Hi,
i've been away from the forum for a while, but thought i needed another boost in my dietary habits.
I tend to feel drained at the end of the work day and find myself stopping for a treat or and easy meal on the way home from work.

I think it's just gotten hard for me to prepare meals in the evenings when i just want a break.

I was trying to think up some easy whole food ideas or recipes to keep me interested in eating right.

I don't eat alot of carbs of the grain type. I don't seem to digest them well, but i am open to fruits and veggies and other real foods.

one thing i was thinking of trying was slicing bananas and freezing them. anyone tried this?

any other ideas or quick recipes?

thanks,
kb.

Frozen bananas are yummy as long as you eat them still frozen. Bananas get really mushy once they thaw (as in liquid banana.)

Grapes are great frozen too.

For snacks I like 2T hummus with veggies to dip, an apple and an oz of cheese or 1T of peanut butter, a boiled egg, a small handful of nuts or seeds, 1/2 cup plain yogurt with 1/2 cup blueberries and 1t honey or agave syrup, or celery with peanut butter and raisins (ants on a log.)

I like frozen blueberries and raspberries too... yum!

veggies and hummus is an after work fav for me.

Some of my favorite snacks are:

boiled eggs
cheese and apple slices
hummus and carrots/celery
peanut butter on celery
1/4 cup of sunflower seeds (unsalted)

.

oh greek yogurt mixed with dried fruit and nuts... sweet, crunchy and filling.

How about cottage cheese? You can make it savory by stirring in herbs, salt, pepper and some veggies like tomatoes or onions. You can also make it sweet by stirring in some fruit, like pineapple.

How about dried fruits, like figs or prunes? Figs are especially high in iron.

My current snacks are:

AM - 1/4c each of 2% Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, banana and granola; I usually add some vanilla and cinnamon too, but no sugar

PM - 1/4c hummus w veggies (pepper, carrot, celery, cucumber)

I am also having fruit first thing in the morning (before my workout, which is before breakfast) and after dinner. I sometimes also have a square of dark chocolate after dinner.

I usually eat my snack in teh car, usually before or after working out. Some staples for me are:

An apple with a (previously) frozen cheese stick or some nuts
A banana with a (previously) frozen cheese stick or some nuts
V8 juice
Some trail mix (I buy at Costco, mainly for teh kids... raisins, peanuts, cashews, almonds and MM's)
A Luna, Balance or Zone bar (this is not a daily thing, only if I need a more substantial snack.. better than hitting a drive thru.. or If I'm dying for chocolate)
A zipperbag w/sliced cucumber, triscuit type crackers, cheese
Powdered instant meal drink than water can be added to (I have not done this in a while)

I actually keep a plastic tote/bin in my car with a few water bottles, apples, packages of nuts, balance bars, V8 cans, and the big bag of Costco trail mix with paper bags to fill and pass out to the kids

thanks for all the suggestions.
my frozen nana's worked out well...um, except when i absentmindedly placed the container back in the fridge, instead of the freezer....yeah, they don't thaw out well

my challenging time is the p.m., as it is for alot of folks. the after work time.
i think i like the idea of grapes, or other small berry type fruits, and yogurt or something called Friendship farmer cheese.
I also make my own yogurt, but it comes down to a matter of taking the time to prepare stuff , doesn't it?

I used to cook all the time. then i hit a bad spell. I was on this birth control pill that just destroyed me over time and made me really unhealthy in so many ways. I was on it for years, but i'm so glad i found out what was making me so unwell.
Now i can focus on getting healthy and happy again
So, in trying to rebuild myself from that, i'm having to relearn how to have healthy habits again. I guess that means thinking ahead for meals, rather than stopping somewhere to eat.

I made some stew today (free range organic beef from TJ's) and a shrimp salad from my grain-free cook book. both turned out yummy.

I have a recipe in the grain-free book for a cucumber yogurt dip, that i thought might go well with veggies.
I like to snack on veggies, but after work when i'm stressed, veggies just aren't what i'm craving. maybe it's all in the dip...

thanks for the suggestions, keep em coming!
kb

Here is part of a list I've put together over the years.

100 Calories Whole Food Snacks


Fruits
1 cup (or 25) grapes
1 cup blueberries
2 cups strawberries
2 cups raspberries
2 cups watermelon
medium orange
medium banana
medium pear
medium peach
medium apple
medium apricot
medium nectarine
2 mandarin oranges
2 kiwis
2 plums
25 cherries
1/2 cantaloupe
1-cup applesauce (unsweetened)
3 Tablespoons raisins
1-cup pineapple (75 calories)
1/2 cup canned pineapple
Most 4-ounce snack cups of fruit in their own juice are 70 to 100 calories
Try freezing fruits, especially bananas or grapes, for a refreshing treat
15 strawberries dipped in 1⁄4 cup Cool Whip Lite

Veggies
1 cup celery
1 cup carrots
1 cup sugar snap peas (25 calories)
1 cup cherry (or grape) tomatoes
1 cup zucchini, butternut or acorn squash
1/4 avocado
1 ear of corn
1 dill pickle (10 calories)
4 medium tomatoes
4 cups cauliflower
12 oz. V-8 or other vegetable juice (80 calories)
½ red bell pepper dipped in 3 tablespoons hummus

what are you having for lunches?

Hi girl81!

lately for lunches now that they are in season, i've been mashing a super ripe avocado and mixing it with some chopped baby greens and flat leaf parsley, a favorite of mine!
I also have been packing a grapefruit, an apple or bannana and some homemade yogurt.

lunch is sort of tricky if i dont preplan.
pbj is easy, but i never felt good when i ate that way, now i understand why.

I'm still having problems with sugar bingeing. i just posted something on sugar busters. maybe i will get some support and help.
I love sugar, but i simply cannot be satisfied with a sane amount. i feel compelled to eat it untill i'm sick of it. I wish i could just never eat it again, but there is a party for work tommorrow p.m. and i already said i would attend. I'm sort of scared....

Quite simply, I would keep a can of nuts in your car, for snacking on the way home, and don't just go for peanuts -- although those are good -- get some roasted pecans or pistachios or almonds. So many diet programs discourage nuts because they are high in fat, but they are an original whole food, and a big help to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. They will give you some protein-fat-carb, and will help you stave off hunger until you can get yourself something healthier to eat.

I have some Kashi whole grain and nut bars - ridiculously expensive, but they do kill any hunger pang known to man, and they feel like a treat.