Recently I posted on instagram a frittata that I had made and LOVED and which my two little girls really enjoyed as well. I wanted to go ahead and share that recipe. The original calls for heavy cream. I used 2% milk instead and it turned out just fine.
This is so light and creamy. It is delicious! Bonus: 1/4 of a zucchini in each serving! I hope you and yours enjoy it as much as I did!
Yum! Cheesy, Eggy Goodness!
I came across this recipe in the "King George Farmer’s Market Fields to Table Cookbook". I fell in love with it the first time that I made it. It is a great way to use up many of your summer garden harvest and to eat lots of veggies at once. This is so yummy! I didn’t expect this to taste sweet, but roasting the vegetables brings out their natural sweet flavor. I served this hot over penne pasta. DELICIOUS!
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
12 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
2 cups cherry tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
Combine eggplant, onion, pepper, zucchini, and garlic in a large bowl. Add olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Transfer vegetables onto a baking sheet. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and set oven to 425 degrees. Place baking sheet into preheating oven. Roast about 20 minutes, until vegetables are golden brown on bottom. Remove pan from oven. Stir in cherry tomatoes, Continue to roast for about 15 minutes, stirring once more until tomatoes start to release their juices. Serve hot or cool to room temperature.
What a weekend! I am sitting in the passenger's seat of my van while my husband drives three tired girls home from a whirlwind trip to Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Yesterday I competed in the Open Figure Division of the National Gym Association's Lebanon PA Pro/Am Bodybuilding and Figure Show.
It was a great show! Every female there was beautifully athletic and deserving of a trophy! The competition was fierce for sure! The only disappointing thing about the show is that though the competitors were just that; very competitive, there weren't very many of them. There were only two of us in my division and I was awarded second place. Despite my 2nd/last place finish :) I am very proud of my physique and the total package that I brought to the stage.
I am looking forward to participating in a (hopefully) larger show on August 6th in Woodbridge, Virginia. I am going to take a few days off from my rigid competition diet and then get right back to it so that I can feel just as good about stepping on the stage in three weeks as I did yesterday.
If any of you are interested in this crazy figure competition hobby I love and would like to learn more, don't hesitate to contact me! I love to help others reach their full potential in and through this sport!
Update: I wrote this a week and half ago and never got it posted. Sorry about that! I am now one and a half weeks out from my next competition, a little leaner than at this point before the last one and ready to get this thing done so I can eat normally (but still healthfuly) again!
Having a little fun with bodybuilding poses
Thanks for the recipe and the picture, Diary of a Fit Mommy!
I love pancakes! And as I have mentioned before, my family has pancakes for breakfast every Saturday morning. It is a well loved tradition! Most of the time I use a gluten free mix that we all like and add some vanilla, cinnamon and either grated carrots or zucchini. A couple of weeks ago I tried this recipe that I ran across on facebook instead and we all loved it! I like that it is made of whole ingredients and nothing is processed. We top ours with a smear of peanut butter and some real maple syrup. Yum!
It's Cheat Day! That's right, when I am dieting for a competition, I have one day off every week from eating a strict, clean diet. One day a week I have pancakes for breakfast, pizza for dinner and popcorn for dessert. One day a week I don't count my calories, macros, micros, or anything else! I have one day a week to look forward to and meditate on as I down my eggs, oatmeal, tuna, chicken and vegetables early in the week.
However, I do still pay attention to the ingrediets in my food on my cheat day. I still aim for whole foods and no artificial anything. Pizza is homemade, popcorn is from kernels popped on my stove-top in coconut oil and pancakes are made from scratch (actually tried out a new recipe today and it was delicious! I will share it in an upcoming post.)
The greatest part about my cheat day is that my mind and body love me for it! My body stops thinking I'm starving it and so allows more fat to be burned in subsequent days. Likewise, my mind stops thinking so much about what I am missing and concentrates on what I can have again in just one week.
I advise all of my clients to include a cheat day in their weightloss programs. Without it, your metabolism will likely slow down, you will be moody and depressed and feel deprived.
It's cheat day! Now, I must go sit on the couch with my husband, watch a movie and eat popcorn, for tomorrow will be filled with heavy weights, eggs, oatmeal, tuna, chicken, vegetables and progress toward my goals. Goodnight!
