Yum, Yum, Yum! (:

A Delicious Snack

Have you ever finished a workout and wondered what could supplement your body with a healthy snack? I know that when I’m done with practice my tummy is ready to munch and crunch on anything, even chips. However, I acknowledge that eating fats after a long run will only result in me feeling terrible the next day. I also recognize that my body needs a lot of natural vitamins, greens, carbohydrates, and tons of protein.

 

Our body’s are like engines; they need fuels, such as fruits and veggies, homemade meals, and much more to have if function efficiently. Today our society is rapidly digesting in fast foods that deteriorate our body by making us feel more fatigue than usual. Although this can be understandable due to crazy scheduling of work and school, we should attempt to eat at least one vegetable or fruit a day. Try to start small and then increase to more healthy treats. Trust me this will make a big difference in your life. From sleeping better, concentrating in class, and simply feeling more energized.

 

NOT THIS: 

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Recent studies have shown that obesity is now found to gain it’s hold on very young kids and haunts them as they grow older and establish their own family. For instance, in the new york times article, Gina Kolata described that, “…a third of children who were overweight in kindergarten were obese by eighth grade.” This demonstrates that as young kids start their life unhealthy, the cycle of gaining weight begins and doesn’t end until they make an effort to change their eating habits. Despite these statistics, I comprehend that young kids may not have the comfort of homemade meals with essential vitamins, but instead ready to eat packages of tacos or cheesy steak burritos. Additionally, I also take into consideration that parents are busy with work and come home tired to make a meal or even a small healthy snack for their kids. Especially, now as teenagers we tend to fill our tummies with yucky fat foods and don’t worry about what goes in our body. We simply say, “Oh! I don’t look chubby, so I’m fine.” Or “I’ll burn the calories tomorrow at practice.” However, what they don’t realize is that even though their eating habits don’t reflect their body type at this age, sooner or later it will have a much greater impact than just their image.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/science/obesity-takes-hold-early-in-life-study-finds.html?ref=health&_r=0

They will feel fatigue more often and only want to thing of sleeping. In fact, as they get older they will have a higher chance of developing cardiovascular problems. This will inhibit them to sleep well, think freshly in the morning, and be in a good mood. Thus instead of devouring a bag of gummy worms after practice, eat a quick and healthy homemade snack.

For me after a run I want something sweet yet healthy at the same time. One of my all time favorite snacks after a run is a crunchy peanut butter apple sandwich. This may sound gross and unhealthy, but it contains both vitamins, protein, and healthy fats before you eat your dinner. Plus it’s quick and easy to make!

The  three ingredients to make these delightful sandwiches are:

• 1 green apple (you can also due a red apply, but making it a green will help you fill the gap of greens for the day).

• Creamy almond butter ( this is like peanut butter, but it has healthy oils than regular skippy peanut butter; however regular peanut butter or organic peanut butter is good as well). You can get almond peanut butter at any local grocery store; Costco is a great place to get it because they come in packages for a cheaper price. Also almond butter is less sweet than peanut butter, so it balances out the flavors of the juicy apple.

• 1 cup of unsalted almonds ( you can also have cashews, peanuts, walnuts, or sesame seeds; anything is good as long as they don’t contain salt or more sugar).

The steps are easy as one, two, three!

1. First cut your apply in thin circles from side to side. You can peel your apply if you’d like, but it’s best to leave the skin because it contains the most nutrients.
2. Then, place the almonds (or any other seeds) into a plastic ziplock bag and use a kitchen hammer to make the almonds into tiny pieces. If you don’t have a kitchen hammer, simply chop them as best as you can.
3. Place the almond pieces into a pan and lightly roast them until they are gold and brown. This will not only taste better, but will help the almond butter to be more creamy when you put the sandwiches together.
4. Next, place three tablespoons of almond butter into a bowl and add the roasted almonds immediately after you take them off the pan. This will allow the warmness of the almonds to help smoothen the almond butter.
5. Mix the two ingredients and grab a slice of apple and spread the filling inside. PLace the second slice of apple on top.
6. Finally enjoy! ( If you can wait to devour this yummy snack, place the sandwiches into the refrigerator and let them stay there for about five to ten minutes. This will allow them to stay in place and the almond will become creamier).

Give these a try! They are delicious and great to make for a party! Remember that you can eat sweets and still be healthy ! I would love to hear about what you think of them and other great healthy snack recipes. (:

Quote: “ She turned her can’t and cans, and her dreams into plans.” -Kobi Yamada