Turkey Avocado Hummus and Cheese Stuffed Pita

Morning snack - pumpkin pancakes and a tad of syrup

Lunch - 1/2 pita stuffed with hummus, avocado, turkey and shredded cheese, pretzel sticks and apples

Afternoon snack - clementines and pistachios

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I recently read an article that I found really interesting.  It's an article about preschool obesity and how we can change how much a child eats by feeding him/her carbohydrates that have a slow digestion rate.  Hypothetically this advice doesn't just apply to those who are obese, but it would likely be most useful in weight management for those children.  (Citation: Alviña, M., & Araya, H. (2003). Rapid carbohydrate digestion rate produced lesser short-term satiety in obese preschool children. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 637-642.)

So I thought, what the heck is a slow digestion rate carbohydrate?  (I'm sure you're wondering too ;-p)  Well surely you've all heard of the glycemic index.  Foods that have a slow digestion rate are those that have a low glycemic number.  This basically means that the sugars found in the food will be absorbed and digested more slowly. To find and compare foods check out this website.  If you just want examples then check out this website.

Nut Butters

Morning snack: whole wheat pumpkin pancakes, Cortland apples and a bit of syrup

Lunch: whole grain bowtie pasta with homemade sauce which included peas and spinach, ground beef vegetarian crumble and topped with Parmesan cheese, almonds and pumpkin almond butter oat bar (shaped like a cookie)

Afternoon snack: Cortland apples, Triscuits and almond butter

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As a vegetarian I'm constantly asked how I get my protein and I say two things...  

First, people don't need as much protein as they think they do.  A person who is consuming 2000 calories a day needs about a serving and a half of protein daily (a serving is 3 ounces or about the size of a deck of cards).  When you go to a restaurant they offer 16 ounce steaks.  And people order and eat it!!  That's enough for over 3 days of protein!!  The only people that need high protein intake are people who are trying to build a significant amount of muscle or professional athletes who cause a lot of wear on their muscles.  So if you're not a body builder or professional athlete, it's more than likely you'll get enough protein my eating a well balanced meal.  

Second, I explain to people that there are plant based proteins that provide sufficient amounts of protein.  For example, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds and vegetables all provide protein.  Not to mention there are meat replacement products such as soy protein and a variety of soy products.  Nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter and sunbutter) all generally provide 7g of protein per 2 tablespoons, depending on the brand, of course.  And, nut butters are great for on the go!

As a side note...

I constantly hear people saying that they need to decrease their carbohydrates and increase their protein so that they can lose weight.  Please don't.  Your brain is fueled by carbohydrates which is why you get a headache when you skip meals or reduce your carbohydrates.

Pumpkin pancakes

Morning snack: pumpkin pancakes, blueberries and a bit of syrup
Lunch: Cheese pizza (to be provided by the school) and broccoli
Afternoon snack: Apples and peanut butter
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Last night when I asked LQ what she wanted for dinner she definitively said pumpkin pancakes.  Then she mentioned that she wanted to help.  So she did all the mixing and I did the cooking.  It's exciting to think of the things she and I will create as she gets older.  Right now she's only 3 and it's messy but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Plus she made some delicious pancakes!

We cheated a bit on the mix by using Hungry Jack fluffy and light.  I keep a box of it in the pantry for times she wants to make pancakes.  I tried making my version of pancakes with her one time and it was kind of DISASTROUS.

I didn't measure the ingredients but it was super easy to make.  Using HJ you just add water, easy enough right? So all I did was put pumpkin puree in a bowl and added pancake mix.  Then I added cinnamon and water until the mixture easily poured off of my whisk, then I added raisins.  The consistency won't be the same as that of regular pancake mix, it will be thicker.  I then cooked them on a griddle over mid-high heat.

Pumpkin Almond Butter Oat Bars

Morning snack: Pumpkin almond butter oat bars with raisins and red d'anjou pear
Lunch: baked chicken, brown rice, roasted Brussel sprouts and blueberries
Afternoon snack: cashews and red d'anjou pear

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I found a can of pumpkin that didn't quite make it into my pumpkin pie fudge last week for Thanksgiving. So, since I promised I'd take a healthy snack to LQ's school tomorrow I looked through the internet and finally found something that looks delicious (and nutritious, of course)...pumpkin almond butter oat bars!  I made a modification, no chocolate in mine.  Instead I used raisins....yeah, that's all I changed.

Adapted (with slight modification) from The Blonde Vegan.

Ingredients
2 cups oats
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup agave
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup raisins

Method
Dump everything in a bowl, mix it all up.  Pour everything into an 8 x 8 greased pan (I used parchment paper instead).  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes.  Enjoy!