Meal Plan Monday: Healthy Snacks

It’s Monday, which means my alarm went off at 4:58am to get ready for the gym to start off my week. Here’s a quick recap of our weekend:

On Friday, Morgan and I went on a quick trip to Sam’s (I love how they redid their shopping carts) and enjoyed story time at the library while Laney was at school. At pick-up, I received the news that Laney had a great day (Wednesday was a struggle with poor listening and eye rolling) so we celebrated with a trip to Hobby Lobby to get some beads and string to make bracelets. Laney had so much fun making the bracelet in her February Craft + Boogie kit, we went to get supplies to make more.

On Saturday morning, we bundled up and went to USC’s Equestrian Meet up at One Wood Farm in Blythewood, about 20 minutes north of Columbia. It was EquiFest 2020, which is their kids day they do each season. Laney got to decorate a horseshoe, we watched the team compete against Texas A&M, got a tour of the barns and Laney was also able to feed carrots to several horses. It was a fun, but cold morning!

Sunday was a slow day. Brad got home late Saturday night after being away with work since Thursday. The weather has been so weird — the end of the week consisted of rain, thunderstorms, crazy wind and over in the Upstate (where Brad was for work), snow. Brad managed to bring home some of the snow they had to work outside in, so the girls were able to experience a tiny bit of snow for the first time. We later watched church online, lounged around and went to play at the park in our neighborhood.

 

Healthy Snacks

I’ll be the first to admit I love snacks, which is why I don’t buy them … well you know, the bad ones. Since working out with my trainer, it’s been a nice refresher on how to eat and the importance of staying hydrated. Did you know you should be drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces? So for example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking at least 75 oz of water.

Here are some things helping me to stay on track, snacks I enjoy and ‘treats’ my trainer recommends to curb that sweet tooth craving.

QuiFit Water Bottle

My sister-in-law showed up to our Christmas family get together with a purple water bottle just like this one. I asked her about it and she told me it was her QuiFit Water Bottle that helped her with her daily water intake. I’m horrible about drinking enough water so I thought this would be a great way to help me so I ordered this green one pictured to the left (and linked). It has a daily timeline on the side of it to show you where you should be throughout the day. Challenge accepted. But as I mentioned before, water intake is based on your water weight so you may need to alter the amount whether more or less. Words of wisdom though — do not just jump into a major water increase overnight. Gradually increase the amount you are drinking slowly so that your body can get acclimated. Otherwise you will give yourself a several day long colon cleanse. You’re welcome.

Hummus + Baby Carrots

I used to hate, I mean hate, hummus. The texture and flavor was just not for me … until I was told to try it with carrots. Game changer! I had always tried it before with a wheat thin or some sort of cracker and they just weren’t doing it for me. But carrots and hummus has now turned into one of my favorite snacks. As with anything, moderation is key because it’s easy to sit down with both containers and go to town. I’ve even turned my parents on to this as they used to have the same opinion of hummus as me until they too tried it with carrots. My favorite hummus of all time is the Sabra Roasted Pine Nut but the grocery store I went to recently had limited options.

 

Garbanzo Beans

Chick peas are becoming quite the craze these days as a grain alternative in some products. I’m thankful for their ability to allow Morgan to have a wider range of foods to enjoy with her wheat/gluten/oat intolerance. Did you know if you strain, rinse and bake these in the oven they turn into the perfect crunchy snack? Mix things up and experiment with different spices to change the flavor profile.

Here are a few variations:

Honey Cinnamon

2 14-15oz cans of chickpeas
2 tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp honey

Garlic

2 14-15oz cans of chickpeas
1-2 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves minced
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Spicy

2 14-15oz cans of chickpeas
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt

BBQ

2 14-15oz canc of chickpeas
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
3 tsp brown sugar

Ranch

2 14-15oz cans of chickpeas
I’m going to experiment with Ranch Dressing Mix — will report back!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Remove any loose skins but don’t worry about taking them all off.
2. On a paper towel, evenly spread out and let dry for about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Line a cookie sheet with either foil or parchment paper.
5. Evenly spread your dried beans on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes depending on how your oven cooks. Check after 40 minutes and see if they are crunchy. If moist, keep cooking — just watch to not burn them. If perfectly crunchy, they are ready.
7. After baking, quickly transfer to a bowl and mix with 2 tbsp olive oil.
8. Add seasonings of your choice and mix well.
9. With the honey cinnamon flavor, after coating, you can put the beans back into the oven for 5 minutes or so to caramelize them.
10. Enjoy!

 

Kale Chips

I have to give @themidwestskinny credit for this one. She is such a fun follow if you haven’t yet discovered her on Instagram. She recently shared this recipe and her almost 2 year old was actually eating them! I knew I had to try them for a Super Bowl snack. The only ingredients you need are as pictured above. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper — this is key to get the crunch. Spread your kale across the pan and then give it all a good spray of the olive oil. Top with your preferred amount of salt and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven. She recommended I bake them for 20 minutes, but some of them came out a little smoked, so next time I will bake them for around 15-17 minutes and see how those are. But with that said, I thought they were yummy! It feeds that crunchy snack craving and because kale takes on whatever flavor you give it, it was just like any other crunchy, salty snack. Laney wouldn’t try them, Brad wasn’t a huge fan and thought they needed more salt, but Morgan enjoyed them with me!

 

Rice Cakes + Peanut Butter

If you are trying to be carb conscious, these are perfect! This is my trainer’s snack recommendation that I enjoy on a regular basis. The peanut butter also gives me the protein I’m supposed to be eating with every meal or snack. When I crave something sweet, I’ll make a rice cake with peanut butter and sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top. But then I recently discovered these chocolate rice cakes! It’s like a splurge without the guilt and they taste great with peanut butter on top too!

 

Do you have any healthy snacks that are your go-to to stay on track? Let me know below!