Seriously, when did apples become so expensive? I went to Costco the other day for the necessary items I like to purchase there (peanut butter, chicken, cheese, salad, cucumbers, yogurt etc) and I grabbed a pack of 12 pink lady apples ($8.99!) and two of the containers of pre-packaged sliced fuji apples ($8.99 each, 8 packs in a container). I know it is probably not cost effective to buy the sliced ones but let's face it- it is easy and convenient, the kids love them and they pack nicely for work and it is way easier to dip a slice of apple into peanut butter than a whole apple. So there you have it, that is how you spend $27 on apples that will last only about a week (if I am lucky) in my house. Clearly I need an apple orchard in my backyard!
One of the "skinny rules" is to eat apples and berries every single day, so I add these into my morning and afternoon snacks. I usually eat berries with my morning snack, in the form of Bob's "skinny shake" which is 8 oz nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 1/2 cups of berries and 12 oz of either water or almond milk. I have been using almond/coconut milk combined and it is soooo good. You should try it. And I like to use frozen berries so that my smoothie is nice and cold. This makes a HUGE smoothie and is really filling- since I run in the morning most often after breakfast this usually is my "recovery" drink. I tend to see apples and peanut butter as my indulgent treat in the afternoon. It cures my sweet tooth and I feel satisfied afterwards so that is what I am sticking with. Sometimes I sub cheese in instead of peanut butter, and that is a great combo as well- plus who doesn't love cheese??
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| Buy this and enjoy! Sooo good |
I thought the hardest rule to follow would be "no carbs after lunch" and it actually was the one rule holding me back from starting it earlier. How can I live without carbs for half of the day?? Will I die and run out of energy when I go for a run? Well, the fact that I can have an apple in the early afternoon is helpful- it is not a complex carb so I think that is why it is allowed. And then I just started eating a nice serving of protein like chicken or steak with some veggies for dinner and I was completely satisfied. I am not someone who can eat salad every night so sometimes I cut up half a cucumber or a red pepper and just eat that with some protein. Or maybe some steamed green beans. But the fact that I have eaten GOOD HEALTHY carbs at breakfast and lunch tides me over and I go to bed a little bit hungry but not starving.
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| Dinner one night- deprived? I think not! |
Here is the tricky part of that rule- I like to run in the morning. So when I wake up I am really hungry and basically have zero stored carbs to work with so I HAVE to eat some breakfast before working out, and then I have to let it digest for an hour or so. I am still trying to get used to this so my runs have been pushed back a little later in the morning than I prefer. But I am adjusting and now the "no carbs after lunch" rule seems like a no brainer and I do not even crave rice or pasta for dinner. Crazy right? Maybe, but I feel great and I weighed in on Saturday and I was down SEVEN POUNDS in just under 3 weeks! Say what? Guess the skinny rules are working, and I still haven't been counting calories!
So, does anyone know where I can get a good deal on apples?!?
The apples are beginning to show up at the farmers' market - inside of a week or two you ought to be able to get an entire 20-lb box for that amount. Ask which varieties will store decently (assume at first that that size box will last you four to six weeks, given that you're eating every day and there are kid lunches involved) and don't buy any varieties that are too fragile. Some of the early season varieties are a bit less hardy than those that come late in the season (ie Pink Lady, Granny Smith). But we keep this up until the market closes at Christmas; my last boxes will often last until March or April. And then anything that goes soft gets tossed in the crockpot and becomes applesauce. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I didn't even think about the markets. I am going to be hitting those up for sure in a couple of weeks. I have been getting berries there all summer- so tastey! Great tips:)
DeleteYeah, this is almost the worst time of year for apples because this year's crop isn't quite ripe yet. My favorite apples are the organic pink ladies from PCC and they end up being like $1.50 per apple. UGH.
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