I come to you seeking advice. After scouring the web, my usual life coaches and favorite daytime talk show queens (Martha , Oprah, Ina) I am still left in a pickle. It seems my new schedule for the semester leaves me eating only brown foods until the late hour of six o'clock upon which time I'm not longer hungry and just want a piece of toast.
It all starts out quite innocently, wake up around 9, make myself a delicious cup of coffee with BROWN ricemilk and a delicious bowl of my famous oatmeal (add flax, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, goji berries (something red!!!) and top it all off with a hint of the aformentioned coffee). This usually tides me over while I finish my work and head off to school for my first class at noon, the only problem is about 15 minutes into class it's time for lunch.... you are supposed to eat every 2-3 hours right??
Obviously I can't take a lunch break 15 minutes into my first class of the day, so I pull out a ziplock bag full of assorted raw nuts and nibble on them like a squirrel during lecture. This usually tides me over for a little but, but definitely not long enough for my hypoglycemic self to get through three hours of sewing class-- although my 72 year old Italian master tailor teacher would have me believe one should only eat a single meal a day - dinner, and starve for the rest of it.
We usually get a little break (15 minutes max) around 2 ish which is not enough time to get a healthy meal of greens and proteins from my favorite macrobiotic restaurant down the street and I can't take it back and eat it in class bc we are only allowed to snack during lecture (no real meals) so I am left to run down to the restaurant and get one of their dense scones made with spelt flour and whole grains (no gluten) and sweetened naturally with fruit juice. It's so heavy it needs to be accompanied by their caffiene-free Mu tea (also brown) and it takes me two hours to finish... there's lots of masticating involved.
So that whole process tides me over another hour or two and then it's about 4 o'clock and I'm hungry again... this damn Construction II class never ends! So I go into my bag and bust out the other treat I packed away, a large Fuji Apple, and eat it slowely, enjoing its juiceyness and not so completely brown apperance!
I wash the whole day down with lots of water (atleast I'm doing something right) but when the clock strikes 6 and class is over for the day, I look back on what I've put into my body and it's not pretty. I should be so excited to go home and eat a delicious, balanced, complete meal (sitting down I might add) but instead all I am is tired and slightly naucous and here I was thinking having class everyday from 12 to 6 would solve all my life's problems and bring some normalcy and balance into my life!
So here is my conundrum oh wise sages of TODAY // TODAY:
How can I keep myself fueled to sustain this crazy schedule of basically no breaks between the hours of 12 and 6 (my hungriest of the day) in the healthiest, most balanced, nutrient rich, CHEAPEST and QUICKEST way possible? I am willing to do some at-home preparation but do not have the time to become a snack producing Keebler Elf.
And finally, do you have any suggestions for a way to transport these snacks in something more eco-friendly than ziplocks and that keeps them fresh??
Hungry for your response,
Feeling Brown
Dear Feeling Brown,
As I am also forced to sit in one place for ungodly hours of the day with little access to more than a shitty bag of oatmeal in my desk and sugar free gum, I know and feel your pain!
Here are some suggestions for quick snacks that require little preparation:
Hard boiled eggs: They’re yellow and white! They require little cooking time and come in a handy little shell. Only con is then you’re that girl who brings hard boiled eggs to class. Solution: on your 15 minute break, run down the hall to the bathroom, lock yourself in a stall and munch away!
Carrots: They’re Orange! Throw these little guys in a baggie and there you have it… this method also works with celery sticks too… except those are like eating dental floss in water.
Edamame: Not only are they bright green, but they are easy to make and taste just as good cold.
Make yourself a sandy: My preferred snack du jour. Comes in many colors and varieties, throw some sprouts in that shit and you’re ready to rock. Cut it into fours and you can slyly slip a quarter out while re-threading your bobbin.
Oh yeah fruits are good too and they come in many colors: oranges, bananas, pineapple, blueberries….
For Tupperware try Pearl River Mart!
Best of Luck Brown, with a little pre-planning and preparation, you can find great snacks to tide you over.
Behnaz Serafour
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