Mason Jars...

Something about being an author is I sit. A lot. Typing 2,000-5,000 words a day is really tough when standing. Over these past few years of writing...with all the sitting...I've put on some unwanted pounds. 

Recently on Pinterest I have seen a lot of recipes for Mason jar meals. Several blogger who have posted their recipes talked about their weight loss while eating with this method. Rationale behind that? Two things: (1) Portion Control, and (2) Convenient. Two things that are like the home delivery diet programs focus on. Totally makes sense to me. I'm a terrible breakfast eater. Most mornings I just have coffee. That's it. Then it's lunch time and I may be rolling with a scene and I don't want to stop, and suddenly it's 3pm, and I haven't eaten anything all day. Well, you can imagine what happens next---I raid the refridgerator and pantry getting my hands on all the easy to eat foods... few are healthy choices, because to assemble something that tastes good takes time and, well - when you've gone 18+ hours without eating...you need to eat NOW!

I've considered the home-delivery diet programs, but the reviews aren't great... everything from complaints about bad tasting food to storing that much food that no one else in the house can eat.  Well, I'm a foodie (and if you follow my Instagram/Facebook feeds, you know. So, food that doesn't taste great is out. Space is an issue too.  

And then there's the cost! Sorry - but $200-$400 dollars a week doesn't fit in my budget. 

Buying 12 mason jars only cost me $10.

And like most people, Sundays I'm like, "Tomorrow (Monday) I'm going to start eating right." Well, Monday morning comes around and I don't change.  But Sunday afternoon, I took an hour or so and made 12 jars for this coming week. Two each of 3 different salads (6 days) of lunches and 5 oatmeal jars with freeze-dried fruits for breakfasts. AND I know exactly how much of each ingredient are in each jar, too, so I can accurately record my calorie count. 

I'll keep you The 3 different salads I made:

1. Spinach with bacon and eggs with a Sweet Onion Vinaigrette (from Trader Joe's) and some bell peppers there at the bottom.
2. Asian Chicken Noodle Salad with Mandarin Oranges, Spaghetti, Edamame, and some almonds. (TJ's Sesame, Ginger Soy dressing)
3. Brussels Sprout and Chicken Salad with Craisins and Sunflower seeds. (Balsamic Vinaigrette)

​And the salads with Chicken? I used 1 chicken breast for all 4 jars!

This morning I had the Chocolate Strawberry Banana Oatmeal and YUM-O!! So easy. I just heated 3/4 cup of Almond Milk (30 cal a cup...) and let it sit, then ate it!

​For Lunch - I'm having my Asian Chicken Noodle Salad. Look how full my bowl is! And all I had to do was shake the jar, open it & dump it into my bowl! No microwaving! No measuring! Just good eating!

I'll keep you updated. You can follow my Mason Jar Pinterest Board by clicking HERE.

what do you do to maintain your weight?