Snacks That Surprised Me

Eating organic can definitely be tricky, especially when it comes to snack food. I'm fine with my regular meals: chicken, veggies, fruits, etc. but when it comes to quick, on-the-go snacks, it becomes very tempting to simply reach for those bags of chips and chocolate bars! Let's face it, strawberries are delicious, but sometimes I just find myself wanting some Doritos instead. At work tonight (I work at a drug store) I was browsing our chip/snack section, reading the backs of bags just for fun. Here are a few seemingly chemical-filled snacks that surprised me!

PopCorners (Sea Salt flavor)
Official PopCorners website: http://www.popcorners.com/
I've actually had these before, and they are DELICIOUS! The only ingredients listed (again, SEA SALT flavour. The other flavours are packed with nasty chemicals) are: yellow corn, sunflower oil, and sea salt. Who woulda thunk it?

Snapea Crisps (Snack Salad brand)
Official site: http://www.snacksalad.com/products.html
I figured these sun-dried peas would have something funky in them, but compared to most other snack foods they really have very little in them! Not to mention they're a source of calcium, protein, Vitamin C, and iron. Not bad for a snack food, right?

Cliff Bars
Official site: http://www.clifbar.com/
Being a university student who also works, I'm always looking for yummy energy bars. Unfortunately, a lot of them are high in calories and fat, AND consist of too many unpronounceable chemicals! Cliff Bars are certified organic (and certified DELICIOUS). There may be a long list of ingredients, but they're all good ones!



I'll continue adding to this post as I come across more delicious "healthy snack foods in disguise." :)

Week Four - April 11th

I stopped posting a blog every day because it just became too much! I'm so busy, I don't think I'll be able to post an update every single day for the remaining five weeks, but that does not mean I've given up on the Bikini Challenge! On the contrary, I am going stronger than ever. I've been working out every day (even if it's only 20 minutes of cardio or a toning circuit) and I am VERY proud of how well I've been eating. I'm having trouble staying away from starchy foods and carbs, but I've cut funky chemicals out of my diet completely. I would love to say I'm seeing results already, but honestly I'm not sure that I am. I'm okay with that, though, because to me this isn't just about losing weight, it's more about feeling good about myself and taking care of my body. I'm only 17, and I want to set the tone for how I want to live my life as I grow up!

Tone It Up workouts I've been loving:
Beach Ball Workout
http://toneitup.com/blog/2011/04/beach-ball-workout-bikini-challenge/

Ab Workout Circuit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ZTzUEtPTI&feature=player_embedded


Food I've been loving:
Steamed veggies (usually I steam cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots)
A little bit of tuna on Simply Fit 95% organic baked crackers
(crackers: http://content.melaleuca.com/ps/index.cfm?f=ps.productDetail&pid=9237&bt=9237)
Sliced bananas and oatmeal

Gold'n Krackle: A yummy, quick, (relatively) healthy snack!

Mmmm. So yummy! My new favourite quick, go-to, I-need-something-crunchy-right-now snack food is Gold'n Krackle's cinnamin and sugar strips! They're baked, low cholestrol, low fat, and no preservatives!

Here's the Gold'n Krackle website:
http://www.goldnkrackle.com/

I bought mine at my local London Drugs store. They were only $4! Yum.

Week Three - April 7th

Okay I'm really starting to slide! I didn't work out again today. But I have been keeping a close eye on what I eat! Today I ate:

- a whole bunch of strawberries
- a few dark chocolate covered cranberries
- chicken fettuccine (with lemon and broccoli. It was actually a lot of chicken, and not a lot of noodles at all!)
- one bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese
- one small glass of orange juice
- two bottles of water


Wow, it sort of looks like I'm not eating a lot. My days are sooo long, I sort of forget to eat... It's not that I forget to work out, I just get so busy, before I know it it's midnight! I'm working hard though. I won't lose faith :)

Week Three - April 6th

Exercise:
I didn't work out again today. I just got busy, and before I knew it it was 11:00pm and already in bed. I don't feel bad, though, because I work hard all day every day. I can't change my lifestyle overnight.

Food:
1 banana
about 8 GIGANTIC strawberries
1 piece of chicken
about 1/2 a cup of brown rice
a few pieces of dark chocolate
one piece of pumpkin pie

Tone It Up keeps e-mailing new, awesome workouts and I have yet to try them! Busy week. After Thursday and Friday I'll be back to a more normal routine. I feel a little discouraged, but I'm not going to let this little funk get me down! :) We all deserve a break, yes? This is about changing my lifestyle, not being perfect.

Week Three - April 5th

Exercise:
None. Long long day at school and work, I just couldn't fit it in today.

