Delicious Twigs and Kindling
Your metabolism is like a bonfire, feed it regularly in little doses of sticks and small logs and it will happily burn toasty warm all day long and into the night. Throw a giant log on some gray ashes just barely kicking off heat and you may find your bonfire all but out. Sometimes an explanation just sticks in your mental files better than you anticipated, this one worked for me. After my sister shared it with me, I began thinking about smaller more frequent meals in a different light. The campfire thing just made sense to me and even though I had read the glossy paged articles on this very topic over and over- it never stuck with me as a truly important part of my overall eating plan.
While I am able to multitask, or more honestly quickly plow through a long list of to-dos at a break-neck speed, I usually put my personal food management on the back burner when I am working. I am surrounded by food, chefs and servers all day long but a recent review of how often I check my blood glucose levels revealed that if I don't eat breakfast, I may not eat until dinner.
Yikes, my fire just went out.
I need to find something that is low-carb and easy. The QSR market isn't exactly made to serve up low-carb at the drive through window. Spoiler alert; I remove buns from bacon cheese burgers and eat them like runners throw back water in paper cups at hydration stations. So, you can find something in a pinch but a recent experiment at school has slowed my bacon cheese burger roll. (Chef Z has had combo meals from several popular QSRs out on trays- the ones that are a month old look exactly the same as ones purchased that day) <Image thanks to www.delish.com, Fast Food History>
Path of least resistance then led me to the Atkins bars. There are a few things to note with these beauties. First, I can not subtract all the sugar alcohols that Atkins does to get to their 3 net carbs advertised on the banner on the boxes. I can count about 1/2 of the alcohols against total carbs and about 3/4 of the fiber. Do figure out what your actual carb count is before you start to see these individually wrapped low-carb-crack treats as your personal dieting messiah. The substitute M&Ms are what I crave as a late night reward for successful couch surfing.
This can't be as difficult as I am making it. Fast protein rich snacks that take less than 5 minutes to prepare and don't require me to drag out any "equipment" to complete. (Low carb "Doritos" I'm pointing my finger in your direction, your deliciousness is a pain in my butt and you take up all of my counter space with your cheesy lovin' mess) I found my answer by looking back to snacks I had as a kid and some that have evolved into my go-to list while exploring the diet.
Meat Roll-Ups
4 deli slices of Lebanon Sweet Bologna, Lebanon Bologna, Sandwich Pepperoni or Hard Salami
4 Tablespoons of "filling"
Filling options: Extra Crunch Peanut Butter (Creamy if you are lame), Cream Cheese, Herbed spreadable cheese
Spread the filling evenly on the deli slice, roll it up, voila log. You can cut them into bite-sized pieces if you prefer. If you have never had peanut butter with meat before- it is not just for pregnant women- the PA Dutch community eats this combo constantly and it is pretty yummy.
PB and Celery
You know how to do this one- but here is my recommendation- purchase the celery pre-washed and ready to smear with peanut butter. If I don't have to get out the cutting board I'm more likely to eat this than an Atkins treat. I find this to be true for all veggies- having someone else do all the prep for you is more expensive but if you will actually eat it- it is cheaper than just waiting until it rots in your refrigerator to throw it away.
This is PB & Celery plus frozen meatballs with the "hot sauce" from McDonalds.
String Cheese
No mystery here, my son and I both dig on these super easy treats. Instructions- remember to remove the plastic sleeve. Watch out QSRs, I'm on a roll here.
Nuts
Almonds to be specific- I keep the CA Almond industry in business. Now you can get several savory flavors that don't add extra carbs to the natural count from the nut. Even Giant's store brand has a Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almond that comes in for me at about 4g Carbs/ 1/4 cup. If you need crunch this is a good snack that doesn't need refrigeration and will keep for months. (Mine never last that long)
Cottage Cheese Sundae
Dollar Tree is my buddy on this concoction. They usually have 3 flavors of sugar free syrup and at a dollar each I use them in both foods and beverages. This is sweet, creamy and crunchy- it satisfies much of my sweet tooth cravings and it is wicked fast to assemble.
1/2 cup of Cottage Cheese
1t - 1T flavored syrup
2 T of slivered Almonds
I hope that you are inspired to skip the Atkins trap or QSR siren song a bit more often with some simple options that are so easy even a wife of a chef can make them. Keep in mind that veggies are your friend but I do get bored with them and will often just skip eating anything rather than gnawing on something I just don't want to eat.
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