Snack Well

I have a snack problem. My problem is that I snack on all the wrong things. All carbs all the time. And not good carbs like fruit-- empty carbs, like these snack bars I ostensibly buy for the kids:

Sure they're only 130 calories, but it's like 130 calories of AIR. As soon as I scarf one down in three bites (which, come to think of it, could also be a snack problem), I am hungry again.

So I go straight for the mini Snickers ice cream bars or the honey wheat pretzels. Seriously, I eat a bag like the ones below and a bag of the Rold Gold version every week. (Ben helps. We dip them in soft cheese while watching our DVR'd stash of shows we miss because we're wrestling our children through the bath and bedtime routine)


Or I'll miss my morning snack (seriously, people, I need a snack at like 9:30 like clockwork everyday) because we're running late at the gym, and I'll come home and eat 4-6 pouches of these little cookies (they are SO GOOD with a steaming hot cup of coffee-- they just melt in your mouth).

And don't even get me started on the wonder that is the Joe-Joe. I started buying them instead of Oreos because they are chemical, preservative and HFCS-free. Now I buy them because they are DELICIOUS. On Saturday after lunch I told Ben I felt kind of bad about myself because I ate half a dozen of them (dunked in milk) for dessert. He said, "You should just say 6. Sounds way better."


So here's my plan. Whenever I want a snack or some dessert, I am going to eat a piece of fruit or a serving of veggies first. Then, if I still want whatever snack I was going to have, I'll have it.

I stocked my fruit drawer-- and already washed my apples and oranges, so there is NO EXCUSE for letting them languish

Grabbed various kinds of berries



And got my veggies in order.



I even bought mini-raisin boxes so I can implement this plan on the road.

I even washed my carrots, blanched my pea pods, and sliced my peppers to I would have veggies ready to be munched by the handful, mindlessly in front of the open fridge if that's how I want to roll.


So far, I have done okay. Ben and I ate some delicious fattening spicy Chinese takeout after the kids went to bed. Afterward, I usually respond to the mini Snickers ice cream bars screaming my name, but last night, I ate an orange, and that did it for me.

Today after the gym, I had an apple and only one pouch of cookies.

While making lunch, I ate cold veggies instead of handfuls of pretzels while I assembled our sandwiches. For me, the key is to have healthy snacks that are as accessible as all the bags of crap I buy at the store and to be accountable, which is why I am blogging about it. Any other healthy snack ideas for me?