Here at FreeCCM, we love to post every once in a while about something that has nothing to do with music and just helps us get to know YOU better and you get to know US better! Keep reading for your chance to win a CD collection from Addison Road!
Spring is here in Nashville, and the beautiful weather automatically makes me more motivated to be fit and to eat well! Maybe it’s just because I know that summer is coming (not to mention…I’m getting married this summer, but that’s beside the point!)
Today, I have made a list of the top 10 healthy foods that I keep on hand! I have found that a key to eating healthy is only keeping the things at home that I know are good to put in my body! If you have it…you will most likely eat it.
1. Almond Milk – I am lactose sensitive, so I stumbled across almond milk as a substitute, and I have discovered that it makes a great shake! I use vanilla almond milk, nuplus (a specialized vitamin powder), and ice–a great morning or midday treat! Read about the benefits of almond milk here.
2. Frozen grapes – Whenever I am craving icecream, frozen grapes are a great treat! They are healthy and sweet, and they taste like mini popsicles!
3. Chia seeds – I have recently discovered these wonderful, completely healthy little seeds!
4. Healthy granola – My favorite is Trader Joe’s cranberry maple nut gluten free granola! It is packed with nuts, flax and sunflower seeds, and gluten free corn granola!
5. Lara bars – I have always counted on granola bars for last minute snacks, and Larabars are the best I have found. They are all natural bars packed with unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices and NOTHING else! They are gluten free, soy free, vegan, kosher, dairy free. And they taste great!
6. Ezekiel Bread – also known as sprouted grain bread. I keep it in the freezer so it lasts longer because it doesn’t have all the preservatives of regular bread. Put it in the toaster and you’re ready to go!
7. Ground turkey – Lighter, leaner and healthier than red meat, I love to keep ground turkey in the fridge to throw into any recipes that call for hamburger meat!
8. Carrot juice – I am not great at eating raw veggies. I can eat cooked vegetables all day, but I have found mixing some carrot juice with my orange juice in the morning is a great way to get some of those nutrients! If I had a juicer (or a vitamix), I would love to juice the carrots on my own, but as a college student, my resources are more limited!
I wanna know what healthy food YOU keep on hand when you want to grab a quick snack! Let me know, and you will be entered to win a CD Collection from Addison Road!
I always have raw walnuts, almonds, pistachios and pecans on hand and several dried fruits like cranberries, apricots, and raisins (never dried banana chips they actually have more calories in one cup than just eating the banana) and medjool dates...anyway, I will either mix up the nuts with the fruits or eat the nuts alone. Walnuts contain Omega 3 fatty acids and are great for your heart, pecans are good for your mind and are cholesterol lowering, pistachios are also good for the heart and can lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. You can also have a tasty cheat by stuffing a medjool date with a pecan halve and eat up. It tastes like pecan pie without the guilt. It is also really yummy to do the same with medjool dates and walnuts. When I am out and about I always bring a bag of mixed fruit and nuts. It is a great energy boost when I don't have time to sit down and eat a meal.
I always have dry roasted unsalted almonds in my desk at work, and pistachios. I also really love the fruit cereal bars from Trader Joe's. Just this morning, I had about 15 green seedless grapes as my snack and they really hit the spot!
I love KASHI bars! I also love mixed nuts, unsalted and plain. I also like Almond Milk, eating healthy is just as important as feeding yourself spiritually. Your body is a gift from God too. :)
Frozen grapes are the best! :)
I have a trail mix that I make (2 cereals that don't have added sugar, peanuts or other nuts that are available in the home, cranberries, raisins, and chocolate chips). Also, to have any kind of nuts or fruit is good to have as a snack.
I am a vegetarian so I always have fresh fruit and raw almonds on hand. Also, for a healthy side dish, we love quinoa. Frozen grapes and blueberries are great and we love avacados. You can use them in place of mayo on sandwiches or in almost any salad or mexican dish.
My husband and I try to eat out of our garden when possible. Have been giving up bread and replaced it with eggplant or quinoa. Have walnuts, almonds and cashews. Also like to snack on raw bell peppers and other fresh veggies. So we eat a lot of salads with veggies and chopped chicken. Make smoothies from out own berries with protein powder and plain yogurt and a little milk. One of my favorite snacks is plain rice cake with cottage cheese and curry sprinkled on it. Also make our own fruit only roll ups (made from pears - apples - peaches). :)
Blueberries.
Strawberry Shortcake without the shortcake & extra sugar!
Old fashioned oat meal, with natural honey and chopped walnuts, raisins with cinnamon, or bananas with chopped walnuts. That's a normal breakfast for me.
We always have celery and carrots in the fridege. Sometimes there is fresh broccoli in the fridge. There is always oatmeal in the house that I can make for breakfast if I want.
I, too, love walnuts. A handful a day is supposed to help with lowering cholesterol and if it prevents me from having to add another drug to my repertoire, I am all for it. It even helps reduce inflammation which is a big deal with a lot of maladies. The dogs love them, too.
We always have baby carrots, grape tomatoes, and various nuts as well as salad greens.
I have oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon for breakfast. I always have a bag of raw almonds. Oranges, kiwi, celery, carrots and other fresh fruits and vegetables are also favorites.
Craisins and raisins are wonderful! :)
I always have pistachios, usually plain ones in the shell, but also seasoned ones like salt and pepper or garlic and onion.. they even have some kind of chili flavor but I haven't tried that one yet! For sweet but healthy snacks, I usually go with the Fiber One chewy granola bars and 90 calorie brownies! Yum! Guilt free deliciousness! And yogurt, can't go without that! Oh, and thank God for Skinny Cow ice cream! Haha, I don't know if that would be considered "healthy" but it's better than other ice creams with more fat and sugar.... right? ;)
I have 3 little girls and we all love the little, round babybel cheeses for a quick snack. :)
Frozen gogurt is really good.
I live in Africa. Life is totally different here. The best thing I can keep on hand is fresh roasted peanuts.