From what I can tell many of us know firsthand the difficulty in picking a good food choice when those two trying times hit: the late afternoon crash (3:30ish) for me, and the late night I want something sweet!
What can you do about it? You need a plan!
You when the urge hits and one way or another you are going to end up putting some sort of treat in your body. When denying is not the right answer for you, because being happy is important, leading to the conclusion that completely denying yourself works against that.
The best way to balance the I want to be happy in the moment with a treat, and be happy in the long run with my food choices is to have a thought out plan for when those moments hit.
This is the treat I indulge in:
A square of dark chocolate.
What can you do about it? You need a plan!
You when the urge hits and one way or another you are going to end up putting some sort of treat in your body. When denying is not the right answer for you, because being happy is important, leading to the conclusion that completely denying yourself works against that.
The best way to balance the I want to be happy in the moment with a treat, and be happy in the long run with my food choices is to have a thought out plan for when those moments hit.
This is the treat I indulge in:
A square of dark chocolate.
Oh darn, this one broke a little bigger than a square. I guess I am going to have to eat it. J
This is not a new idea for a lot of you, but for me it has only recently entered my diet. I used to hate dark chocolate. Surprising, right? I guess it just wasn’t sweet enough for me. To this day if I make chocolate chip cookies my favorite chips to use are the milk chocolate ones.
Now, I ♥dark chocolate. I go for a high percentage cacao bar because it has less sugar. If you want to cut down on the number of trips to the store Lindt makes great Extra Fine Dark Chocolate bars that are available in numerous grocery stores. Sometimes I even come across their 90% cacao bar, and really enjoy that one.
My advice for any of you out there that are like me and prefer sweeter chocolates, start slow and work your way up to a higher % cacao. Think of it like an acquired taste similar to wine. You may not have started out loving wine with your first sip, but over time you start to acquire a taste for it.
Having a square of dark chocolate really makes you feel like you are having a very indulgent treat. For me the dark chocolate leaves me satisfied.
If you need something more than just one square of chocolate, and you are looking for a substitute for that afternoon soda. Here is what I love to have.
This is not a new idea for a lot of you, but for me it has only recently entered my diet. I used to hate dark chocolate. Surprising, right? I guess it just wasn’t sweet enough for me. To this day if I make chocolate chip cookies my favorite chips to use are the milk chocolate ones.
Now, I ♥dark chocolate. I go for a high percentage cacao bar because it has less sugar. If you want to cut down on the number of trips to the store Lindt makes great Extra Fine Dark Chocolate bars that are available in numerous grocery stores. Sometimes I even come across their 90% cacao bar, and really enjoy that one.
My advice for any of you out there that are like me and prefer sweeter chocolates, start slow and work your way up to a higher % cacao. Think of it like an acquired taste similar to wine. You may not have started out loving wine with your first sip, but over time you start to acquire a taste for it.
Having a square of dark chocolate really makes you feel like you are having a very indulgent treat. For me the dark chocolate leaves me satisfied.
If you need something more than just one square of chocolate, and you are looking for a substitute for that afternoon soda. Here is what I love to have.
A tea steeped in milk.
My favorite tea to steep in warm milk is chai tea. It is kind of like a pseudo chai tea latte without the sugar. My first choice is skim milk because there are already fats in the chocolate. Most of the time I drink tea with water but I use milk when I need a treat. Warm milk really fills me up leaving me satisfied as well. Depending on how hungry I am I might do half water/half milk or mostly water with a little milk.
Most often I split these 2 treats up, one for the afternoon crash, and one for late night when the kids are in bed.
Next, my favorite substitute for when I feel like eating chips.
My favorite tea to steep in warm milk is chai tea. It is kind of like a pseudo chai tea latte without the sugar. My first choice is skim milk because there are already fats in the chocolate. Most of the time I drink tea with water but I use milk when I need a treat. Warm milk really fills me up leaving me satisfied as well. Depending on how hungry I am I might do half water/half milk or mostly water with a little milk.
Most often I split these 2 treats up, one for the afternoon crash, and one for late night when the kids are in bed.
Next, my favorite substitute for when I feel like eating chips.
For me when I get a craving for chips it is usually because I am hungry and have waited too long to eat, creating a carb craving. Instead of eating chips I adore a piece of whole wheat Naan bread with hummus. Red roasted pepper hummus is my latest favorite.
Amy’s comment, a fellow ModernMom member that I can oh so strongly relate to from a couple of days ago gave me the idea to share my treat battle plan with you. A Mom of 4, her blog shares tips she has picked up along the way that I really enjoy.
Let’s end on a little moment of happiness, shall we?
IT’S FRIDAY!
Have a fantastic weekend, my friends!
What are your favorite foods to combat those sweet treat/soda/chip cravings?
Amy’s comment, a fellow ModernMom member that I can oh so strongly relate to from a couple of days ago gave me the idea to share my treat battle plan with you. A Mom of 4, her blog shares tips she has picked up along the way that I really enjoy.
Let’s end on a little moment of happiness, shall we?
IT’S FRIDAY!
Have a fantastic weekend, my friends!
What are your favorite foods to combat those sweet treat/soda/chip cravings?
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