It's Time for a Mood Boost

If you’re having the week I am, every day feels like Monday. This afternoon, when I should be feeling hopeful because we’re halfway through the week, instead I felt down. Yes, there’s a lot on my plate. Yes, I am highly stressed. Yes, I’m juggling people, projects, and the gross gossip of strangers. However, as you well know, I’m one of the most optimistic people in the world! And yet…here I am with a case of the blahs.

So, it’s off to the pantry for me!

Usually, my preference is for something salty like pistachios. I love them, but because I’m feeling uncharacteristically tired right now, I put them back. (They’re a great before bed snack because they trigger melatonin.) Then my brain thought perhaps something sweet sounded delicious…but the sugar spike and resulting crash would make my mood even worse.

Thankfully, I have a segment of my pantry filled with foods that are perfect for just such an emergency. My suggestion? Add these to your snack pantry for a quick boost of energy, memory, and mood.

1. Dehydrated blueberries: These give a boost of energy and are filled with antioxidants. We picked them fresh last year and I dehydrated them myself, storing them in a Mason jar. They’re great to snack on and to use in maple syrup over a quick batch of protein pancakes, too!
2. Nuts and seeds mixture: There’s an amazing Amish foods store where I buy nuts and seeds in bulk, then mix them together to my liking. Again, I store them in a sealed Mason jar and remove the oxygen so they’re always fresh. Today, I chose walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds for a memory boost.
3. Dark chocolate: There’s never a bad time for some high quality dark chocolate. I just love that something so delicious improves my skin quality, circulation, and boosts my mood!

Because these three work so well together, I just mixed them together and am now snacking on a homemade sweet-and-salty, nutrient dense snack that won’t fill me with regret. It’s time to turn my momentary low into a rest-of-the-day high. If only I’d have thought ahead, I could have melted it together into a superfood bark. Maybe next time!