Staying Busy and Eating Healthy

April and May always seem to be the busiest months for everyone. With school ending, and summer beginning, schedules tend to be packed to the max. During this busy time of the year it can be really hard to eat healthy. I was struggling just the other week, trying to find the time to make a healthy dinner for my family. Between work and school, most of our meals were free for all. But I wanted to be better. So I started laying out all of my fruits and veggies for the week. I washed, cut and bagged them so they were ready for grabbing and going. I’ve done this for the past couple weeks and it’s made such a difference! Having healthy snacks prepared on Sunday nights makes the rest of the week go so much smoother and healthier!

Before I started doing this I would be starving in between meals or making trips to the vending machine. And I definitely wasn’t getting my full servings of fruit and vegetables. This all resulted in a slow, sluggish, and unhappy family!

But since planning and preparing my snacks at the beginning of the week I’m full and happy between each meal! And because I feel so great from eating clean snacks I end up eating clean and healthy meals. It really is a domino effect.

I also started making homemade hummus to dip our veggies in. As much as I love broccoli and carrots, it can get old. So finding a healthy dip once in a while helps jazz up the flavor. Once I started making my own hummus, I've never been tempted to go back the store bought. It’s so much cheaper, healthier, and tastier! Try out the recipe below!

So if these next few weeks are looking pretty crazy for you, think about spending one hour cutting up some fruit and veggies for your family to snack on throughout the week. It also helps prevent hangry* family members and the end of the day.

Red Pepper Hummus
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, quartered
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and 3-4 tbsp liquid reserved
1 cup red peppers
1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
1⁄8 tsp cayenne pepper
Throw in a blender and you've got yourself some delicious vegetable dip!

*Hangry: When you are so hungry that your lack of food causes you to become angry, frustrated or both.

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