This Is Why You're Fat & Healthier Snacking Options

Does anyone see the irony in this picture?

Yes, the fact that this awesome book is leaning against my Kitchen Aid mixer is a huge reason why I have extra fat on my body. I love to cook and I love to eat sweets! Majority of what we eat is healthy, but during these cold winter months, it sure is hard to resist those comfort foods. It's a good thing that Jackie Warner uses me as her body double in the summer months and lets me take a sabbatical in the winter months because she knows me so well. HA!

Seriously, though, check out this book at your local library and I promise you will see some results. Better yet, buy the book, read ALL of it. Love it and DO it!!! I love that Jackie doesn't say any food is off limits. Her main nutritional method is to eat clean for 5 days and then eat what you want on the weekends. Naturally, you see results and feel so much better eating clean, therefore you are less likely to want to eat the junk as much. I like this mentality because it takes the pressure off of eating perfect all the time and it allows for you to enjoy life a bit more. My kind of gal!

Since the majority of people I know keep a very busy, on the go, and are just down right awesome...I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite protein bars along with a few that Umo (Ekpenyong) Callens, our nutritionist at Transformation Fitness Center, recommended as well.

My family loves to eat the Kashi GoLean Crunchy Chocolate Peanut bars. Umo also recommended these Odwalla bars. Here is my breakdown on the two:

1. Both have higher quality ingredients and do NOT contain High Fructose Corn Syrup.

2. The Kashi bar has more protein(which is a big thing that I consider), less calories, less carbohydrates, less fat and sugar than the Odwalla bar per serving.

3. The Kashi bar is more crunchy and has a chocolate coated side.

4. The Odwalla bar is more brownie like in texture.

5. Both taste really good.

My kid's really like eating the Kashi bar's, but I have always wished that there was something more geared towards kid's on the go, rather than a weight loss/maintenance supplement that I could feed them. CLIF has come out with exactly that! I was so excited to find Z Bar's at Target.

My family also likes CLIF brand bars and here are a few you might find to fit your nutritional needs. The Z BAr's mission is "Nourishing Kid's in Motion." I love knowing that there are better choices offered to give to my kid's to snack on to help fuel them while they are playing sports or on the go. The Chocolate Brownie is really tasty and has a brownie, chewy like texture. Almost feels like you are eating something you shouldn't! Not a bad 130 calorie snack! Money saving tip: There is a $1 off coupon in the Target coupon book this month too!

The Mojo bars are more crunchy, nutty in texture. They give you a sweet and salty fix for 200 calories. Yum!

For those of you (which means most everyone) who needs to get in a few more grams of protein to help build lean muscle, the CLIF Builders Protein bars are a good bargain. At 270 calories, this bar packs 20 grams of protein into a chocolate covered, chewy bar. Joshua and I love these because we can use these as a small meal replacement. (Remember, we try to eat 5-6 smaller meals a day to help boost our metabolism and to keep our energy levels up!)

I do hope to add to this list in another post soon, but these should give you a good start to healthier prepackaged snacking. Obviously, the fresher the better, so don't forget to eat fresh fruits and veggies every day!!!