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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Office Snack Drawer....protection against all sorts of evils

So it's the birthday of your coworker. HOORAY! Someone brought in a cake. Awesome. Sigh....another day of avoiding the lunch room.

Or maybe this scenario sounds more like you....you are such a diligent and hardworker that you can't possibly fathom time to get up and grab a snack any further than your desk (not that you're on facebook or reading your fave blogs at work....right?)

What you need is a snack diversion. A pocket-sized quick-draw morsel that you can use to avert your gaze from the cake, and keep you on your track to become the World's Most Fabulous Employee. You also want to make sure that these midday bites are in-line with your fitness and lifestyle goals...right? While it's all good to say you should just pack your lunch and snacks everyday, sometimes life gets a bit crazy and plans don't always work out that way so you need a back-up.

For these kinds of 'emergency' situations my number one trick (ESPECIALLY for the office workers out there) is to create a snack drawer.....



NO....NOT ONE THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS:

No Special K crap or sugar-laden granola bars or mini-chocolate bars. And just because Oreo Thinsations are only 100 calories doesn't mean they should be coming anywhere near you or your snack drawer. The whole reason you have snacks are to fuel you and to give you energy to get through the day. SO, that means the snacks you eat need to have substance. In a perfect world, all of your snacks would have lean protein, healthy fats and nutrients from fruits and/or veggies. But I know you're human and can't always have a mini-fridge strapped to your back. Here are some easy ideas that you can bring and leave at work for an extended period of time (except for some of the fridge items). I've grouped them by storage location....from pocket to the frost-filled work-freezer.

 








Pockets: almonds, pistachios, walnuts, homemade candied pecans (make sure you pre-portion these bad boys), clementines, pre-packaged protein bars (my personal favourites? Elevate Me! - gluten free, Simply Bars  - dairy and gluten free & Phytoberry bars - nutrient rich)

Drawers: homemade trail mix (nuts, seeds, homemade granola - steer clear of dried fruit - you're not doing yourself any favours because they are pretty much glorified sour patch kids), apples, nut butter portable packets, container of protein powder to mix into almond milk or greek yogurt or plain oatmeal, cans of tuna/salmon
Fridge: Homemade Protein or Breakfast Bars, cut up fruit & nut butters, lettuce wraps w/ avocado veggies and/or turkey, high protein crepes, plain greek yogurt, strawberries filled with goat's cheese,

Freezer: edamame, frozen oatmeal protein pancakes,

Don't forget! Always try to include protein and/or fat in your snacks - that's what will keep your blood sugar steady and keep you satisfied until your next meal! If you can, eat REAL food (i.e. nothing from a package) but if you are in a bind and need something package make sure you opt OUT of the pre-packaged sugary carb garbage (including the ones that appear 'healthy' like Fibre 1 bars but are actually sugar bombs) and your midday mood and future body composition will thank you :)

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