Monday, February 8, 2010

Healthy Snacks and Mindset

I read a great article on how to snack healthy at I Heart Daily. They make suggestions based on your cravings. I especially love this picture: a cored and sliced apple with peanut butter in between!


Doesn't this look absolutely scrumptious?

Some of my favorite snacks are:

  • Toast with Peanut Butter, Honey, and Bananas
  • "Ants on a Log" (i.e. Celery, Peanut Butter, and Raisins) 
  • Whole Wheat Crackers (the slightly sweet kind) with a bit of Cream Cheese
  • Pretzels
  • Yogurt with Granola
  • Strawberries with a touch of Sugar (This is really good b/c when you add sugar, the strawberry absorbs it while expelling some of the water. This makes it almost doubly as sweet without the need for too much sugar!) 
Also, since February is the month of Self Love for my Happiness Project, here is a great article about how to love yourself. It comes from Positively Present

The tip that really stands out for me is the idea of changing your mindset. I definitely get down on myself way too often. I would really like to feel good about my accomplishments. One of the reasons I think I do this is because I am afraid of being perceived as snobby or being seen as a girl who thinks she is way better than she actually is. There are all these messages from school, religion, entertainment, and friends that say that we ought to be humble. But I think that being "humble" does not really get people anywhere. By constantly putting ourselves down for the sake of being seen as a good person just prevents us from appreciating who we are and what we can do. I find myself sometimes pushing away compliments. I try to enjoy the compliment and simply say Thank You, but often I will say, "Oh, but I could have done this better," or "Oh, I was just really lucky," or "Oh, I don't really think so."  

Do you find yourself doing this? Don't you think it's time that we start acknowledging that we are all amazing people? We all have strengths, and yes, we all have weaknesses, but that's what makes life fun and interesting. Who would want to live in a world that's perfect? Who would want to watch a movie where the main character is perfect and already has everything he or she wants? 

My goal for this month is to give myself permission to feel great about myself. After all, when you feel good about yourself, you're more able to make others feel good as well. And you know what that means... more good feelings abound. 

Hope you all have a great day, and remember, you're awesome :) 

5 comments:

erika sorocco said...

That picture makes me so happy. I'll be honest, I'm kind of addicted to peanut butter. Yesterday I ate a few spoonfuls straight from the jar. I still feel guilty about it; but...ohmigosh it was so good!! :)

Meg said...

love ants on a log - actually, i love pretty much anything combined with celery! peanut butter, cheezwhiz, cream cheese, dill or ranch vegetable dip... you name it! and even though i cram the topping as much as i can into the celery, it's still "healthy" yay! :)

Jen Hsieh said...

oooooh peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwiches are my absolute favorite! they always put a smile on my face. i'm going to have to try out strawberries with sugar now :)
and the point you made about changing your mindset is inspiring. i've always been a very humble person and i always feel awkward when it comes to receiving compliments. i'm going to share that goal with you about feeling great about yourself. i'm glad i'm not the only one out there who has this mindset. thanks for a great read to start off my day :)

daisychain said...

oh your snacks sound amazing.

I really need to get myself sorted around food :(

Nikolett said...

Mmm, strawberries with sugar are my all time favourite :) And I am addicted to peanut butter, too. And this is such a motivating post ... it's definitely so easy to get down on ourselves, but we take our "awesomeness" for granted way too often.

I hope you've had an amazing weekend! :)