I LOVE stir-fry! Homemade stir-fry is probably my favorite dinner meal. I have about 15 different chicken stir-fry recipes that I rotate through. I thought I would share one with you today. I made this recently for a visit with my in-laws. Everyone enjoyed it. Even my kids ate it, albeit not until the next day because they were too excited that Grandma and Grandpa were around to eat it when it was fresh.
I like that this is made from simple whole ingredients that most people have in their pantry and fridge.
I served this over long grain brown rice rather than pasta and used peanuts in place of cashews because that's what I had on hand. If you want to lighten this dish up a bit and cut back on the sugar content, you can reduce the sauce in half and probably still have plenty, especially if you serve it over rice instead of pasta.
I know, I know, it's been an eternity since I wrote anything! Sorry! Life has been busy. Good, but busy!
One of the things that has been keeping me busy is a nutrition client who was preparing to compete in her first bikini competition. She started following my nutrition plan 13 weeks out from her show and I walked along with her every step of the way answering questions and tweaking her diet. She arrived on show day close to 15 pounds lighter than when she started and very lean! She did an amazing job with her workouts, eating plan and all that goes into preparing for a physique show. And the proof was in the pudding; she came in 2nd in her novice class, 1st in her open class and in the top three overall! It was amazing! I may have been more nervous waiting for her to come out on stage than I am for myself when it's me standing behind the curtain waiting for my name to be called.
She also inspired me to decide to get back on that stage later this summer. My own nutrition plan is in the works to be undertaken in just over a week. Eek! No time like the present!
I will try to remember to post some progress articles for those interested.
Thanks for following along on my journey thus far! Stay tuned and let me know if you need a healthy eating plan to follow.
Check out my accounts on Facebook or Instagram to get quick, simple and easy healthy meal ideas.
I am going to share a much requested snack recipe with you today.
Each time I have made these and shared them with someone, they have requested the recipe. So it must be a good one! I will share the recipe as I make it here, and link to the original recipe that I adapted (slightly) from. With my changes and without any add-ins, there is just one teaspoon of added sugar per serving. However, we like to add chocolate chips or dried cranberries to ours. Doing this, they become more of a treat than a healthy snack due to the added sugar content.
1 cup oats
3 Tbs. honey
5 Tbs. peanut butter (or other nut butter)
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp vanilla
Additional add-ins, if you choose, such as nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc.
In a bowl, combine ingredients together until well mixed.
Add any additional add-ins.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Shape into bites. Store in the refrigerator.
Makes 15 Bites
It seems that most of the people that I talk to are either trying to lose weight or maintain their weight loss. So, I thought that I would give my top seven tips for doing just that.
#1 First and foremost: Don't diet!
Going on a diet is a temporary thing and therefore the weight loss that comes from it is also temporary. If you want to change your weight for good, you need to change your eating habits, but don't go on a diet! Diets may work in the short term, but who wants to be on a diet for the rest of their life? Not me!
#2 Track your intake for a few weeks.
First you need to figure out what and how much you are currently eating. The best way to do that is to write it all down or use an app created for just that reason. Check out myfitnesspal if you haven't already. Track your intake for at least a week so that you can see what eating patterns you have developed and what changes need to be made.
#3 Eat what you like.
You need to change your eating habits, yes, but that doesn't mean eating things that you don't like. If you try and switch outright to a healthy diet (based on someone else's standards of healthy), you will probably last a few days to a week and then fall off the wagon and go back to eating the exact same way you had been before. Instead, figure out which of the meals you are currently eating are the most healthy, keep those in your weekly rotation and cut out the rest.
#4 Eat the same things all the time.
Yes, variety is the spice of life, but when you are just getting started on your healthy eating journey, it is easiest to keep your meals simple and without too much variation. Honestly, most of the people that I know who have maintained a healthy weight for a significant amount of time eat the same foods almost every single day. It takes the guess work out of it.
#5 Eat when you are hungry (and don't when you're not).
Learn to listen to your hunger cues. Make a mental (or physical, if it helps) note of when you reach for food due to stress, boredom, anger, frustration, etc. Try to swap food out for something more productive. Go for a walk, read a few pages in a good book, call a friend, just take your mind somewhere else.
