Have a Happy, Healthy Back to School!

Today is the day. The final day. That day. I almost dare not say it, but I will. It's the last day of summer vacation.

As of yet, I don't have many friends with school-aged children. My niece is beginning junior kindergarten this year though. I know that my sister has been nervous for months. Will she have the right teacher? Will she get along with everyone? Will they get along with her? What sort of disease and sickness will she bring home? By the way, she will bring home every disease and sickness! Kids are gross. And, finally, what will she eat?

Like many kids, my niece lives off of peanut butter. Nuts are so taboo in schools now due to severe allergies, that this just will not do. No it won't! I am also a nut lover. I mix nuts into most snacks to get some added protein and energy, and to stay fuller longer.  My sister has opted for soy-based products to substitute in T's lunches. In moderation, this is a fine option for a child, but for me, not-so-much. I find too much soy causes weight gain, moodiness, and hormone fluctuations that I just can't handle. With this in mind, I turned to my facebook friends for help.

The first suggestion I received was roasted legumes. That is what I am trying this week. After ruling out using canned stuff, I went to Bulk Barn and picked myself up some dried chickpeas and got to work. Overnight soaking, boiling, skimming, rinsing, roasting, and tossing led to some lovely honey cinnamon roasted chickpeas. I will take them to work and enjoy them all week!  Take a look at the finished product below and check out the recipe here (with savoury options): Healthy Snack: Roasted Chick Peas

honey cinnamon roasted chickpeas

This leads me to my final point today. Being healthy takes time and effort. I could have went to the grocery store and picked up any old prepackaged snack option from the shelves. There are enough of them, but they are full of sugar, fat, and preservatives of unknown origins and pronunciations! I could have cut my prep time in half (and tripled my sodium intake!) by buying canned chickpeas. However, I chose to put in the time and effort to make myself something healthy and satisfying because I am worth it. My health is worth it.

I spend hours on Sundays buying and prepping food for the coming week. I want to know what I am eating. I want to know where it came from. It is late summer in Ontario and local produce is abundant and I am going to buy it and support our farmers! I prefer to buy from a local farmers' stand/market, but some grocery stores do a great job of stocking locally-sourced produce. FreshCo is the best one I've seen in my neighbourhood. Loblaws it the worst and stocks mostly US and South/Central American produce.

I am off to make my favourite Quinoa Protein Bowl. It's my go-to lunch of choice. That might all change though as I get used to whipping up goodies in my new food processor! Have a happy, healthy Labour Day. To any teacher friends and parents, good luck tomorrow! Next up, Fashion Friday. What does it mean to wear "teacher clothes"?!

Cheers, Jackie