Monday Menu- Getting back on track.

Happy Monday! We are home from visiting family and friends but we brought lots of treats with us. If your kitchen is still full of cookies, candy and other temptations that you usually don't keep around I feel your pain.



During the holidays the counters and tables seem to be covered at all times with food. There is candy, pie, crackers, and cookies piled everywhere. I was thinking about how to still enjoy the leftover holiday treats but also get back on track. Is that even possible? Here are a few tips I use to satisfy a sweet tooth while getting back on track for the new year.

1. I start by counting, slicing and bagging. If you have a whole pie in the fridge or a big bowl of candy on the counter it's too easy to overeat. Portion your holiday treats in baggies or containers so you only eat one serving. 
2. Out of sight out of mind! After you portion all your snacks put them away. Make sure no extra bowls of candy are on your coffee table or kitchen counters. If you can't see it you might just forget it's around, hopefully. 
3. Restaurant rules apply. When I am out to dinner or go somewhere to have a treat usually one is enough, one brownie sundae, one ice cream cone, one cupcake. Apply those same rules to your sweets at home. Try not to make a plate of dessert, if you want cookies, eat one serving and be done. The holidays are over and so are the times that a plate with a few cookies, a piece of pie and a handful of candy can be overlooked for holiday spirit. 
4. Get back to your routines. During non-holiday times what are your eating routines? Remind yourself of those good habits and get back to them. Here's a little of what I do.  

• I always start with a big glass of water before I eat. Especially if I think I'm hungry for a snack, I'll drink my water and then maybe realize I was just bored or thirsty.

• 7:30-8:00- breakfast, lately I am into cereal, but I also love steel cut oats and smoothies followed by 1 or 2 cups of coffee. Check out this delicious oatmeal recipe. 

• 10:30- if I get hungry for a snack it is usually around this time especially if I did a morning workout, 1/2 of a large apple, a handful of carrot sticks, or a piece of toast with peanut butter. I try to stick to 100 calories or less. 

 

• 12:30-1:30- lunch, usually my leftover dinner portion from the previous night. If there are no leftovers I try to make my lunch before I'm "starving" or I over eat. Lately I am into avocado toast or a big salad with a scrambled or fried egg. I love the avocado toast recipe in this cookbook. 

• 4:30-5:00- another time of day that I get hungry for a snack, I'll usually go for the other half of my apple or a vegetable like carrots, cucumbers or peppers. 

• 7:00- dinner, you can read more about my dinner making routines and philosophy here. I portion the dinner before we go to the table so that all the lunches are made and we are less likely to overeat. (do you see a theme here?) P.S. made this loved it!

• 8:00-8:30- treat time! If I want a treat this is the time. Remember I portioned them out so I can grab a baggie or a container and take it out of the kitchen before I'm tempted to get anything else. 

*** MOST IMPORTANTLY*** 

Balance. If you just spent the last four weeks (Thanksgiving until now) eat, drinking and indulging in things that are out of the norm for your body, schedule, life in general, give yourself a break.

Do the things that work for you. This is what works for me and if it is not helpful than ignore it. You know your body, mind and tendencies and you have to do what will work for you. So, don't beat yourself up if you have a few extra pounds from the holidays. Get back to your good habits and remember all the fun you had with family and friends.