Healthy Snacking for Weight Loss

When we are super busy, it's easier to grab foods that are quick to eat. More often than not, they are the wrong foods for health. A few cookies here, a handful of chips there...and although these take the edge off of our hunger, they are absolutely not the right things we need to fuel our bodies for health and weight loss (I am a big cookie fan so I can relate). Today's 12 Days of Fitness tip is a great one that will help you with this very issue.

DARLEEN HUTCHINS is a Pilates educator with over 10 years of experience. She works long days and makes sure she has healthy snacks on hand at all times to keep her going. She shares her nifty "Sunday Night Packup" idea that anyone can implement. Give it a try and save yourself from the donuts this week.

THE SUNDAY NIGHT PACKUP

I love helping my clients with Fit Tips, especially during the holidays. My favorite no-fail trick is called the SUNDAY NIGHT PACK-UP!  Every Sunday night, I make a date with myself to begin the week with some preparation. By pre-cutting and packing weekly snacks, I’m sure to have fresh, organic bites on hand all week long. When Monday starts and I'm ready to run off to my 10 hour work day, I can grab 3-4 different snacks, toss them in my lunch box, and be guaranteed a week of success, one day at a time.

How to do this? Cut, mix, and pre-pack about 20 mini containers/baggies. Here are some of my favorite snack ideas which are all around 200 calories and pack the proper proteins, carbs, and even some fats your body needs as fuel all day.

 Snack Makin’

•  Hard boil 48 eggs. (Sorry friends, no yolk, and yes, no salt either.) One large egg packs about 4 grams of protein and roughly 20 calories.
•  Measure out 1/4 cup raw nut variety (raw almonds, pistachio, and raw cashew is my favorite)
•  1/4 cup carrots with 4 tbs hummus
•  Fuji apple slices with 2 tbs peanut butter
•  6 celery sticks with 2 tbs almond butter
•  1/2 cup quinoa, 1 tbs olive oil, 2 tbs sunflower seeds
•  3 slices low-sodium turkey slices rolled with low fat mozzarella cheese
•  12 oz almond milk shaken up with your favorite protein powder (Alive pea protein is my go-to)
•  1 banana sliced into 10 disks, drizzled with honey, sprinkled with 2 tbs raw coconut flakes
•  Mini-parfait (1/4 cup berries tossed with 1 serving Greek yogurt)
•  Greek-style salad. (1/4 cup cherry tomatoes - halved, 1/4 cup cucumber, 2 tbs walnuts, 1 tbs oil/vinegar)
•  Healthy tuna salad. 1/2 cup flake tuna, 1 tbs Greek yogurt, 1 tbs Dijon mustard, pepper)

The SUNDAY NIGHT PACK-UP is my favorite trick to keeping a healthy, committed week and lifestyle, all literally within reach.

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Darleen Hutchins is a student and educator of Pilates for 10 years. Her instruction is based on postural correction, strength, and heightening the mind-body awareness. She consistently continues her studies of Pilates, spinal conditions, rehabilitation, and functional movements. Her educational experience is with IMX Pilates, Power Pilates of NYC, NY trainer/fitness consultant Patty Maraldo, and spinal education from Dr. Davis & Dr. Daly of The South Florida Interventional Pain and Wellness Institute. She enjoys sharing the benefits of fitness via Pilates and finds nothing more rewarding than helping others push to their greatest potential. Darleen teaches Pilates at SobeFitBody in Miami Beach, Florida.