#6 Drink water (or other no calorie drinks).
Don't waste your calories on drinks. They don't keep you feeling full as long as food does, but can be just as many (or more) calories as a full meal!
#7 Don't set anything as off limits.
Saying that you are never going to eat ice cream or have a Starbucks latte again is setting yourself up for failure. Whatever you deem as off limits will be the exact thing that you constantly crave. Instead, give yourself some leeway. Eat healthy 80% of the time and don't worry about the other 20% so much. It's freeing and allows the mind to stay healthy as well!
If you are intrigued by my tips and want to know more about how to implement a healthy eating style into your life, check out my professional services page!
Yes, I hopped on the overnight oats bandwagon! They are so easy and make getting breakfast ready in the mornings so quick! If you haven't tried them, you should. Do you need to have a jar? No. I mix mine up in a tupperware container. It's not as picture-worthy, but it works just fine. I have to admit upfront that I have someone in my house that won't eat them...my husband. Apparently he thinks that oatmeal should be cooked and always eaten hot. The rest of us love this recipe. I have tried other recipes that haven't gone over so well. So my advice is to find a few recipes, try them out and keep the ones you like. The ease of these recipes make them worth experimenting with. Don't forget to click on the title of the post to get the recipe!
If I asked you how much water you are supposed to drink every day, what would you say? 8, 8oz glasses of water? Yeah, that's what everybody thinks. But why? And is it true?
I can really only speculate as to where that prevelant recomendation came from. Some believe that it stems from a recommendation given in 1945 by the Food and Nutrition Board. Others have searched and researched, but haven't found a clear source for that current thought anywhere!
But is it true? Well...not exactly. Even if people are getting the idea to drink a half gallon of water per day from that recommendation, they missed the point. The sentence following that statement says that most of that amount can be consumed through prepared foods.
Therein lies the biggest rub. We are being told to consume at least 64 ounces of water in addition to everything else that we drink and eat every day. However, the recommendation was actually referring to total fluid intake, rather than pure water intake. If other fluids are taken into account, the number of glasses of water I need to drink is significantly reduced by the 20oz of coffee and 10oz of tea that I drink each day. If you include fluids from food, that total drops even more. There is lots of water in fruits and vegetables. Some are made up of 90% water!
So it seems to me that if you are eating a healthy diet containing adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables and are drinking fluids when you feel thirsty, then you are probably getting enough liquid each day to keep you hydrated. In fact, most health officials will tell you to go by the color of your urine. If it's clear or pale yellow, you are hydrated. If it's on the dark amber side, you may need to drink some water! And always drink when you feel thirsty!
Of course, water consumption needs vary by individual and are dependent upon your age, size, activity level and the climate that you live in. The larger you are, more highly active you are and the warmer the climate that you live in, the more water you need.
I have to say that I have always thought those people carrying a gallon jug of water around the gym with them look ridiculous. I'm glad that I never totally fell for that myth told to me by my fellow figure competitors. I do have to admit that I tried to accomplish the feat of consuming a gallon of water one day during the early weeks of training for my very first figure competition with embarrassing results! I have never attempted it again.
It boils down, once again, to listening to and knowing YOUR body and what makes YOU feel your best. My best friend has always harped on me about not drinking enough water (I'm lucky to consume 24 ounces outside of strenuous exercise) each day. She has been a big water drinker for as long as I have known her and at times has consumed up to 1.5 gallons of water per day. We now both agree that we are reaching a happy medium as I am making sure to get my 24oz of water in each day and she is aiming for 60-90oz a day as opposed to the 128oz that used to be her goal. Regardless, it's obvious that her body demands more water than mine.
So spend some time getting to know yourbody's water intake needs. What is your normal? Are you with me on the 3 cups a day side of the spectrum, or farther up towards the 8 or even 16 cups a day side?
I made this wonderful breakfast a couple of weeks ago. I loved it! My husband liked it. My girls wouldn't touch it.
I'm sharing it anyway, because I thought it was that good! I was seriously shocked that my littles didn't care for it. I will definitely attempt to feed it to them again soon. Remember, their tastebuds change and develop quickly at a young age, so never give up on a food after just one or two tries.
