Monthly Archives: December 2020

An oatmeal snack?

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In an earlier post, I stated I was trying not to snack After 6 P.M. I feel as though I should preface that statement by saying I can eat supper as early as 3:30 in the afternoon. Yes, I’m an older person but I also eat breakfast before 5:00 in the morning so I can make it to work before 5:45 A.M.

So, as the 6:00 p.m. hour nears I begin bargaining with myself as to what would make an honorable (for the lack of a better word) snack given my commitment to controlling my weight. I’ve had reasonable success with food that warms my stomach such as a Homemade applesauce snack.

Another favorite of mine is making a bowl of one minute oatmeal. The trick here is to control what you’re going to add to the oatmeal to flavor it. My wife reminds me brown sugar or maple flavored syrup are things on the naughty list. So I avoid these. Instead, I opt for fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries or apples. Dried fruit such as raisins or apricots also works. Add a few nuts for a protein crunch. Soften the consistency of the oatmeal with a splash of fat free or 2% milk.

Abstaining from late night holiday snacks

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Here is a suggestion anyone attempting to eliminate snacks from your diet after 6 p.m. on the days leading up to the Christmas holiday. One common decoration found in many homes is a nativity set featuring Joseph, Mary, the baby Jesus lying in a manger, and a host of other figures that were drawn to the place of our Savior’s birth. Instead of grabbing a handful of Christmas cookies and washing them down with a glass of eggnog, why not abstain from munching and add a figurine to the manger scene each day instead. As you are adding the figurine, reflect on something you are thankful for. Perhaps you will feel inspired to pray for someone also.

For those who do not consider themselves people of faith, you could substitute adding an ornament to your Christmas tree. Make a deliberate ritual out of it. While you’re adding the ornament, could set your mind to recall a song such as The twelve days of Christmas and add an ornament each day while reflecting on family or friends. Additionally, you can try to come up with a good deed you could do for someone else in keeping with the spirit of giving.

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:5

Homemade applesauce snack

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I mentioned in a previous post I was trying not to eat after 6:00 p.m. This goal was to help me manage my weight and ward off late night binging. When the 6:00 hour draws near or slips by me without noticing, I try to look for healthy snacks to minimize the damage. This led me to a new discovery

I like crispy apples…a lot. However, there are times when I accumulate a backlog of them because I either buy too many or the ones I did buy are a little mushy and therefore less desirable. Recently, I came up with a solution to use up those less desirable apples.

I wash and cut two old apples in half and remove the stems and seeds. I put the four clean halves into a microwave safe bowl and add about 1/4 cup of water. I cover the bowl and microwave it for 4-6 minutes. The heated apples turn to sauce. The sauce is extremely hot so I carefully use a fork to retrieve the skins out of the bowl and stir. I suppose you could drizzle some honey and nuts on your applesauce to give it some added sweetness and texture.

There is nothing like a hot snack to satisfy a craving. This also serves to use up unwanted apples.