A Healthy Snack Forgotten

I eat really healthy, whole, unprocessed foods most of the time. And I'm really proud about that. But  I still need to clean it up some more so even though I don’t make a habit of Ultra-Processed foods, some “regular” processed foods sneak in there from time to time,  like Protein Bars.  So on that subject, I had an aha moment when I was, indeed, hankering for a Power/Protein/Energy type bar with my morning coffee (black, organic, just 2 cups).  I consider these candy bars, honestly, but I treat myself to one of the vast variety of bars out there once in a while . Nutritionally I look for no more than:

·      5 – 9 grams of added sugar (best if it’s just from dried fruit, of course)

·      At least 3 grams of fiber

·      Between 5 – 15 grams of protein

These are some brands that fit those guidelines that range from ok tasting to pretty good:

Kind

Pro Bar

RX Bar

Think Thin

Cascadian Farms Bar

So there I was jonesing for a breakfast “candy” bar recently, didn’t have any, wasn’t wanting it badly enough to walk down the corner 7-11 for a chunky peanut butter Think Thin bar so I knew I had to get creative with what I had. Aha! Found it!

2 slices of Dave’s bread, thin slice, overly toasted (thus the need for a little schmear of butter)

1 very rounded Tablespoon of chunky peanut butter

1 very rounded teaspoon of Pear Preserves (yum, farmers market find)

Cheerfully topped off with high fiber, low glycemic, deeply tasty raspberries

-       What this photo didn’t capture was a sprinkling of Chia seeds

It’s called a Sandwich.    My very own Power/Energy/Protein bar with:

·      9 grams sugar (added and natural)

·      8 grams of fiber

·      7 grams protein

·      1 gram sat fat (worth it)

My point is that we don’t have to make drastic changes to our days to reach a goal of being healthier.  Move a little more, eat a healthy sandwich, whatever your resolution is, make it doable, make it fun, make it small. Those little changes add up and before long you’ve created a new, positive habit that will serve you your whole life long.

Wishing you all the happiest and healthiest 2024!!

Polly