Tasty Trail Mix

I'm a sucker for snacks. Before switching to a Paleo way of eating I was the queen of snacking. I bought into the whole "eat every two hours" mantra and didn't pass on eating a scrumptious snack to keep it up! It's common knowledge in the Paleo world that because of the higher fat/protein content of our meals that we are able to go much longer between meals than when eating the standard recommendations. If you've read some of my earlier posts, you know that this works for the whole day for me EXCEPT for the time between 2 and 3 in the afternoon...I can almost always tell you it's after 2 o'clock solely based on my hunger! When I was looking for snacks to pack in the kids lunches (and let's be honest, that looked amazing to me too) I came across this recipe for Chunky Monkey Trail Mix and I have become an addict...to the point I have to measure out my portion and hide the rest of the bag in the pantry because every time I walk by I want a handful!!!

Note: The only place I've found the unsweetened banana chips are in the bulk section at Whole Foods, but they are really reasonably priced.

All the yummy ingredients (I didn't have toasted nuts so I did them myself)

The finished product

Back In The Swing Of Things

So, it's confession time...for the millionth time...I suck at this blogging thing. I LOVE the idea, I LOVE being accountable to more than just my own body (despite it's VERY strong way of communicating about what is beneficial to my health and what isn't), and I LOVE spending the time researching and then cooking new things every week. But I can't seem to actually sit down and get it done. I have a ton of pics on my phone of things that I have wanted to blog and so now I'm going to get up to date. My goal is three-four posts per week, some with recipes, some with just pictures and some with nothing to do with food.

Today, we'll start with some new items I picked up at the store and how scrumptious they are...

Yummy Greek salad for lunch

For those of you that know me you know how much I adore the plain rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods..you know the one that has the ingredients as "chicken." I buy one almost every week just to have around and then save the bones for yummy broth. By the time grocery day rolls around I have generally depleted EVERYTHING out of my fridge (I should take a pre shopping and post shopping pic of my fridge some day) and once I get home I want something quick to eat!

I also really like pre-made salad, I know it's significantly more expensive, but you can't buy all these fun little blends separately. I have found (through many frustrating slimy lettuce discoveries) that the kind in the plastic boxes last longer than the bag kind. This new mix I got today had tons of "super greens" in it and was incredibly tasty (see ingredients below).

I had read people blogging about Tessemae's dressings on several Paleo sites but had never tried them and I am sooo glad I did!!! This Lemon Garlic one was so delicious and has all legit ingredients (there's even a "Paleo" label on the ones are compliant, some have soy in them so they're out). The only annoying thing about this type of dressing is that you have to let it warm a bit before the oil in them will actually blend. I found this out when making my own so I was prepared for it, but still.... I don't think it was any more expensive than if I bought the ingredients to make it myself and with all the ingredients being okay I'm not sure I'll make my own anymore!

The Greek Seasoning from Penzy's was already a staple in our house...I'm a little addicted to that store :-) I threw on some thinly sliced red onions, kalamata olives, and a teeny bit of goat cheese (the only cheese/dairy I've added back in on a fairly consistent basis. I haven't seen the problems I had previously when adding dairy from cows back in) and sat on the deck enjoying this beautiful weather. After picking 22# of Honey Crisp apples yesterday I ate one of those too, which I will every day until they're gone!!!!

Here's the ingredients: