So You Wish You Were Skinnier: Healthy Snacks!

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!!! I hope today was bareable for everyone. Today was slow for me. Very, very slow. Tonight, let's focus on your wellness. Light a candle, make some tea, turn the eboy lights on, and get some good vibey music going.

Last week's post on healthy eating focused mainly on the 3 meals of your day where I share my mindset and formula for nutritious meals. Today’s post is going to be a long Trader Joe’s promo (but actually sponsor me Trader Joes) - this is just where my mom buys groceries but I happen to love all their products. You can buy any variation of these snacks at virtually any grocery store.

The Struggle of Snacking (especially with zoom school)

All throughout elementary school, I would complain to my mom that I wished she bought me goldfish and rice crispy treats. I would rarely enjoy a container mini oreos or a nutella flip in my lunch as a surprise. Eating treats and junky snacks are not a problem and I am in no place to tell what you should and shouldn’t eat, but I’m at a point in my teenage years where I’m glad to eat healthy snacks because they make me feel and look better.

Since March, when schools closed, my eating patterns have been wack. What is extremely difficult during my time at home is eating out of boredom. I finish a tv show, some homework, or forget to eat breakfast, and the constant snacking begins. At school in person, I would have my set snacks that I packed and sometimes treated myself to something from the cafeteria. At home, I have an accessible kitchen 24/7 and it’s so tempting to just go grab a little snack when you’re hungry (or bored) and then open up something else, and still feel unsatisfied. I can completely relate to struggling with snacking habits but I know that there are ways to turn snacking into an all-around positive experience.

*Thank you to everyone who responded to Instagram polls and weighted in on healthy eating tips and snack ideas*

Snacking Tips

1. Set aside proportions, put the rest away, and then decide if you are really hungry for more.

2. Cut up all your fruits and vegetables (or buy pre-sliced fruits) so they are accessible and easy to grab.

3. Stay away from eating late at night. Supposedly it's bad for your digestive system. Also I recently connected the dots that breakfast is breaking the fast from not eating at night. I think I was the last person on this planet to realize this.

4. As a general note: fresh fruits and vegetables are always a healthy eating staple.

5. Eat the snacks you love in moderation. If you restrict yourself, you will want it more.

Guide

1. Dips and Veggies (makes it taste better)

Dip in with fresh veggies: carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, snap peas, or jicama

Garlic Spread or Ranch Hummus Bruschetta

2. Dried Fruit

I LOVE dried mango and really any dried fruit (apples, plantains, apricots, cherries, etc)

3. Nuts

Smoked Almonds (left in the freezer!) are my favorite midday snack! Trail mixes, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, and corn nuts are also great to snack on in class.

4. Chips and Crackers Variants

(You can also make homemade Kale Chips with olive oil and any seasoning of your choice at 340 degrees for 20 minutes)

5. Smoothies

Trader Joes KNOWS what's good... my 4 favorite tropical fruits combined into the ultimate frozen blend: bananas, strawberries, mangos, and pineapple.

This is also my go-to homemade smoothie:

• Half frozen banana

• A generous handful of spinach (trust me, you’ll barely taste it)

• 1 ½ tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter

• 1 date (or 2 if you want your smoothie to be sweeter)

• 1-2 cups of milk of your choosing or any other liquid (water, juice, etc)

Also though I'd drop in the smoothie menu at a delicious (but extremely overpriced) smoothie shop called Kreation. They always use coconut mylk in the smoothies to give it a more creamy consistency. Coconut Mylk is different than coconut milk - I was confused at first too.

6. Cauliflower Mini Pizzas

As you probably have been seeing everywhere, cauliflower is a great substitute for low-carb (or vegan) meal options. I love spreading some pesto or tomato sauce on these mini cauliflower disks and sprinkling some cheese as a mid-afternoon snack.

7. Cheese/Meat

Whenever I go over to my good friend's house and every single time we've hung out, she sticks a hand in her fridge and grabs cold cuts or any slices of cheese. I'll facetime her during our lunch block and she's wrapping her meat and cheese into little rolls. I started doing this with cheese slices and crackers for a very basic but reliable snack. Especially,

with my holy grail: Mary's Chia Seed Cracker!!!!!! SO GOOD AND VERY HEALTHY!

8. Yogurt

Parfaits with honey and granola are the perfect early morning snacks (or maybe late-night?!). When I was younger I also always froze yogurt tubes and it tasted like a popsicle.

9. Protein Bars

Simple + quick. You know the vibe.

10. Peas and Edamame

11. Avocados

Not sure if this is a super California thing, but I am obsessed with avocado. My mom always jokes about making a shirt for me that says: "can I add avocado?".

Anyway, you can do an avocado toast, avocado with crackers, half an avocado filled with tuna/egg salad, or an avocado wrap or quesadilla.

12. Frozen Fruit

I was once recommended to try frozen fruit and I never regret the decision to snack on frozen grapes, mango, or blueberries.

13. Oats/Chia Pudding

Gonna be honest here, I don't eat oats. However, I have been bombarded with very enthusiastic oat lovers so I will share yummy toppings for your oats:

• cinnamon, chocolate chips, honey, fruit, chia/flax seeds, raisins, cacao powder, and milk

14. Apples With Peanut Butter (and cinnamon)

This photo should speak for it self... mouth. watering.

15. Health-Ade

(Pink Lady Apple is the best flavor hands down)

This might not be consider a snack but sometimes when I'm not super hungry but I feel like I need to consume something, I go for a kombucha. These are bubbly, health drinks that some find disgusting and others love. Give it a try, I think they're amazing.

Hope this was helpful!

We got this,

Sophia