I did turn this into three servings (and then split one into two for the girls) as the calorie and sugar count per serving as written is a little high for our needs.
Recently I have heard a lot of comments about canola oil being unhealthy and have been warned not to consume it. I am not very knowledgeable about oils, so thought I would look into it, especially since I have a huge jug of canola oil on the floor of my pantry! I also have a big jug of coconut oil, some olive oil and butter in the fridge. After doing some reading, I think I will be sticking with the latter three and disposing of the first.
It seems that doctors, nutritionists and the general public alike are not in agreement on the health effects of canola oil. I read many educated opinions that ranged from it being completely safe and having health benefits to no one should ever consume it EVER because it's a toxin.
I think my opinion falls somewhere in the middle.
First let me tell you what proponents and opponents agree upon and then I can let you decide for yourself who you side with.
If you pick up a bottle of canola oil in the store, it most likely has a picture of a yellow flower on it. So, most of us naturally assume that this oil comes from some part of the canola flower. Technically, I guess that's true. Except that there is no such thing as a canola flower. The word Canola comes from combining "Canada" and "ola" (which means oil). That's because Canadian scientists developed canola oil. They started with rapeseed oil but had to go back and genetically modify the plants to reduce their erucic acid content. Prior to it being modified, it was inedible, toxic even. A much smaller amount of that toxic substance (erucic acid) still exists in the GMO oil, but the small amount is considered safe to consume by the EPA.
Canola oil has a high amount of omega-3s which is something that we should be consuming more of. However, they have to be handled with care and not overheated. Using canola to cook at high temperatures is not a good idea. When the oil is processed, they use high heat, which causes free radicals (carcinogens) to form within the oil. The high heat also causes some of the unsaturated fats to convert to artificial transfats. Artificial transfats are the worst kind of fat that exists.
The oil is also processed with hexane to deodorize it. Trace amounts of hexane are left in the oil. Hexane is a very volatile solvent (boiling point 69ºC, or 156ºF) with a very low toxicity (LD50 in rats of 49.0 milliliters per kilogram). Hexane has been used to extract oils from plant material since the 1930s, and “there is no evidence to substantiate any risk or danger to consumer health when foods containing trace residual concentrations of hexane are ingested” .
So it seems that those who trust the studies saying that canola oil is safe for human consumption, are willing to believe that it is healthy and fine to consume. They believe that it has a positive effect on ones cholesterol levels when used to replace saturated fats in the diet. But those who take issue with GMO foods and who would rather see long term studies done on canola oil's health effects, are opposed to its consumption.
For me it still boils down to eating whole foods and reducing processing. Since canola oil has to be highly processed and that processing results in less than desirable side effects, I am inclined to stick with natural oils such as olive, coconut and animal fats.
Whole foods are the best foods!
Now that we are firmly into winter, I will share a versatile and simple chili recipe with you. This can be made vegetarian if you use vegetable stock, or you can add ground turkey or beef and use chicken or beef stock. I have made it each of those ways and love it all ways! I have also used kidney beans in place of chickpeas with good results. I don't purée any of the mixture, but that is just a personal preference. I also use about 1/2 the spices called for before removing some for my kids and then I add in the other 1/2 of the spices at the end for the grown ups, otherwise my kids will say it's too spicy and won't eat it.
The other thing I love about this recipe is that it is easily adapted for the slow cooker. Just brown the meat (if you are using it), throw everything in the crock, set to low for 8 hours and dinner is ready when you get home from work!
I usually serve this with corn bread or corn chips. My kids like it sprinkled with cheese and topped with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.
Pardon the not so great picture. I forgot to take one of the finished product until I had almost eaten all of the left-overs!
I am ALWAYS on the lookout for snack food recipes that contain veggies that I think my kids might eat. I found this one last week and added it to my meal planning menu for this week. I gave it a try yesterday and it was a huge success because it was a huge hit with both of my kids! These are so flavorful and are packed with good for you veggies such as zucchini, garlic and onion.
I did have to change it up a little bit. Since I can not eat gluten, I just used regular gluten-free bread crumbs. We didn't dip them in anything. They are good by themselves! I don't have a mini muffin tin, so I used a regular one and put about a tablespoon of "batter" into each one.
