Snacks are My Favorite

Ok I want to break down this practical side of healthy living a little more than I did in my last post. Especially when it comes to food. Because I really do feel like that’s where most people struggle and that’s the part that truly makes the biggest difference. It’s that whole saying of “abs are made in the kitchen” ya know? As much as I am not a fan of that saying because it just sounds kind of dumb to me, it does hold merit. At the end of the day, nothing that you’re doing as far as your fitness will make any difference, you won’t see any gains in any way, if your nutrition isn’t on track.

I’m definitely not saying that you have to be SO rigid that you can’t enjoy life. I don’t feel like that’s a realistic way to live either. What I have seen is that when people cut out one thing or another as a means of “dieting” and not a nutritional necessity (like an allergy for instance), as soon as they can get access to the thing they cut out, they binge on it. Like hardcore binge. And then there’s hardcore guilt that follows and ultimately what happens in this cycle is a horrible relationship with food.

But then if the goal is a healthy lifestyle, where you’re eating in moderation for everything you consume, how do you actually make sure that you’re able to do that well? Like how do you avoid eating the sleeve of girl scout cookies because that’s all you see in your house when you’re super hangry? 

You know the answer. You have to have the healthy options available. But I would take that even a step further and say that you have to have the healthy options available and prepped. Here’s why: either you’re going to be so hangry that you don’t FEEL like prepping anything or the prospect of having to cook something sounds annoying AF, or you’re going to be running late out the door to get your kids to whatever activity they have and realize not only that you don’t have snacks prepped but you’ve run out of time to do anything about it.

Life for all of us runs at 120 MPH most of the time, so we have to put conscious thought into what we’re putting in our bodies. It can’t be a second guessed choice, or a last minute decision. That’s when you spend a ton of cash getting something when you’re out that’s “healthy” or you’re shoveling whatever you can find in your mouth. Either option isn’t the best option for you.  

I know I said this in the last post about being intentional with meal prepping but it comes to snack prepping as well. But it’s not just making sure that you have the snacks in the house. Pre-portion it out so you don’t have to think about what you’re grabbing when you running out of the door. Make sure that you have the accompanying dip or whatever pre-portioned out as well. It sounds so small but it ends up being so big.  

So have the baby carrots, the apple slices (pro tip: a little squeeze of lemon spread out in the baggie helps to keep them from turning brown), cucumber slices, cheese slices, or whatever else it is that you like in baggies and ready to go. But also make sure that you have nut butter, tzatziki, hummus, shoot even Ranch dressing also ready to go in little Tupperware containers. Take the guess work out of it. Take the thought out of it and you won’t have to worry about falling into temptation or spending your whole paycheck on something you didn’t really want in the first place.

Don't Judge Me...

I like wine. I just do. I like pairing wine with food, I like discovering new wines, it's just my thing. I feel like in part it's an extension for how much I love food, but that's a story for another time. So with that background, you'll be able to understand why this story is silly to me.

You also have to understand that my kiddo loves Trader Joe's. It's a thing with the little carts. she LOVES those little carts. God forbid they don't have enough little carts one day for her to have her own little cart, because the meltdown is serious.

So we get to Trader Joe's one day post swim class, primarily because we need some snacks but also because I know she'll eat her lunch at the sample counter (we have no shame in our sample food game). For some reason today the kiddo decided that Trader Joe's was NOT where she wanted to be. But she didn't announce that to the world until we got literally in front of the doors.

My kiddo in her epic glory and LOUDEST toddler voice ever announced to every shopper as well as cashier "Mommy, I don't want to go here! I don't need any wine!"

This was one of those moments when I was seriously trying to not laugh. Loudly. Because she was SO adamant, it was funny. Oh and the stunned looks from the shoppers and cashiers had me going. I'm sure they were thinking "Is this kid serious?", to which I would answer, yes she is completely and unequivocally serious.

You would think  the conversation would be over at this point. That we would be happily shopping. Nope. Not with my kid. She continues to tell me that she needs yogurt and when I inform her that yay!! this place has both, she gives me the BIGGEST hug ever and tells me "Thank you Mommy". Like it's Christmas.

I couldn't even help but laugh. Seriously. It's not a sentence I ever thought I would hear come out of a child's mouth, but it just goes to show that our kids are more observant than we sometimes give them credit for (like even noticing what items we buy at which stores), and strong enough to hold their own. With anyone. About anything.