A scary phrase, after the day I've just had. It's been a few days since I have updated the blog, and while I could offer a variety of excuses, I won't bother other aside from saying thinking ahead is KEY! We have had something on just about every night this week, and dinner has been eat and run. I find it is usually not a problem to stay on track in the morning, have a good breakfast, healthy snack, and a healthy lunch is easy. It's in the afteroons, when I hit that 3:00 wall that my snacking can get out of control. Not that I'm eating alot, just grabbing whatever is convenient. So, I am making a concentrated effort to kick that habit. Any suggestions?
Yesterday I woke up with no doubt that I was fighting off a cold. And as I tucked myself into bed before the sun went down, it occurred to me that I hadn't actually eaten a meal, or a vegtable! My day in food consisted of:
Morning
A piece of a bran muffin
1 orange
Afternoon
A handful of white chocolate chips
Dinner
3 pieces of french bread
What a bizarre combination of foods! Today is bound to be a better day!
I have discovered some fantastic healthy recipes. Here's a recipe for a yummy BBQ chicken black bean pizza, add a side salad and it's the perfect meal for a family on the run!
BBQ Chicken and Black Bean Pizza
Ingredients
 | 1/2 pound(s) chicken breast, uncooked, boneless, skinless, cubed |
| | 16 oz pizza crust, pre-baked |
| | 1 1/2 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese |
| | 7 1/2 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained, (about 1/2 a 15 oz can) |
| | 1 small onion(s), red, finely chopped |
| | 1/2 cup(s) barbecue sauce |
| | 1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped |
Instructions
- Place rack in centre of oven. Preheat to 450ºF.
- Spray a nonstick skillet and stir-fry chicken over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to medium-size bowl and toss with half barbecue sauce.
- Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. Arrange chicken and black beans over crust; sprinkle with onion and cilantro. Drizzle with remaining barbecue sauce; add remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
- Bake 10 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Cut into 6 large slices and serve immediately.
I find that the hardest when you're on the go and have nothing ready and you're STARVING. Especially at 3pm when all you want is junk (or at least me b/c I'm getting the lull). Here are some things I try to keep on hand, both in the house and car that I can just grab and go. I keep a list on hand that is friendly for me and toddler (and hubby) :)
ReplyDelete- I keep a fruit bowl stocked in our kitchen and find we all grab from it more because it's out in the open. I keep it stocked with apples, bananas, oranges, kiwi etc. Karsten always asks for fruit for his snack b/c he can see it. :) I keep a bag of almonds in the car and one in our freezer which I usually will grab a handful to eat with fruit to balance with some protein and fullness.
- Brown rice crisps (they're at Superstore and Sobeys in the cracker aisle but at the bottom and hard to spot). Made from brown rice and hardly a ton of added 'junk'. They're surprisingly good and kids like them too. I usually grab with a low-fat cheese string.
- Edamane beans in a pod - they're used a lot in Japan, they can be found in the frozen section or organic section of grocery store. You can buy them in little handy containers or in pods by themselves and put in a container. They're high in protein, filling and kids like them too because you can pop them out of the pod. Karsten calls them "pop beans"
- I make a batch of these muffins on the weekend once/week so we can grab and go. They're healthier and very dense/filling. You can get all the 'odd' ingredients at Bulk Barn. Good for whole family (can omit nuts). I also will throw in some puree veggie if I have any from cooking (cooked spinach, carrots, cauliflower and use a hand mixer)
Millet Muffins – Preheat to 400. Mix 1 ¼ cups kamut flour, 1 cup oat flour, 1/3 cup millet, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ cup oil, ¼ cup applesauce, 2 egg whites, 2 cups shredded carrots, ½ cup honey, 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Stir and add chopped dry prunes, walnuts, flax.
- Protein Chocolate Fudgisle: Pour ½ cup fat free evaporated milk in blender. Add 1 ½ cup cottage cheese and blend until smooth. Add 1 package instant chocolate pudding mix and spoon into cups. Spoon into the popsicle molds available at Walmart or most stores right now.
- Banana Pops - roll bananas in yogourt, granola and chopped almonds. Put a popsicle stick in and freeze.
- Melba Toast with hummus spread. If I'm home in a rush I just dip and run. Or if I have a few minutes, I'll spread it on, make little sandwiches and put in a container for the car. Also can do the same with pita bread.
- Container of baby carrots, pita wedges, celery sticks, snap peas (or any veggies you like - peppers etc). The only thing I need to prepare is the celery sticks (but you can buy pre-cut in little bags too) and I add pita wedges and some almonds for variety in the container. I'm not one to grab it at home and eat it as a snack but will grab for the car and when I'm hungry and driving, will usually eat the whole thing :)
- If I'm at home, smoothies are always one of our faves. I usually make one up the night before for each of us to have in the fridge. They last about 3 days in the fridge. We keep frozen berries on hand, add banana, whatever fruit you want, protein powder, flax seed, etc. You can add water, milk (or juice). We use the Magic Bullet as it's easy to clean, and can make individual ones for each.
- This may sound strange but one thing we eat a lot in the car on the go are Roasted Chick Peas. You buy a can of chick peas, rinse, put on a cookie sheet and add any spices you prefer (ie. curry, etc or none). Bake for about 15-20 min. They're different but we like them. They're high in protein and fiber. Karsten loves them. Just be careful for the fiber part if you catch my 'drift' ;)
Hope this helps! I'm always collecting ideas so just copied these from my list for you :)
PS... I usually try to have 2-3 of these options on hand so will do some preparation in evening or weekend (ie. roast chick peas night before, throw veggies in a container and keep in fridge etc) If I leave it until the moment I'm hungry, I'm doomed :P
ReplyDelete