And even though I made these for the little ones, my husband and I both really like them too!
Is the saying "No Pain, No gain" actually true? Am I wasting my time in the gym if I'm not sore the next day? Are my workouts only worth the energy put into them if I can't walk afterward?
The simple answer: No, you don't have to be in pain to see gains from gym time.
The more complicated answer: No, but...
You do have to overload your muscles to see a positive response. Balancing overload with "pain" is the tricky part. It's easy to feel that you overloaded the muscle if you are sore the next day. It's not so easy to feel that you overloaded it without that soreness. However, it IS possible to do so!
I read a book called Huge in a Hurry by Chad Waterbury and after following his instructions in that book, I figured out the balance.
Here is his explanation for debunking the "No Pain No Gain" myth:
The problem with this myth is that it seems true. All of us, no matter how much education and experience we possess, use post exercise soreness as a sign of a successful workout. It means that we did something that was different from what we'd been doing before. It means we worked out harder or longer, or we hit some of our muscles in a new way.
But even though all that is true, as far as it goes, it doesn't mean that there is any actual connection between the degree of pain you endure and the amount of muscle you build. It is entirely possible to make the same gains, or even bigger gains, with minimal post workout suffering.
You can't avoid soreness entirely if you're doing an effective program. A good workout breaks down muscle tissue, which is the cue for your muscles to add new protein to those areas, resulting in a net gain in muscle size. But more damage -and the excess pain that comes with it- does not lead to more growth. If that were the case, you could add an inch to your upper arms in one day by doing 100 sets of biceps curls and triceps extensions. Your goal is to minimize this kind of damage, not seek it out. The more damage you do to your muscles, the longer it takes for them to recover fully. That's why excessive muscle breakdown is detrimental to your success."
Think about competitive athletes in any sport. Obviously they have been able to overload their body properly to make athletic gains in the gym. But does that mean that they are sore all the time?
How can it? Have you ever seen a football player hobbling through a game because he was sore from squatting the day before? I doubt it. Athletes don't work out to the point of feeling sore the next day when they have to compete. So how do they make gains in the gym during the season?
They find the proper balance. And they probably don't try anything brand new the day or two before a game. They save those things for the off season.
All that being said, delayed onset muscle soreness is not necessarily a bad thing if you are not a competitive athlete. As long as that soreness starts several hours after your workout (rather than during) and dissipates by 72 hours after that same workout, you are golden. But if you work a muscle group and soreness lasts for more than 72 hours or if you feel pain during your workout, you probably have an injury rather than just normal post exercise soreness. And if you are doing hard workouts 5 or 6 days a week to the point of being sore 24/7, your muscles probably don't have the time to recover and rebuild and therefore, you may not be seeing any gains at all.
So now you want to know how to Gain without Pain, right? I will get to that in my next post. Stay tuned!
I found this simple recipe for baked salmon a few weeks ago and have made it several times already. My whole family loves it! Tonight I served it alongside steamed broccoli and sweet potatoes roasted in coconut oil with a sprinkle of cinnamon. It was devoured. I love when my family loves what I cook! Give this recipe a try. It makes for a super quick and easy weeknight meal. (Remember: click on the title of the post to get the recipe!)
I am thoroughly disgusted by what I have found out regarding natural flavors. I really shouldn't be surprised. I have heard rumors of these things before, but reading a transcript from someone who creates flavors for a living really sealed the deal for me. No more natural flavors for this family! It won't be easy, and it may be a slow process to remove them from the house, but I think it will be worth it.
So are natural flavors really natural? Yes, they are, but not in the way that any normal person would think. Here is the definition of natural flavors according to the FDA:
The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.
That doesn't sound too bad, right? The problem is that when you see something that is strawberry natural flavored, you probably assume that it is flavored from strawberries. That is most likely NOT the case. It also makes sense that things that are meat flavored would come from natural meat sources and things that are fruit flavored would come from natural fruit sources, but that's not always true either. The most disturbing thing that I found is that the flavors vanilla and strawberry can both come from the contents of the anal sac of beavers.
WHAT?!
Yeah, that's what I said too.
Natural? Technically, yes.
Good to consume? Maybe not.
Good on the conscience? Heck No!
