What I Eat-Work Day Edition

Before we even get into this post- you made it through half of the work/school week and that is something to be proud of! Whatever you’re feeling anxious/excited/nervous/intimidated/joyful about for the remainder of the week, I want to remind you to give that to God this morning (or whenever you get around to reading this post hehe). I constantly need that reminder for myself, so I wanted to share it with you so that we can start our day with the one who created it for us!

Also- before we really get into this post…you should know that I am obviously not a food expert or a health expert. I eat what makes me feel good and I try and listen to my body when I am lacking energy throughout the day. So, while there are “times” that I eat included in this post, you should know that I snack/eat when my body is telling me that I need to do so. Everything you see here is bought from Trader Joe’s and LORD I wish they were sponsoring this post, but I am just truly obsessed with TJ’s and everything about it. I will say though, that Trader Joe’s is a very interesting store to grocery shop in if you don’t know what to look for. I hope that I can give you some inspiration in this post, so that you don’t feel too lost wandering down their 5 aisles.

 

Pre-breakfast

I have never strayed from these two fruits you guys. Every. Single. Day. for the past 6 months I either start my day with an apple or a banana. Whichever one I don’t eat for breakfast becomes my after work snack WITH almond butter [and we’ll get to the reasoning in a minute]. I just personally am not the “egg whites with kale” kinda breakfast gal…and if you are, I honestly wish I could be more like you! But at 6:30AM, I’m not hungry enough or energized enough to even turn the stove on haha!

Breakfast [or second snack if you don’t consider this a meal]

*Cliff bars not pictured*
*will get a picture of the ones I buy when I get to work*
*didn’t need to pick them up from TJ’s because I buy in bulk whenever I do buy*

I eat a blueberry and almond Cliff bar every single morning around 9:00-9:30AM! I used to eat the chocolate chip flavored Cliff bars, but I couldn’t get down with chocolate that early every morning. The blueberry ones are seriously like having a treat. I also picked up a few Lemon Larabar’s because I am going to give these a spin this week and see if I feel full and energized throughout my morning. I’m sure that my breakfast would be much more “balanced” and “better for me” if I ate something like oatmeal and pb or egg whites, but this girl has no time for that! Especially when you factor in a classroom full of kids to the mix! I praise teachers that can have a well rounded meal ready for themselves before work haha!

 

Lunch

We’re going to start with these three things because they are essential to the yummiest lunch ever. I always buy these three things while I am at Trader Joe’s because they are my “tried and true” if you will. It’s like that one store you buy all your denim from because you know they are going to all fit your waist and length exactly how you need them, and they will never let you down… Well, that’s exactly how I feel about this turkey, cheese and cracker combo. Think adult lunchable. And a da** good lunchable at that!

One of the very first times I ever went to Trader Joe’s I was actually buying a “cheese board” gift for Alex’s parents. They love to entertain and host so I thought that a cheese board would be a great gift idea for them. I bought a bunch of different cheeses, wine, jams, olives and crackers. I went in totally clueless and I asked multiple workers to recommend their favorite cheese…guys I kid you not- they ALL said “Unexpected Cheddar”. “You can’t leave without unexpected cheddar.” And so I listened, because I was a newbie…and that was the day I fell in love with Trader Joe’s.

I think this is probably self explanatory- but I just rip the turkey slice into two pieces, break off some crumbles of cheese and place it on my water cracker! [I love this alternative to a sandwich because I cannot stand soggy bread- and this is healthier!]

I then have a little baggie with grapes and carrots! I don’t buy my grapes from TJ’s because I like very specific ones from Kroger [call me crazy]. This is one of my side items at lunch, but if I get hungry before lunch- which happens every few days…I will bust this side item out and eat it before I go to lunch!

Oh baby, I am craving this now!!!! If you love flavored popcorn, dill pickle popcorn, salty popcorn, etc., you haveeee to get this! Not only is this big bag only $1.99, its a much healthier alternative to chips and it’s seriously so much better tasting than a bag of chips! This is another one of my “tried and true” items! It’s seriously a must have! It’s also the only other snack I pack for lunch. I really try and stay away from snacks like goldfish and cookies that bring me zero nutritional value, because I need all of the help I can get when I am using SO much energy to teach!

After School Snack:

I either eat the banana [or apple] and almond butter before I leave school while I am doing some prep for the next day, or if I know I can make it home without starving I will make a smoothie. I am going to list what goes in my smoothies in case you need some inspo:

-Cup of spinach/kale [I prefer spinach]
-Vanilla Greek yogurt
-Favorite Juice [I use probiotic juice that you can get from TJ’s, they also make a greens smoothie juice]
-Full banana
-Tbsp of all natural almond butter or pb [I get the “no salt” almond butter”]
-Frozen berries

Sweet Cravings:

If I am absolutely craving something sweet, because we all get those cravings…I try really hard to ignore it, but sometimes you just can’t. So I keep a jar of “cookie butter” on hand to grab a spoonful of if I just can’t resist. Cookie butter for those of you who are TJ’s newbies, is the most delightful spread in a jar EVER. It’s like gingerbread cookies, but in butter form. So- picture peanut butter, only it’s made from cookies. Horrible for the body, amazing for the soul. 

If you made it this far- I love you a whole lot. Thanks for reading this post, and even more than that- thank you for requesting it! I love when you guys let me know what you’re wanting! It makes me seriously happy. I hope you have the most amazing day today and I can’t wait to chat with you soon!