What I Ate Wednesday #105: Nut Butter All Day!

It should come as no surprise that we currently have 5 open jars of nut butters in the house. That said, they’re all dwindling because I can never decide which one I want and I never want to finish a jar. Such problems, right? Most days I usually have 4 of the 5 nut butters; I’d say that’s a good day!

The health benefits of nuts, including peanuts [technically a legume], are undeniable. Aside from just being known for healthy fats, they also contain a number of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

[Pre-Workout]

I wasn’t even counting my Skoop blueberry bite, but this does have some PB&Co. Bees Knees in it. Peanuts are higher in protein than most nuts and are a heart-healthy food due to the mono-unsaturated fatty acids that can help to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.

[Breakfast]

You all know how much I love my melty nut butters on my oatmeal. This bowl has a mixture of peanut butter, coconut cashew butter, and protein almond butter. Almonds are a fiber-rich nut which, along with the healthy fats, helps you stay full. And a recent study funded by the Almond Board of California has shown that these nuts can even raise the levels of good bacteria in your system for a healthy gut!

[Lunch]

I swapped out my healthy fats at lunch for a little avocado on my snack plate. As for the tuna, I mix in some ketchup and relish.. is that strange? I’ve put ketchup in tuna my whole life so I don’t even know. Ha!

[Afternoon Snack]

Soon after my lunch, I had a few slices of freshly roasted sweet potato with more coconut cashew butter. This was pretty much the best combo all day! Cashews are a great source of iron—helps to prevent anemia—, zinc—for immune health and vision—, and magnesium—to help improve memory. Crunch on some cashews so you can remember all of this 😉

[Dinner]

Skipped the nut butter in dinner again, but there’s a sprinkling of peanuts on top! I filled my bowl up with tons of broccoli and it hit the spot. Nice and light but super filling.

[Evening Snack]
Sliced up an apple with some more peanut butter. I just can’t get enough!

Nut butters are something I always have to use measuring spoons for, otherwise I’d go crazy! So while it may look and sound like I’m eating a ton of nut butter, I’m actually limiting it to about 2-3 tablespoons per day. You bet your butt I could eat more [like a jar per day!] but there is such a thing as going overboard on healthy food too 😉

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite nut?
Do you measure out your nut butter or just go for it?

Sources: 29 Amazing Benefits Of Peanuts For Skin, Hair And Health & Why You Should Go Nuts for Nuts

What I Ate Wednesday #101: Eat All the Food!

Have you entered my AMRAP giveaway yet?

The last couple of days for me have been some serious hungry days. You know the days when you haven’t even finished eating a meal and you’re already thinking about what you’re going to eat next? I just couldn’t get enough! In regards to getting better at the whole intuitive eating idea, I figured I should probably listen to my constant growling stomach and feed it. Makes sense, right? Good.

Pre-Workout

I love my morning bites and I like to think the coffee beans in these bites give me an extra kick 😉

Breakfast

Pretty much the same old protein oats, but I’ve decided to start stirring in the egg whites after the oats have cooked as opposed to cooking the eggs first, separately. The oats end up being creamier and fluffier.. it’s really hitting the spot these days.

Lunch #1

On the rare days that I get to sit on my butt during the day, I tend to go for a snack-style lunch. I sauteed up a jalapeno chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s, loaded up on some veggies, and my new favorite eggplant hummus. The way I’ve been going through that stuff, I’m thinking it’s time I whip up my own version at home.

Lunch #2

I gave it a good 30 minutes or so before deciding I was still hungry for real. Cajun chicken and ketchup? Why not?! I’ve also been having a love affair with ketchup lately. Don’t ask.. ha!

Afternoon Snacks

I truly believe having healthy food in the house is key and when I need a little sweet treat, having a few flavors of bites in the freezer helps. Carrot cake after lunch it is!

And some homemade kombucha! I came back from Baltimore to a gallon of kombucha ready to drink and I’ve been loving it. It’s not so bubbly this time around, but hey, it’s only my first try! I bought some ginger to add to it but I’ve really been enjoying the plain flavor.

A couple hours later, the monster was back and growling again. I mixed a little Vega vanilla protein powder and cinnamon into some Greek yogurt, added a dollop of almond butter, and dug into some granola on the side. That should hold me over for another 20 minutes..

Dinner

The plan was for buffalo tenders but seeing as how I couldn’t find any good buffalo sauce, I made the quinoa crusted chicken strips and Tieghan’s new hot wing sauce. As Nathan said, if we can’t do buffalo, a good spicy Asian sauce hits the spot! I also made some spiralized baked “curly fries” for Nathan. It was a darn good dinner!

Evening Snack
The SweeTangos are out! This apple is a hybrid of Honeycrisp and Zestar; it’s always crisp and not too sweet [I find Honeycrisp to be too sweet for me]. I’m usually not a fan of anything other than Fuji but these hit the spot!

Hopefully I’ve taken care of my bottomless pit of a stomach for at least a few days!

Food for Thought

How do you deal with your bottomless pit days?