Eat for Energy

Happy Monday, everyone! This post will be short, because Jessie needs to prepare for her lesson tomorrow! My community nutrition group was supposed to have a low key day tomorrow – handing out nutrition information and doing evaluations and and the like – but, a change at the last minute: we are now doing a lesson for preschoolers instead! I usually like a little more preparation for lessons, but I hope this will teach me to think on my toes 🙂 I love little ones, so this lesson on fruit and veggies should be fun.

I don’t know about you guys, but I find that I function best when I eat something every three or four hours. If I wait too long for my meal, I get mean. As a dietetic student, I know that eating every three or four hours helps keep your metabolism humming and your tummy satisfied. I tend to feel better, too.

So, when I saw this granola in the grocery store yesterday, I knew I had to give it try, especially after seeing it on so many blogs:

I hurried through the front door this afternoon so that I could try Galaxy Granola with my favorite yogurt:

(Yes, I did splurge at the grocery yesterday.)

Now, I warn you – I am very picky about my granola. I’ve picked up too many granola packages, only to see that they are LOADED with sugar and sweeteners and oil, and that they have upward of 300 calories in a 1/4 cup. I’m not kidding, I’ve actually seen this on a nutrition label.  As a fun little snack, okay … but it is WAY too easy to overeat something so calorie-dense. Especially something as sweet as typical granolas.

I don’t like foods that are too sweet, so I was drawn to this granola because it’s very low in sugar (5 grams per 1/4 cup) and low in saturated fat (0 grams per 1/4 cup – can’t get much lower than that!).  Together with yogurt, this was a protein-packed, fiber-rific snack that kept my tummy satisfied all afternoon. And tasty to boot 🙂

So, my question to you is: what is your go-to snack to keep you energized? I’m looking to expand my snack repertoire a bit, so I’ll make a list of all your suggestions to keep somewhere on the blog 🙂

Stay tuned for a fun new recipe tomorrow! Have a great evening, everyone!

19 Comments

  1. Skippy peanut butter!
    The label says no trans fat on it (twice!)

    Now you have to put that on your suggestions list. I suggest at the top.

  2. I agree…that granola is awesome, and I love how crunchy it is. 😀

    Totally want to try those yogurts. They’re so pricey, but it would make such a fun “splurge.” 😀

  3. I really, really want to try that yogurt!!

    My go-to snack would have to be pb on whole wheat toast. Does the trick EVERY time!! 🙂

  4. I always have a bag of toasted almonds in my desk drawer. A handful helps to fill me up for awhile, and I tend to have a hard time being full!
    I looove Icelandic yogurt. I ate Skyr with almost every meal when we were in Iceland. Yogurt outside the US is so much better!

    1. Wow, Meghan, you have been EVERYWHERE! 🙂

  5. I hope you share a little bit of your lesson with us! I would love to see what you guys teach the kids!!!
    My go-to snacks (at desk at work) are nuts, bars, oatmeal, cereal and almond milk or yogurt, hummus and veggies, fruit and nut butter…

  6. I’m dying to try that granola!

    I love a simple mixture of roasted almonds and dried fruit (apricots are my favorite). It’s great for a portable snack. An apple or a pear with either natural peanut butter or almond butter also keeps me full and energized!

  7. Wow, that granola sounds amazing! I too am adverse to high-sugar and fat granola. Do you know if it’s only in the States? I’ll have to try to find it in Vancouver.
    My go-to snacks are pretty boring: carrots and hummus, or home-made oatmeal/spelt, banana, raisin cookies 🙂

    1. I think you can only find Galaxy Granola in the states, but if you go to their website (galaxygranola.com) maybe you can convince them to carry it in Vancouver 🙂

  8. I looove granola, but I don’t have it very often for the very reasons you mentioned – it’s loaded with sweeteners, oils, and unnecessary calories. I’ve still got to make some of my own…with lots of nuts and seeds and fresh oats, yuuum. My favourite snacks are fruit, nuts, and yogurt with something crunchy in it (like a bit of Nature’s Path cereal). But not all at the same time 🙂

  9. I would love to try this granola but when I have time I actually make my own on the stove in 5 minutes! It is a great go-to snack because it keeps in a tupperware for a week or so and I can control the amount of sugar. Like you I don’t like the sugar content in granola.

    I also like hummus and carrots or gluten-free cornflakes as a snack.

  10. The granola sounds good. You are right, it’s so easy to get lots of calories with granola…

    Favorite snacks? Low-fat string cheese & almonds, carrots & cucumbers & hummus, cottage cheese.

  11. what a fun lesson to do! i had the privilege of teaching grade ones during one of my student teaching terms. boy oh boy do you need to have lots of energy! make sure you eat a high energized breakfast.

    my go to snack is so not healthy, i’m almost embarrassed to say. because i have a sweet tooth i like to have a piece of cake or pie. that satisfies my sugar craving and it keeps me from getting hungry until my next meal. if i feel like snacking on something healthy then i’ll have some kind of fruit or veggie.

    hope your lesson goes well. just remember they’re preschoolers, so even if you do make a mistake they most likely won’t notice anyways. just relax and try to have a fun time 😀

    1. I’ll have a good breakfast for Energy! 😉 A little piece of cake or pie is fine for a snack, especially since you balance it out with a fruit or veggie! My mantra is “Everything in moderation” 🙂

  12. Mmm looks like a great granola! And I just love skyr yogurt. It is so thick and rich- worth the price tag every now and again!
    My go to snack is a container of plain greek yogurt with either an apple or Ezekiel cinnamon raisin toast with pb/jam!

  13. I don’t like too sweet stuff, either.
    but about the metabolism humming theory…I heard that it’s a myth? That you don’t really need to eat every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism going…

    1. There are anatomical reasons why eating every 3-4 hours keeps your metabolism going that have to do with levels of glucose and insulin in the your body, and how efficiently your body uses energy based on these levels. (For these reasons, most people with a disease like diabetes MUST eat every 3-4 hours as a part of keeping their blood sugar levels under control). So, in general, eating more often is less of a stress on your body. BUT, everyone is different, and if you feel fine eating less often and don’t want to eat more often, than stick with what you’ve got. You seem like you have a great system going, anyway! 🙂

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