Set Yourself Up For Success
Before we move on from snacks, we thought it’d be a good idea to cover some helpful tips that will ensure your continued success with your 40FRESH snacks habit. Regardless of how well you’ve set up your home environment, things will be much different once you leave the house. From the vending machine at work to the free donuts after church, you’re bound to run into temptations everywhere. Today we’ll focus on tips for investing a little bit of time up front so you’re set up for success all week long.
Today’s Checklist
If you’re following along with the 40FRESH Challenge, here’s your homework for today:
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Continue to drink 40FRESH
Continue to snack 40FRESH
Prep your snacks for the week
Batch Your Prep
Instead of prepping your snacks daily, it can help to spend a bit of time on the weekend preparing all of your snacks. Although there are many snacks that don’t really require a ton of prep work, you will likely get bored of your snacks if you focus on them exclusively. Instead of preparing these daily, find 30 minutes on a weekend to prepare your whole week in advance. If you multitask effectively, you can get quite a lot done in 30 minutes. For instance, consider chopping up all your fruit and veggies and dividing your snacks into portions while you hard boil some eggs.
Portion Out Snacks
Speaking of portions, you don’t want to waste time every morning putting together your snacks for the day. While you’re doing your batch prep, put everything into resealable bags or airtight containers and mark them with the date they were packaged. This will allow you to simply grab and go every morning.
Invest in Quality Kitchen Tools
We already mentioned airtight food storage containers above, but it can also be helpful to invest in other items that shorten your prep time. Time is your only non-renewable resource. The more time you can save, the more likely you are to remain committed to eating 40FRESH. Consider investing in some of the following items if you don’t already have them in your kitchen:
- Apple & Pear Slicer: Take the hassle out of cutting up your fruit and invest in a tool that does it all for you.
- Peeler: Don’t waste time with old and dull peelers. Make sure you have a quality peeler that gets the job done quickly. Better yet, invest in a multi-purpose tool that allows you to peel, slice and julienne.
- Food Processor: These deserve an article all on their own! With so many attachments, the possibilities are endless. You can even use them to make your own tahini (see snack inspiration below).
- Food Dehydrator: If you’re taking snacks on the go and you don’t have access to a refrigerator, investing in a food dehydrator can help expand your menu. As a bonus, dehydrated foods are a great lightweight food to take hiking and backpacking.
- Mason Jars: These are handy for storing sauces like today’s tahini recipe. We’ll be adding more sauces to our menu when we tackle dinners, so it will pay off to invest in these now if you don’t already have them.
Rotate Your Menu
Most people get bored eating the same thing day after day. Make sure to rotate your menu every week so you keep things interesting and nutritionally balanced.
Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods
Dedicate a portion of your snack menu to snacks that are dense with nutrients and protein. Good examples are unsalted peanut butter, hard boiled eggs, and plain yogurt. To make your yogurt a bit more interesting, see today’s snack inspiration below.
Time To Prep
No time like the present to get started! You should already have a decent snacks menu going from a few days ago. Feel free to add some of the options below to your list.
Your homework for today is to prepare your snacks for the week ahead. At a minimum, aim for having all your snacks laid out for the next 3-4 days.
More Snack Inspiration
As promised, here are a few more snacks to add to your lineup. These take a bit of prep, but you can easily make multiple portions at a time that are good enough to last you all week long.
Yogurt Mixes
When it comes to nutrient-dense foods that are guaranteed to satisfy your hunger, it’s hard to beat yogurt. The taste of plain yogurt is a bit “meh” though, so add in some fresh or frozen berries to give it a flavorful punch. You can even add in some sliced almonds or cinnamon toasted oats for a bit of crunch. Top with a dash of fresh honey for a touch of sweetness.
Tahini
While it’s certainly possible to buy tahini made from 100% sesame seeds, it’s also easy to make on your own with a food processor. Use this quick and easy recipe to make your own as a delicious dipping sauce for your veggies or use it in a homemade hummus recipe.
Roasted Cauliflower
Roasted cauliflower has great texture and the paprika and garlic combo in this dish gives it a wonderful flavor profile. Try mixing it up with a bit of cayenne or chili powder if you enjoy a bit of heat.
Up Next...
40FRESH eating is spending a little more time connecting with your food. There’s a sense of accomplishment when you prepare something yourself and it feels good to make choices that are in line with your health mantra. Give yourself a pat on the back another X on the accountability calendar.
You might be starting to wonder what kind of changes you’ll see as a result of your new lifestyle. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at some of the different ways your body changes when you eat 40FRESH.