While a healthy diet starts with eating meals made at home, sometimes it can be impractical. The tricky part is making it affordable and nutritious.
Better Oats is sold at my local Shaws and is often on sale. They enlarged the packages recently and now 10 servings come in a case for around $3. I add in my own Truvia natural sweetener packet to sweeten it up a bit. The package is 160 calories and easy to bring in my purse. I ask for an extra cup of hot water at the coffee stop with my tea, dump the contents inside and replace the lid. I let it sit for 5 minutes and then enjoy!
Lunch can be tricky but I am a huge fan of the chopped salad places. I often will make my own that includes a heart healthy fat like avocado, olives or walnuts and a protein like shrimp or chicken. I order as many veggie as possible free of charge as well. Some places include just 4, but others have unlimited. My favorites are sweet potatoes, beets, mushrooms, onions and anything roasted or marinated.
For dressing, I order a vinaigrette, preferably low fat but not fat free. I will order balsamic vinegar and olive oil on occasion.
As far as snacks go, I love packets of trail mix or a bar. While I’m not crazy about the ingredients, we do sell Quest Bars at Barry’s in Boston. If I’m at work, I snack on one that is sweetened with stevia (not sucralose) or I’ll get a smoothie. If I remember to bring something from home, I might snack on a Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge with Ak-mak crackers.
Sadly, I forgot to take a picture but last night for dinner I ordered take out from Anchovies, a popular cheap Italian eatery. I got my favorite Mussels Marinara and Greek Salad with grilled chicken. I made pasta for roomie. After chopping up the large salad, I had half of my share of the mussels before adding the sauce and remaining ones to the pasta. I ate 2/3 of the salad and gave the other 1/3 to roomie. How often do you eat meals away from?
And if I eat this well eating most of my meals out, my treat might look something like this…
I tried Yasso’s newest flavor Sea Salt Caramel last night and oh my gosh… it was so good. I didn’t loot at the nutrition but Yasso makes frozen Greek yogurt bars with natural ingredients. Not sure if the flavors are out yet, but this one is a must try!
