Life Threw Me A Curve Ball

Life Changes Happen

Tomorrow begins a new phase in my business life. I am moving sideways, working from home, without an office to go to. No more “desk” breakfasts and lunches. I have had to rethink my meal planning strategy. I won’t give up #mealprepsundays, it will just be different. This, being my first week, I kept it simple. I made sure my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer contain many healthy low fat, low calorie/ low point choices and none of my trigger foods. I also made an herbal iced tea, and have gallons of fresh bottled water on hand. I did prep a veggie egg white fritatta for breakfast, but plan on switching that out with yogurt berry bowls.

Here is a list of some of the things I have in my pantry to keep me safe:

• broccoli slaw/ garbanzo beans/ frozen shrimp/ Bolt House light salad dressings https://www.bolthouse.com/products/dressings/
• chicken broth/ frozen veggies/ TJ’s Chicken Cilantro Won Tons
• Ole Whole Wheat Tortillas, 100 cal. English Muffins, Ak Mak Crackers
• smoked salmon
• TJ’s Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip (I use as a sandwich spread)
• veggie snack packs/ tzatziki/ hummus
• a couple of Lean Cuisine entrees
• Progresso Light Soups
• Fresh fruits & berries

Staying hydrated:

Delicious new Trader Joe’s find: Organic Ginger Turmeric Herbal Iced Tea
using my Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker
https://www.mrcoffee.com/specialty/iced-tea-makers/iced-tea-maker-2-qt.-blue/TM1-RB.html

Starbucks Swap Out – My homemade 20 calorie chai latte
I use 2 of tea bags of this delicious spiced chai tea
and a half cup of the unsweetened vanilla almond milk
https://www.traderjoes.com/

Breakfasts:

Veggie Egg White Fritatta with left over slow roasted tomatoes, diced green chilies,
and diced red onion
I add a teaspoon each of ground flaxseed (1 point) , and chia seeds (2 points) to the entire recipe

Plain Non Fat Greek Yogurt, Fresh Berries, Ground Flax Seeds, Chia Seeds
topped with this delicious sugar free cereal I found online:
Diabetic Kitchen Cinnamon Pecan Granola
160 calories/ 6 points for 1/3 cup, but I’m only using maybe a tablespoon on my yogurt
https://www.amazon.com/Diabetic-Kitchen-Gluten-Free-Artificial-Sweeteners/dp/B07BW4XQ8M/ref=sr_1_3?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuIDK4u3L4gIVF57ACh2_KQN0EAAYASAAEgICF_D_BwE&hvadid=267862447569&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9031038&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11364586377081819102&hvtargid=kwd-447226540036&hydadcr=24630_9648900&keywords=diabetic+kitchen+granola&qid=1559514931&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Snacks:

Veggie Snack Bags. A copy cat idea found on Instagram @ilanamuhlsteinrd.
Peeled and sliced daikon, mini bell peppers, sugar snap peas, baby carrots.
All finger foods. Grab and Go for your car, a hike, the beach, wherever.
https://www.ilanamuhlstein.com/

How I used my veggie snack bags last week – New Trader Joe’s find: Middle East Style Feast
Includes: stuffed grape leaves, hummus, lentil salad, tomato cracked bulgar wheat salad
It was a very chaotic week at work, and this was my on the go breakfast.
YUMMY!

A Sweet Treat:

I got inspired this week by one of the Hungry Girl news daily news letters (https://www.hungry-girl.com/subscribe?s=header). She made popsicles out of a new product, Banana Almond Milk. It looked and sounded so good, but I could not find the product anywhere yet. I perused online and found a little recipe for tropical mango popsicles. Here is the link to the original recipe: https://www.verywellfit.com/tropical-mango-popsicles-4142923 I did not have a ripe banana, so I made it without. I ended up adding 2 teaspoons of Stevia for sweetness, and I am extremely pleased with the result. I hope this inspires you to get online when you have a craving and find a healthy recipe to quell that craving for yourself. It’s a fun learning experience to experiment, and so gratifying when you are happy with the result.

Simple Healthy Ingredients. Mango popsicles made in seconds in the blender
Organic Frozen Mango Chunks, Reduced Fat Coconut Milk, Lime, Stevia (not shown)
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ice-pop-maker-molds-with-sipper-straw-bases-set-of-4/1011078869?skuId=11078869&&mrkgcl=609&mrkgadid=3254088494&rkg_id=0&enginename=google&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_brand_local&product_id=11078869&adtype=pla&product_channel=local&adpos=1o3&creative=233266395762&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIusmdvfDL4gIVELvsCh0S2gz5EAQYAyABEgIhyPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Here is to starting a new chapter

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Have a great week, all!