Balanced Porta-Snacks

Ok, reducing carbs when you work at a bakery is a little harder than I was expecting.  This is why I took off the whole holiday of Passover.  It's way too easy to put something that is all gluten-y carbs in your mouth when you run out of snacks in your lunch box at the end of the day.  There are only so many egg white omelets you can whip up before they start to get repetitive.

I considered picking up packages of those Balanced Breaks.  I got them when they were new because I had a freebie coupon.  Essentially, they're cheese, nuts, and a little dried fruit.  Then I saw that even the best multi-pack deal is over a dollar each.  My co-worker got a larger snack box at some supermarket and it was almost $5.  It probably doesn't sound like much to most people, but for those who do not make a habit of convenience foods, that's a lot.

So, I took a visit to Sprouts and looked around for alternatives.  They cater to all sorts of fad and "healthy" diets, so I figured I could find paleo and keto alternatives.  I've also gotten sugar-free chocolate chips out of their bins that taste normal.  There's a warning on them against "excessive consumption" due to a slight laxative effect, but that encourages portion control.

I decided that what I needed to pack was one ounce each of two kinds of proteins and one fruit or vegetable.  That could be dried or fresh fruit and fresh, pickled, or chips for veggies.  Protein could include meat, nuts (or nut butter), cheese, hummus (or other bean dip), and egg.  That's the model for the Balanced Breaks and most of the little snack boxes that Sprouts and Starbucks sell.  I was just skipping the cracker part, since I could add some kind of bread product at work if necessary and just cut it down to a smaller portion.  I am also growing a ridiculous amount of celery for one person, so now it has a use as a cracker substitute.

I did not buy any nuts on this particular grocery trip because I have a couple of pounds of various nuts in the freezer.  Once I go through them, I'll restock from the bins.  Many of the nuts I like are around $7 a pound.  Peanuts are much cheaper, but I have peanut butter.  16 ounces in a pound makes it less than 45¢ per portion.  But, I rarely pay full price and instead wait for the 25% off sales and stock up.  That's how I ended up with two pounds of sliced almonds in the freezer.  I have also started bulk buying cheese at the market once a month when the app coupon is half off, making one ounce 25¢.

I'm going to have to learn new combinations of this nutrition concept, to keep it interesting.  Yes, the dried fruit has carbs, but far fewer than an apple hand pie, which I had been snacking on a few times a week.  I'm going to be so upset if my cholesterol goes through the roof from replacing bread with eggs and cheese.  This whole recalibration of how I approach nutrition has been eye opening.