03/15

Snack Smart: Healthy Ideas!

I believe whole-heartedly in the mantra “Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.” I do my very best to make healthy taste as great as possible and to be honest, with healthy fresh foods that is not that hard to do!!!

The key to healthy eating success is being prepared:

• Shop smart and stock up your fridge and pantry with wholesome foods.
• Kick overly processed food to the curb.
• If you don’t buy junk, you won’t eat junk!

I’m super excited about my new way to purchase healthy foods and supplements, Thrive Market.  If you haven’t checked them out yet, you really need to see all the amazingness they have to offer.  Being prepared extends beyond getting the healthy food into your fridge and cabinets. I like to make my life as easy as possible.  I pre-portion out my snacks and have them ready to go for whenever I need them.  In cities like Los Angeles, where we spend lots of time in the car (boo to traffic), I LOVE taking my snacks with me so I am ready whenever hunger strikes.  Then I will eat healthy and not be tempted to stop and pick up fast food.

I touched on it a bit on my post about Healthy Office Snacks but being prepared goes a long way.  It doesn’t have to be a complicated operation.  If you are really in a time crunch then just toss a few pieces of fruit in your bag to help you get through the day in a healthy way.  Avocados are an amazing option, too!  Did you know that avocados contain more potassium than bananas?

I like to prepare my fresh fruit and vegetable snacks about every 3-4 days.  Any further ahead and you risk having slimy snacks and nobody wants that!  You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a million types of fruits and vegetables to avoid snack boredom.

My secret is not how many different types of fruit and veggies you buy, it’s how you put your snacks together.  I set up an assembly line!  First, I take all my fruits and vegetables out and prep and chop everything individually creating piles of each item.  Bring out your food containers and let your imagination go. There are no rules.  Mix and match to your heart’s content.  Look how vibrant and yummy my snacks look below.  Nothing boring here!!

For a little pop of flavor and variation, I like adding a touch of olive oil and salt & pepper to my veggies.  For those of you who like a little heat, then I suggest Tajin with a hit of lime or lemon juice, which tastes amazing on both fruit and veggies.

Don’t forget about dried fruits and nuts for your snacking needs.  My #SupermodelSecret is to make sure you portion out your servings because it is WAY too easy to eat too many calories by eating an entire bag.  Don’t be afraid to go outside the box and hop on the Superfood train by eating yummies like Dragon fruit, which contains Omega 3’s and Vitamin C and Goji berries that contain zinc, iron and fiber.

The bottom line is planning ahead and preparing your snacks ahead of time will not only save you money, it will save your waistline.  If you are going to buy pre-packaged snacks just make sure you are reading your labels!  I just went to the Natural Food Expo and saw all the newest and AH-mazing snacks on the planet.  I will tell you all about it next week.