Food prep has become a huge part of my life. Sure, they have "convenient, pre-made" all natural low sodium food out there but our budget doesn't allow for that kind of easy! Therefor, just about everything is made from scratch. Put my in a bonnet and I'd fit right in back in the old'n days. :) For us, the only way to make this work is to have a variety of things prepared and ready to go for the week. I'm an Educational Assistant for my kids school district. While it's easier now that I have the summer off, during the school year was a different story. I would spend a good chunk of Sunday just preparing food for the week. Most of it was for lunches since we all pack for school and work. Here are some yummy tips & ideas!
One of the first things I did was change bread. I have been buying wheat for years but since most bread has high fructose corn syrup in it we switched to Nature's Pride. It is one of the few bread brands I have found that is all natural. They also make hamburger and hot dog buns. It goes on sale for 3 for $5 at Marc's quite often. Acme only carries the hamburger buns and they are over by the deli case.
Juice boxes for the kids - We switched from Capri Sun to Apple & Eve Fruitables fruit & vegetable juice. This is an all natural brand that contains less sugar then Capri Sun's. We can get a case of 36 at Sam's Club for about $9. That's very comparable to Capri's Sun.
Iced Green Tea - (another one of those things that have endless health benefits!) For a 1 gallon pitcher, I use 8 tea bags & 6-8 packets of Stevia (Stevia is a plant that tribes in Paraguay have been using for centuries as a sweetener. It has no impact on blood sugar levels, can help lower blood pressure, and helps promote gum health by acting as an antibacterial that kills the germs that causes gum disease.) Both Green Tea and Stevia break down to an alkaline end product in your body. Google "your bodies pH balance" for more info on alkaline vs acidic.
Mid morning snacks - Even with a nice bowl of oats for breakfast, by 10am I'm starving. I found this mix to be SOOOOOO filling that I packed it everyday. Raw almonds, lightly salted sunflower kernels, & dries cranberries.
Harb boil a whole dozen eggs for snacking or to add to a salad
Chicken & Fruit Salad
4 cups roasted chicken
1 cup red seedless graped - cut in half
1 cup chopped apples - skin on
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 chopped almonds
1/2 ground flax seed
oregano, basil, pepper, & paprika to taste
2 Tbsp mustard
Just enough Hellman's all natural mayo to lightly coat everything
Preheat oven to 375degrees. Place 4 split all natural chicken breasts on a rack in a roasting pan. Lightly coat with olive oil. Season with oregano, basil, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, and rosemary. Roast uncovered for 45 minutes or until internal temp is 170degrees. If the breasts are not the same size, check the smaller ones sooner to prevent them from drying out. Let cool, remove skin, & chop. Mix with remaining ingredients and refrigerate. Serve cold.
Ants on a log - A favorite because I am a peanut butter-aholic. I'm not going to lie...I eat peanut butter right out of the jar. Sadly, before we switched to Smart Balance, my daily intake of hydrogenated oils from Peter Pan was through the roof. Ants on a log can be made up and stored in a sealed container for easy snacking.
Spread peanut butter evenly on a stalk of celery, cover with raisins. Flax seed and or wheat germ can be mixed with the peanut butter for added nutrition.
Add some fresh fruit and veggies with alittle Kraft Tuscan House Italian for dipping and call it a wholesome day's worth of food! I have found that the all natural foods we now eat are so much higher in fiber and protein that I am not eating nearly as much. Did I mention I've now lost 20 pounds!
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