I am starting to think that the only reason that is the most disgusting one I could find is because it is the only one that has been "leaked" to the public. That little tid bit of information was given to 60 Minutes by a Flavorist (one of the people that actually come up with and create the natural flavors that go into our foods). I can only imagine that the companies who sell these flavors want to keep their ingredients under wraps so that they can stay in business! So, what other interesting (read: horrifying) things are we consuming under the label "natural flavor"?
Those companies have another reason to keep their ingredients hidden from the public eye. They may be promoting obesity through triggering overeating. The Flavorists are tasked with creating flavors that are irresistable and fleeting. That way, we can't just eat one (I mean, when was the last time you ate just one cookie?) and the next time we see that same thing on the shelf of the store, we will buy it again. It makes sense for the food companies. It doesn't make sense for us as consumers.
So, what are we to do as consumers? In my opinion; Eat whole foods. Whole foods don't contain natural flavors. Maybe if enough people can stay away from packaged foods and those that contain natural flavors, the companies will start to lose money and have to change their practices. It sure would be nice to live in a world where we don't have to scrutinize food labels!
Here is another super easy dinner idea for the crockpot.
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ cup chicken broth (or just water)
1 small bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (mine is Stubb's Original)
Directions:
Place chicken in bottom of crockpot and pour liquid over top. Cook on high for three and a half hours. Drain liquid from crockpot and shred chicken. Return chicken to crockpot and stir in the BBQ sauce. Cook on low for 30 minutes. Serve however you desire.
I like mine on a bun with some Cole slaw, but it is also good by itself with a sweet potato and some greens on the side. It really doesn't get much more simple than this!
Yes, I know that Stubb's has a longer ingredient list than I recommend and it has a natural flavor added to it. I am a work in progress! I should make my own natural BBQ sauce, but I'm just not there yet. If any of you know of a better brand or a good recipe, let me know what it is! Maybe I will have to update this later next week after I do some research and present to you (and myself again) why we shouldn't be using natural favors.
Packing whole food lunches for our kids is not an easy task, I know. However, it's worth the extra effort and it's not quite as hard as you think! Like most things, it takes a little planning and a little prep work but it is very doable.
Let me let you in on my method of packing a lunch for my 4 year old that is in preschool:
I start with a protein source. That may be leftover sauteed chicken or baked chicken nuggets, turkey burger broken into "nuggets", peanut butter, nuts, a turkey (no nitrates, Applegate is a good brand) sandwich, tuna salad, a cheese stick or some yogurt.
Next I add in a fruit. She loves grapes, orange slices, strawberries, blueberries, melon chunks, apples, pears, pretty much anything!
I also try to get a vegetable in there. I can count on her eating grape tomatoes (but aren't those actually a fruit?!), so i pack those quite often. She also likes red, orange and yellow bell pepper strips, carrots sticks and avocado (also a fruit?!). She will eat frozen peas and frozen mixed vegetables (but turns her nose up at them if they are cooked/warm), so I can just throw some of those into a container as well. I have also sent her with leftover roasted butternut squash and sweet potatoes.
Then I think about any extras such as a homemade muffin, some clean crackers, hummus for dipping the veggies in, some granola to top off her yogurt with, a few raisins or, on occasion, some tortilla chips.
So, for example, yesterday she had half of a peanut butter and jelly (homemade jam) sandwich (homemade whole wheat bread), a whole apple and a cheese stick. On Wednesday she will have sweet italian sausage slices, some frozen mixed veggies, a few peanuts and a banana.
When it comes to finding clean bread, crackers, chips, etc. that are store bought; find a brand that has very few ingredients (preferably less than 6) all that you know what they are and can pronounce. Stay away from both artificial and natural flavors. More on that next time!
Example crackers: Back to Nature brand Harvest Whole Wheat Crackers and Late July Brand Organic Classic Rich Crackers.
Example bread: Ezekiel Bread
Example chips: Wellsley Farms Organic Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips (I get these at BJs).
Read labels as you shop. You can find snacks that are made from whole foods. It just takes a little extra effort (and money, which I wish wasn't the case!).
For more great school lunch ideas check out The Gracious Pantry
Even more great school lunch ideas can be found at 100 Days of Real Food
I hope this helps some of you tired mommas out!