littlebluehazel I’m always feeling like breakfast gets stuck on this cycle of oatmeal, eggs, smoothie, and back to oatmeal again. It really gets boring! One day I decided you know what, I want a little bit of cheese, and a slice of turkey but also some fruit and crackers and a piece of chocolate all together on a plate. It’s like a little portion controlled buffet just for you! I love to keep lots of different things on hand to mix them up and make them interesting every single time I make them. These plates are perfect for breakfast or even lunch, they are like bento boxes on a plate!
Why you’ll love these plates:
- They are super easy to put together
- Portion control to keep your weight loss on track!
- You get a little bit of all the things your craving
- A simple way to create a healthy balanced plate!
Carbs:
I love to use granola for my carb portion so I keep a lot of yummy options on hand that way I can keep mixing things up and choose flavors that compliment each other. Some of my favorites are Kashi, Bear Nature, Love Crunch and Kind. I can also really get down on some good breads, I look for things that are loaded with whole grains and contain pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, fruits, etc. for the added health benefits.
Dairy:
My favorite dairy options are whole milk cottage cheese or a nice thick Greek yogurt like Chobani. I’ll also do low fat cheeses like Swiss, Feta, mozzarella or goat cheese. Occasionally I’ll use cheddar just because it’s delicious but I try to avoid high fat cheeses.
Healthy fats/ Protein:
Nuts! My favorite for this category are nuts. I love almonds and unsalted peanuts. I have a nut grinder so I frequent my own nut butters which is a healthier option to store bought butters because you control the amount of oil that you put into the mixture. Other options for this category are avocado, sunflower seeds and hardboiled eggs.
Vegetables: I like to include something even when I’m making up a plate for breakfast just because it is so important to get your vegetables in at every meal. I even put tomatoes or spinach in my egg sandwiches! So for my plates I like to add some raw carrots, broccoli, a sliced tomato or cucumber but the possibilities are endless!
Fruit:
I love all fruit so I will add whatever I have on hand and usually at least two different fruits for every plate. I love bananas, kiwis, grapes, oranges, watermelon, pineapple. Anything really! There are fruits that contain higher amounts of vitamins for specific health needs that you may have so if that is something you are looking for I would definitely try to add those in to your plates! If you are looking for some great fruit fact printables to learn more about the nutritional values in common fruits I have a whole section of them you can find here!
Do you have a favorite snack or meal plate combo that you would love to share? I would love to hear from you! Drop me a comment and I will share your plate!
