I’m a stress eater from way back. I’m also completely awful at managing my stress. This has proved to be my biggest road block when it comes to weight loss. It’s especially hard in a workplace that has a kitchen full of soda and snacks, in Costco proportions. My biggest challenge is navigating around these when cravings hit, and even worse making sure I don’t end up in a grocery store. My roommate Hannah can attest to the fact that I should not be let near the grocery section of Target when I’m stressed out. It’s a very slippery slope, one bag of chips and it’s all over. Next thing I know I have a basket full of junk food and I’m headed home to watch Friends, Gilmore Girls, or all of my Mark Wahlberg movies. I often fail at managing my stress, it’s a hard habit to break. Here are some of my favorite things to keep on hand to combat grabbing for that bag of Fritos and can of Coke (since my workplace doesn’t have Dr. Pepper, which is my real kryptonite.)

1. Fresh Fruits & Veggies – This is kind of a no brainer right? Keep fruits and veggies around in stead of chips. If only it were that easy! The key, for me, is to keep fruits and veggies around that my OBSESSED with so they are actually more appealing than Fritos. Currently, I’m elated that cherries are back in season! Some of my other favorites include, khalorabi, bell peppers, radishes and watermelon.

2. Powerberries – Hannah and I bought these on a whim at Trader Joe’s one weekend because we were both craving chocolate and thought we would give them a try. They may just be the best thing I’ve ever bought on a whim. They’re amazing! I can’t even really explain them, they’re kind of like chocolate covered gummy bears in consistency but that’s not even a true representation. Just trust me, you want to have them in your house. They’re perfect for that sweet craving.

3. Tea – There’s something so comforting about a warm drink, unfortunately for me, I’m a latte-aholic, not the nicest weightloss drink. So instead I keep lots of tea on hand. I always love a good green tea and Trader Joe’s Mango tea is perfect for an iced variety but my current favorite is Trader Joe’s Pomegrante White Tea. DELISH!

4. Water – Here’s the thing, I hate water. I do not enjoy the taste at all, and don’t tell me it doesn’t have a taste, because it totally does. If you were blindfolded and given a glass of water to drink and guess what it was you would know it was water, thus it has a taste. I could rant more and more on this as I’ve had to defend my feelings about water more than once but I will spare you. Regardless, I have to force myself to drink it. I hardly ever keep anything but milk on hand because if there’s juice and water sitting next to each other I will choose juice every time. I’ve gone days without drinking a glass of water before, so not healthy. Thus why I have to resort to forcing myself to drink it. I’ve even been known to give myself rewards for drinking a proper amount of water, that’s just how much I dislike it.

Are you a stress eater? What are your favorite snacks to keep on hand?

Happy snacking,
Jennifer

Photos courtesy of my iPhone and Instagram.