Over the last several months I’ve really been struggling with my appetite. Even though technically I feel hungry, nothing is appealing. Even foods that I’ve always really liked now seem mildly repulsive. It’s been incredibly frustrating for several reasons. First and foremost, I love food. I look at each meal as an opportunity to have something good so I hate missing out on even one. (In a previous life, I may have been a beagle.) Second, it’s making it really hard to stick to a fitness regime. When I don’t eat all day, I just don’t have the energy to do a work out. And finally, I’m pretty sure that my lack of food is causing some of my wicked headaches (which seem to be increasing lately).
As part of New Leaf November, I wanted to re-commit to healthy eating. Part of this means making sure that I eat a balanced lunch every day. One of the ways I’m trying to get myself to eat is by making mason jar lunches. I thought if nothing else, the novelty might help me stick to it. I feel a little like a hipster wannabe with my mason jars. But they do make awesome lunch containers. They’re easy to pack and easy to throw in the dishwasher. And hey – anything that helps me stick with my new leaf intentions is welcome.
I did some Googling and found a few tips for successful jarring: buy the wide mouth jars (done, thank you Canadian Tire!), and layer starting with dressing on the bottom and hearty vegetables and grains next. Fortunately there are lots of great recipes online (along with calorie counts) and I was able to put together a starter book of salads. Since Dennis is new leafing with me, I (kindly) offered to make him mason jar lunches as well.
Sunday afternoon I did the prep work. I made six Chicken Orzo Vegetable jars and four Chicken Fajita jars. I love having lunches made for the week. It definitely takes the stress out of mornings. The only big decision in the am now is what to wear. (Which quite frankly I need an inordinate amount of time for some days.)
As part of New Leaf November, I wanted to re-commit to healthy eating. Part of this means making sure that I eat a balanced lunch every day. One of the ways I’m trying to get myself to eat is by making mason jar lunches. I thought if nothing else, the novelty might help me stick to it. I feel a little like a hipster wannabe with my mason jars. But they do make awesome lunch containers. They’re easy to pack and easy to throw in the dishwasher. And hey – anything that helps me stick with my new leaf intentions is welcome.
I did some Googling and found a few tips for successful jarring: buy the wide mouth jars (done, thank you Canadian Tire!), and layer starting with dressing on the bottom and hearty vegetables and grains next. Fortunately there are lots of great recipes online (along with calorie counts) and I was able to put together a starter book of salads. Since Dennis is new leafing with me, I (kindly) offered to make him mason jar lunches as well.
Sunday afternoon I did the prep work. I made six Chicken Orzo Vegetable jars and four Chicken Fajita jars. I love having lunches made for the week. It definitely takes the stress out of mornings. The only big decision in the am now is what to wear. (Which quite frankly I need an inordinate amount of time for some days.)