Food:
1 banana
about 5 organic rice crackers
1 bowl of homemade chili
1 piece of Hawaiian pizza (this pizza is surprisingly not too greasy or gross. It definitely tasted home made)
1 bowl of fruit salad (watermelon, grapes, oranges, cantaloupe, etc. etc.)
about 4-6 chocolate covered almonds (man, those things have a lot of calories in them! I had no idea!)
1 orange
a crapload of steamed green beans, red peppers, and carrots

I'm starting to feel the pressure of exam season. Tomorrow I'm going on the hunt for healthy snack food for those long study sessions!

Karena and Katrina sent out a lean arms workout, and an inner thigh/ab workout. Can't wait to try them! Tomorrow morning ;) booty call!

Week Three - April 4th

Exercise:
35 minutes of yoga (morning booty call!)
15 minute ab workout


Food:
1 banana
a few candies (I gave in, I admit it!)
about 10 organic rice crackers
about 20-30 organic, whole wheat tortilla chips (they were NASTY, but healthy...) with organic salsa (about 1 cup) and a teensy bit of sour cream (when I say teensy I MEAN teensy! Probably two tablespoons, I kid you not)
1 piece of parmesean chicken
a whole crapload of steamed green beans and carrots.


I'm getting close to Final Exams, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to avoid junky snack food (chips, cheezies, candy, pop, ice cream...). I'm trying my hardest! the best thing I can do is be aware of when and how much I eat "cheat foods" and make sure I keep exercising on a regular basis.

Week Two - April 3rd

Over the past few days I've been feeling discouraged and frustrated, but today I feel like I got my motivation back. We're 1/4 through the Bikini Challenge and I feel more excited than ever! The weather's starting to warm up, so I'll be able to go for jogs OUTSIDE and my classes are almost finished, so I won't be as exhausted all the time. Yay. I'm just, yeah, I'm very very excited to work hard.

Exercise:
45 mins cardio (dancing!)
Ab workout (I LOVE this TIU workout! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ZTzUEtPTI&feature=player_embedded)

Food:
Salad (lettuce, tomatoes, feta dressing)
Mashed potatoes
Asparagus
1 bowl of movie theatre popcorn
1 glass of iced tea
3 bottles of water

Booty call tonight! I'm going to do some YOGA tomorrow morning! I absolutely LOVE doing yoga in the morning. These are some of my favourite yoga videos on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xctBhj7TVc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcC8hZPwj6w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJQ9fKvmsu8

Week Two - April 2nd

I'm not gonna lie, today was a cheat day. I worked all day and I did not work out at all. I'm not even going to say I feel bad or guilty, because I don't. I work very hard, and it's tough to get a workout in every day. I'm a university student, too, so I have studying to do as well. I'm not going to make excuses, but it is tough, and I do feel okay skipping a day here and there.

Food:
3/4 can tuna (I couldn't finish, haha)
10-15 Premium crackers
a couple pieces of dark chocolate
1 egg, sunny side up
1 piece of whole wheat toast with butter
1 glass of orange juice
3 glasses of water
15-20 sweet potato chips (I checked the ingredients, no added chemicals or weird ingredients! yay!)

Week Two - April 1st

Exercise:
Skiing - I don't care if some people say it's "not exercise," I definitely got a workout today. My legs are burning more than ever! It definitely works a lot of muscles.


Food:
1 corn dog -  I couldn't help myself! It looked so delicious. 
1 bowl of ice milk
3 bottles of water

Okay, I know my "food" list looks TERRIBLE. I was up early this morning, spent all day on the ski hill all day and when we stopped for lunch I didn't have a lot of money and, honestly, didn't feel hungry at all. I grabbed a corn dog (it looked so delicious. I hadn't had one in years!) and a bottle of water, then off I went again! When I got home I had was really craving ice milk, so I had a small bowl, and then I laid down and had a nap and slept straight through dinner until now (1am). When I woke up I realized I hadn't really eaten at all, let alone anything healthy, and I tried eating a banana but for some reason I just don't feel well now. Oh well. We all have off days. Tomorrow I'm going to try and get up and go for a jog, maybe I'll feel better then. For now I'm just going to go back to sleep.

Week Two - March 31st

Holy moly today was busy. Thursdays suck for me because I'm up at 5, at school until 1, at work until 11, and don't get home until after midnight. I tried to sneak in a workout today but unfortunately didn't get to it until tonight. It's almost 1am, so technically it's TOMORROW! Today I definitely felt like going out and buying all the junk food I could find and just gorging myself! But I didn't. I'll of course give myself treats (I'm in love with dark chocolate!) but I know if I go on a binge I'll cancel out all my hard work, and who wants that?

Exercise:
Bikini strap workout
Bikini bum workout
Lean legs pyramid

Food:
1 slice of banana bread
Cup Of Veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cheese, carrots, celery, thousand island dressing for dipping)
A few pieces of dark chocolate
1 bowl of air-popped popcorn (about 1/4 cup unpopped seeds), a sprinkle of salt+vinegar seasoning
1 bite of a nasty salad roll from some terrible Viet restaurant
3 bottles of water

I'm exhausted! I promise tomorrow's blog will be longer.
Goodnight :)