresh cheese. I also love a little goat cheese, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and rice crackers. Often I will make some sort of broth based soup for dinner and I enjoy having that around for lunch too, I freeze it in single serving containers and pull one out in the morning before leaving with the kids. Again, I find the key to avoiding what I shouldn't eat in preplanning! Making sure that when I grocery shop my house is full of foods that are organic, protein rich and tasty!
How about snacks? How do I keep us energized through the day while keeping 'convenient' foods out of my pantry? Some days that's easier than others :) I'll be the first to admit - there are dye free lollipops, tortilla chips and other 'treats' lurking in my pantry --- but control is everything here. Our biggest snack options is a fruit plate - simply slicing up a variety of fruit I have on hand and putting it out with some cheese or yogurt for dipping. My kids also adore popcorn, that is a favorite to put along side a sliced apple (no butter, of course). I also make homemade granola, that my kids toss on top of greek yogurt (a new found favorite) --- little do they realize it's got healthy oats and almonds hiding in there :) And if they are really hungry, I've always got the makings for bean and cheese burritos on hand...homemade beans, tossed in a corn tortilla with a bit of cheese - great protein snack!
My kids are known for grabbing an apple or orange on the way out the door knowing they might get hungry while we are out. We all also love smoothies. I invested in a VitaMix about 4-5 years ago...truly one of the BEST investments I've ever made! We pick/freeze fresh chemical free fruit in the summer, freeze it and voila yummy smoothies year round! I've been known to 'hide' a handful of heart healthy almonds, or spinach in there and they suck them down like crazy! Our current favorite is an 'orange cream' smoothie. Take two fresh peeled oranges and toss them in with a banana, two spoonfuls of vanilla/plain greek yogurt and a little ice...blend and there you go!
Hope that gives you some ideas of where to start! Start with what you know and look a little further beyond there. Enjoy your weekend and your family time!
Thanks Shann! That's just what I needed to know. And yes, I remember eating donut gems EVERY DAY at lunch, often followed by an ice cream sundae. And all because I thought "school lunch" was gross. Little did I know.
ReplyDeleteFor the last couple of years I have been medicated for hypothyroidism, but recently I've been reading about ways in which I can improve the condition through proper diet. Don't know a lot yet but I'm researching it. You are an inspiration to me as I know that we eat too many processed foods. In fact, today I tried to do most of my grocery shopping around the exterior walls of the store - the produce and meat departments - hoping to avoid the temptation of the less healthy foods in the middle. Little steps. :)