Dope(amine) Snax

Eating habits of the WFH ADHDer with a 6am start and 30 minutes for lunch!

Grab and go, no prep needed
- fruit or fruit & cream cups (OK, these require a spoon)
- applesauce pouches
- individual bags of chips/pretzels
- mini candy bars (mostly peppermint patties)

oh, you need real food? fine.
- protein shakes (with caffeine!)
- greek yogurt cups
- peanut butter

cronchy snacks that take a second to assemble
- baby carrots
- pretzels
- apple slices

big winners
- any of the three above with a glob of peanut butter
- any form of pretzels with pb and a sprinkle of chocolate chips
- yogurt cup (usually vanilla) with a fruit cup (peaches), and/or granola.

lunch break
- Knorr noodle side dish pouch, microwaved.
- the buy-1, get-1-for-$0.29 double cheeseburgers from McDonalds via the app
- leftovers

As I have learned from ADHD Nutritionist and ADHD Dietitian, a LOT of my food issues are connected to ADHD and other brain-stimulation type stuff. If I'm bored or not mentally engaged, i want to eat ALL the things. Eating even just a few pretzel crisps can turn that around, as can doing a brisk-for-me lap around my downstairs. being super-into something is a good way to forget to eat (or pee or sleep, but these two are harder to ignore). The "being "good" all day" only to be starving and binge at night that regularly occurred while working in office was fueled by then-undiagnosed ADHD a toxic work environment. Working from home, where I can snack as I need to, and I don't have dozens of eyes watching and commenting, is so much better.

I'm off work today, and can't figure out why I have a piercing headache and am hangry. Well, for starters, I didn't take my meds last night OR this morning. second, it's been at least 8 hours since I've had anything to eat, and I've had minimal to drink since I went back to sleep from 9-1. oops. time to put this into practice.

Dope(amine) Snax and how to prepare them

I've already covered all my dope(amine) snacks, but some require preparation, perhaps the application of heat, even! Since "cooking" can be scary, let's start simple:

Yogurt Plus Stuff
the ingredients:
yogurt - a peel-open cup, or a big scoop from a bulk container into a bowl
fruit - a fruit cup (like diced no-sugar-added peaches) or part of a larger can of fruit (drained well), berries or sliced banana or whatever the heck you like, have on hand, or is in season
- granola or other crunchy stuff - Trader Joe's Just the Clusters (chocolate or vanilla) is good here, as is any granola of your liking. you only need 1-2 tablespoons, about half the "serving size" so this super-pricy item should last a bit longer.
- other stuff - chia, flax, wheat germ, whatever floats your boat. plain yogurt could use a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, or cooked down fruit/pie filling. use canned pie filling - no judgement here. you want rainbow sprinkles, you use rainbow sprinkles!

The presentation:
yes, you could attempt to eat all of this out of the single-serving yogurt cup, but wouldn't it be better in that pretty bowl? How about that stemmed parfait dish in your china cupboard? Heck, a wide-mouthed wine glass or martini glass could work. low spoons? it's also equally delicious eaten out of a paper bowl with a disposable spoon - they make compostable ones now if you don't dig the plastic. you DESERVE to enjoy this, even if you're sitting at your desk in your jamming, driving the struggle bus, five minutes late logging into work.

The assessment:
what worked? what didn't? start simple; you can always throw in more stuff if it seems boring. Remember that too much fiber too quickly to an unaccustomed digestive tract will be unpleasant, so go slow with those add-ins, and drink enough water.

how did you feel eating it? a hour later? two hours? when the next mealtime rolled around? Was it worth all the smiling you did to have to hand wash that antique china dish, or to NOT have to wash ANY dishes by going the disposable route? Did this fit well within your food sensitivities, dietary or budgetary restrictions? Time- and energy-wise? Would you recommend this to a friend, or even serve it to a friend? Grab a notebook (you know you have at least seven of them that have never been touched), take some notes, and try something new tomorrow.