DAY 3- SNACK IDEAS

I am learning that many people are having a difficult time finding things to eat that are paleo friendly for their snacks...as a result, people are just not eating and are ready to chew their arms off.  This challenge is not meant for you to starve yourself...If you are hungry, please eat...graze all day.  It takes a little planning and complete awareness that you should be fueling your body throughout the day with healthy protein, carbs and fats....

Here are some Easy Snack ideas below:

Tuna Fish packets (low sodium, olive oil)
Small pieces of fruit or handful of veggies
Almonds

Beef/Turkey or Buffalo Jerky (Trader Joes)
Fruit/Veggie  (I like to buy a relish tray and just graze on that at work)

Steve's Paleo Kits (order online...the jerky packets are pretty good and great to have for when on travel)

TUNA STUFFED EGGS
6 Hard boiled eggs
2 Tablespoons of homemade mayo (see below)
1 green onion, diced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dijion or yellow mustard (make your own-)
1 5 oz can of tuna
Chopped Pickles (optional)



Peel the eggs and slice them in half length wise from. Take the yolks out of each half and put them in a small bowl. Add mayo, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chopped green onion, and mustard (homemade) to the yolks. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl well. Stir in a can of tuna. Spoon this mixture into the hollowed out egg halves and enjoy.

HOME MADE MAYO

2 eggs

2 cups light tasting olive oil or walnut oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a blender, add the eggs, vinegar, and mustard and blend together well – leave the blender running and slowly slowly slowly drop by drop or very slow drizzle add the oil.  BE PATIENT!!  Do not dump all the oil in quickly and give up!!  When the mixture begins to emulsify or thicken, only then can you be a bit faster about pouring in the olive oil but still take your time.  Turn the blender off once all the olive oil is in and the mayonnaise is thickened to your desired consistency.  Add the salt and cayenne pepper and mix well or blend again for another few seconds.

Now for the fun part – variations!!!  Always wait until after your mayonnaise is thick before you add seasoning but here is when you can get creative.  Add dried of fresh dill, fresh basil, or cilantro, garlic and onion, hot sauce, or even curry powder to make your own spreads, sauces and dips for just about everything as mentioned earlier in the post. Now, watch my video to see the fun twist that I put on our homemade mayonnaise!

OTHER EASY SNACK IDEAS:

These are a few simple, snack ideas to start.  Lunch meat ( be careful what kind you get) wrapped with veggies, avocado...whatever you want healthy carb you want.  Pack some veggies, cucumber sandwiches, celery, almond butter and some dried fruit (don't go crazy on the dried fruit!).

Chicken Salad Avocado Boat  (get creative on Sundays for the week)

4 skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
4 bay leaves
1 quart organic low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth (or half of each, which I did here)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted, roasted almonds, finely chopped
1/2 large red onion, diced
1/2 a bunch asparagus, roasted and diced into small pieces**
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
2 roasted bell peppers (red or yellow peppers), skin removed and diced
pepper to taste
Avocados (slice in half)

Instruction:
*To Roast Bell Peppers:
Preheat oven to 45o degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with coconut oil, set aside.  Cut the peppers in half and clean out the seeds and innards. Place them on a baking sheet skin side up.  Bake peppers for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the skins are brownish-black, remove from the oven and immediately place the peppers in a large ziploc bag. Close and let sit for 20 minutes or so (or until the peppers have time to cool and “sweat”). Once they have cooled you will be able to peel the skins right off. What you will have left is a moist, wonderfully cooked pepper. Yummy!
**To roast asparagus, toss asaragus in a little olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper.  Roast in the 450 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on size of asparagus, while bell peppers roast.  Remove and allow to cool before cutting into small pieces.

To make the chicken salad:
Put the bay leaves and the chicken broth in a large pot with a lid and bring stock to a simmer.  Add the chicken breasts to the pot.  Return the broth to a simmer.  Cover the pot.  Turn off the heat.  Let the chicken steep in the stock for 30 minutes to an hour.
While the chicken is cooking, chop the other ingredients – garlic, almonds, onion, asparagus, basil, parsley, roasted bell peppers – and add to a large bowl. 
When the chicken breasts are cooked, remove them from the broth and let them cool.  When they are cool enough to handle, shred the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces by hand.  Mix the chicken pieces in with the rest of the ingredients.

You can add some "homemade" dressings to it to spice it up...but nothing prepackaged. 

These are just a few ideas.  I highly recommend the Everyday Paleo Cookbook- by Sarah Fragosa.
The recipes are very simple and delicious!