Long time, no blog! This is always my crazy time of year, both personally and with my little shop. I am drowning in orders at the moment, but it’s all good! I love helping you acknowledge all of our wonderful teachers and graduates, ESPECIALLY this year. It’s been a doozy. So, congratulations Class of 2021 and a HUGE thank you to the teachers and faculty at our schools.
I’ve had to get really creative with my time management lately and one key factor is meal prepping. Overnight oats and pre-made salads have saved the day multiple times the past few weeks. When I’m this busy I’m always tempted to grab something quick and easy from the pantry (like a bag of buffalo pretzel chips) and call it lunch. Breakfast also tends to be a disaster (hello, Pop Tarts).
First up: breakfast. These overnight oats manage to satisfy my preference for a sweet breakfast, but without all of the empty calories. This is a quick, satisfying breakfast that goes well with coffee and keeps me full until lunch. Plus, I love the brainer factor. I am a much better eater when I don’t have to stop and think about my options.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
The recipe is from Weight Watchers!
Ingredients
Banana(s)-1 medium, halved
Uncooked old fashioned oats-â…“ cup(s)
Unsweetened chocolate almond milk-½ cup(s)
PB2 Performance Peanut protein with Dutch cocoa plant powder-2 Tbsp
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Mash half of banana in a medium jar or large glass; chop other banana half and add to jar with remaining ingredients. Stir, cover and refrigerate overnight; serve (garnished with fresh banana, optional). As you can see in my photos, I use my kids’ Thermos containers and they work like a dream. I make two days’ worth at a time.
Moving onto lunch, salads are what I need to be eating and I’ve found one that is super easy and very tasty. It’s basically a Greek/Mediterranean mish mash of all sorts of my favorite salad bar items. In a nutshell, I chopped up two cucumbers, drained and rinsed a can of chick peas and half a jar of Kalamata olives, sliced a few cherry tomatoes and dumped a container of reduced fat feta cheese on top. Sprinkle with dried oregano and toss with light olive oil vinaigrette. Voila! I made a big batch and it lasted for three days. Even Ben got in on the action and took some to work for his lunch.
Mediterranean Salad
Side note: I meant to add a jar of banana peppers, but I forgot. However, that would be a fabulous addition! Just like with breakfast, this is filling and satisfying and much healthier than my usual pantry raid of salty, processed junk.
I hope these recipes are helpful! Many of us are on the struggle bus these days….the slower pace of summer is so close I can taste it!
