Still getting that afternoon crash?

Starbucks run for a mocha? Grab a donut from the break room?

Umm no; don't fill and sugar and caffeine. It doesn't serve your body and brain. You will have a spike in your blood sugar with a crash later and still be hungry. I call these empty calories. No nutritional value. We all love snacks. Salty and sweet combos are my favorite. Snacks help us make it through the afternoon until dinner. They should be used a snack not a meal.

Eating high quality foods to improve your mood:

- salmon, blueberries, kale, garlic, and olive oil = brain food

I have offered easy grab snacks to my kids and hand them out like its no big deal. I'm totally guilty of this. Goldfish, granola bars, cheese sticks, more granola bars etc.. but what if we took 20 mins once a week to prep some alternatives? Would that even be reasonable? some weeks "yeah, I'm not doing that."

First, I will say make sure you are dinking enough water. Our brains does not know the difference between hunger and thirst. The brain triggers hunger for both. Stay hydrated, you are probably just thirsty. I have put together a quick list for you to use in your busy lives to curve that afternoon hunger/ brain fog in yourself and your kids.

15 packable snacks for on the go

1. small apple with 2 T of nut butter about 270 calories (daughters favorite)

2. coconut chips 1/4c = 160 calories

3. 2 hardboiled eggs with everything bagel seasoning = 160 cal

4. 7 oz Greek yogurt with ½ cup berries = 180 cal

5. banana slices with nut butter drizzled = 280 cal

6. plantain chips (1 oz) with 1oz guacamole =190 cal (my favorite)

7. Figs stuffed goat cheese (about 1 oz) drizzle with balsamic vinegar = 150 cal

8. kale chips 1 oz (try with curry seasoning) = 122 cal

9. caprese salad 2oz =140 cal

10. shrimp cocktail 3oz make sauce w/ primal kitchen ketchup = 80 cal (my sons favorite)

11. canned chickpeas roasted @ 450 for 30-40 min until crispy add seasoning 1oz =120 cal

12. Jerky 9 watch out for high added sugar 1oz = 70 cal

13. mixed nuts 1 oz = 172 cal 6g protein

14. crunchy toasted quinoa high in protein 1oz = 9.4g protein

15. Deli rollups 2 deli meats 1 slice cheese add a veggie =10g of protein

---

Running low on time or don't like to prepare.

- You might want to grab and go from the store?

Most of the list above you can do just that, grab and go!

Explore the produce section they have nuts and already sliced up apple packets and individual veggie trays. Some even include cheese nuts and fruit. You can find jerky with cheese and fruit.

In the peanut butter isle there is packets of peanut butter, almond butter, and coconut butters perfect for that grab and go. Pair with an apple of banana its the perfect mix. Have you tried the RX brand? The coconut almond butter packs are so good.

Grab single serve guac and a small bag of plantain chips boom crunchy salty and filling. but stay clear of the "juice" and "smoothies" in the bottles they pack so much sugar you will be left with the same crash you were trying to avoid.

I hope this helps please head to my subscribe button (www.sparklifellc.com) and I'll send you 3 easy recipes for snack prepping. my 3 recipe ideas are great for you and littles.

Happy, Healthy and SparkLIFE,

Carley