Steel cut oats, if you are able to tollerate them (we are all in a different place) cook up and refrigerate nicely for the week. I make a big double batch on Sunday or Monday morning and they last thru the week for us both. Very nice in the morning to have only to reheat the oats! And steel cut oats are a whole grain and take about 30 minutes to cook, which is why I cook them ahead.

It's always a good idea to keep a package of mixed nuts or almonds in your daily vehicle, or wherever you spend a lot of time. I do like the half salted mixed nuts, but often get unsalted too.

You can hard boil eggs and peel and keep in containers in the fridge for a fast snack or meal.

Chicken cooked in an oil based dressing (such as Trader Joe's Romano Parmesan dressing, or their Caesar dressing--refrigerated) will store wonderfully in the fridge during the week. When you reheat them, the dressing keeps them moist.

Celery and nut butters on hand always. Bell peppers (I don't eat the green ones, just orange, yellow and red) are great on their own as a sort of fruit break, with a bit of cheese or an egg.

I like to make a nice dip to have on hand for veggies. The dip is loaded with protein! Just mix cream cheese, sour cream or yogurt and if you want a little zip some high quality mayo, and add whatever herbs or spices you like. I use fresh garlic and some dill sometimes. Also, you can go SWEET with this and instead of the spices add stevia (or your choice of sweetener) with some cinnamon. You can turn it into a dip for apple sliced by adding apple pie spices, or make it pumpkin-y with those spices. Dipping JICAMA is a great treat! Tastes like you are eating something *naughty* but it's nice.

I also like to have a can of Traer Joe's canned wild salmon on hand for salads or a fast meal on the go. It's a flip top can and the perfect serving size. There is nothing added, just the wild salmon and it's very VERY mild tasting. Not fishy fishy. You can make ahead a chicken or salmon salad by adding a can to cream cheese and whatever else you can think of.

I like to go a little *gourmet* and add the weirdest ingredients to cure the sweet/savory desires of my tongue: Can of/or fresh chicken breast or salmon. Add to cream cheese and cut up small chunks of about 4th apple, some GREEN olives (funky but yum somehow!), maybe pecans pieces, celery. The sweet apples and strong green olives complement each other and make this a GREAT topper on your mixed greens! You can also as a lot more celery or other veggies and use this as the entire meal on the go!

For sweet cravings I like to experiment with cream cheese and stevia and nuts. You can make little bon bons by mixing stuff with cream cheese and sweetener, nuts or cocoa powder, then freezing and eating in an hour like dessert. You can add peanut or other nut butter equal amount with cream cheese too.

You can get nitrate and nitrite free deli meat at Trader Joe's very cheap compared to the whole foods stores. They have ham, roast beef, pastrami, and two kinds of turkey--all nitrate and nitrate free! I like to roll them up with either cheese or veggie strips inside for a fast snack on the go, or as a lunch meal.

I don't snack much for some reason. I never have been a snack person, just monster size meals (my downfall). So I limmit my portions, which is the key to my personal weight loss. Eating the whole foods repaired my body, reducing the amounts shed the weight, along with movement, but not crazy movement.

If I can think of any others I will post them here. Eat well! --Betty