The story of our client Miriam may sound familiar to many of you.
A young mom, in her early 30’s, with a full time job and a successful career, who also has three kids under the age of 6. Anyone would feel exhausted given all these factors and she is no different.
Miriam’s schedule is always busy, and somehow she manages to get everything done. The open time slots that aren’t filled by her job-related tasks, are easily filled by domestic and parenting tasks. These hectic days take a heavy toll on her nutrition.
While her kids receive healthy and balanced meals, she can’t seem to maintain a similar eating routine. During her work day, she settles for quick meal solutions: sandwiches, pastries, ready-to-eat salads and take-out. Occasionally she brings with her some home cooked leftover meals to warm up at the office.
By the end of the day she is so tired, she eats her kids’ leftovers and finishes what’s left on their plates… This scenario has repeated itself on a daily basis for years. Miriam has come to a realization that she needs to put an end to this eating pattern.
Unlike many of our clients, Miriam’s goal wasn’t losing weight. Lucky for her, despite these messy eating habits, her weight remained stable. What she wanted from us was to help her organize her day in a way that helps her keep a healthier routine and doesn’t require much time or effort. Wouldn’t that be great for us all 😉
We came up with some simple recipes for dinner that are easy and quick for Miriam to prepare, thus preventing her from settling for her kids’ unfinished dinners. Other recipes were adapted to larger quantities, in order for her to freeze in single portions to take with her to the office. We gave her some smart and creative ideas on how to upgrade her sandwiches and make them more balanced and filled with nutrients. We helped her with her weekly grocery list and introduced her to new and healthier alternatives.
We had to also recommend healthy snacks- for her and her children- perfect for those in-between moments when energy is low and that craving starts for something sweet.
Who can resist a homemade sweet snack that is actually nutritious and balanced without all the sugar?
A healthy granola bar is good on the go or as a quick breakfast. It easily beats sugar laden cereal. It’s suitable as a snack on a day trip, a hike or after exercise.
It can also be a good idea for postpartum moms who need small filling snacks in between feeding their newborn.
These healthy bars are actually oat free and are based on nuts and seeds which are a great source of essential fats, amino acids and minerals. They contain some extra carbohydrates for energy from the dried fruits and the maple. This snack is sweet, crunchy, fun and filling… oh and healthy!
Granola bar snacks
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups raw nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, etc)
1/2 cup shredded dried coconut
1/4 cup 70% (or higher) dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup (natural, unsweetened)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat your oven to 325°f (165°c) and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Add all of the nuts, seeds, dried fruit and salt to a mixing bowl and give it a stir.
3. In a separate small bowl, stir together the vanilla extract and maple syrup. Pour this on top of the nuts and stir everything together, until it’s well coated.
4. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and use the back of a large spoon or spatula to flatten it into one layer.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, then cool for one hour in the pan.
6. Once the granola bars are fully cooled, slice them into bars. First slice the entire portion in half, then divide each half into six bars, for 12 total granola bars.