Anything But Biscuits!

I have told you all before that my son does not like to allow me to have a night’s sleep. Unfortunately, since he is the youngest of 3, I don’t have the option of sitting in my Pjs watching New Girl all day, and instead I have to drag myself up and out of the house to various different schools and nurseries pretending to be human.

Until recently, the way I coped was by replacing sleep with copious amounts of custard creams, digestives, hob nobs and bourbons. While my little biscuit friends helped me to feel wide awake for the following 20 minutes, I was still really tired and felt really sluggish and run down. I still firmly believe that if you are severely sleep-deprived then you will need to keep grazing on snacks throughout the day to keep your energy levels up, but if you replace them with nutritious but still delicious snacks instead then you are onto a winner. You will get a lovely pick me up and none of the guilt. Here are 3 of my current favourite healthy snacks!

First of all, I think all mums need a good cuppa. Sometimes if you think you are hungry, you should try making a cup of tea first and often that will take the hunger pangs away. The nicest cup of tea I have enjoyed lately has been from The*Teashed. This gorgeous British company makes really special teabags which come in cute takeaway cups which is also useful if you haven’t quite got around to washing up yet! The Teashed sent me some samples of their variety of teas and I really loved the Pick Me Up At 3 * Tea. This tea is laden with just enough caffeine to give you a boost, and is great for that moment mid-afternoon when you have hit a wall energy-wise. Also, if you are feeling virtuous then I recommend the Skinny Tea which is a really smooth green tea which can help boost your metabolism. The teabags themselves are really luxurious and silky and reminded me of the tea we had in a tiny boutique hotel on our honeymoon in Paris. The Teashed tea is very special and well worth ordering online as a treat. www.the-teashed.co.uk @The_TeaShed (Twitter).

Another important thing to make sure you do when you haven’t slept is eat breakfast. Before now, I would wake up feeling suitably sorry for myself and drown my sorrows in toast with lashings of peanut butter. Not anymore though since I have found Moma breakfasts. I do like a nice bowl of porridge, but often before the school run, things are a bit chaotic to set about making a hot brekkie. Moma sent me some lovely pots of their porridge which is so simple to make that even in my zombie state I can manage it! All you do is add boiling water, stir and pop the lid back on for a few minutes. The porridge is rich in wholegrain and low fat and you really do feel nourished after you have eaten a pot. I was also sent some samples of the lovely Moma Bircher Muesli which is made with wholegrain oats, probiotic yoghurt and fruit. I do struggle to eat yoghurt first thing in the morning and have been eating these as a mid morning snack instead and I have to say I am converted. It’s such an easy snack/breakfast to grab and eat that it will stop you cracking open the biscuit barrell!! These breakfasts are really delicious and well worth a try. www.momafoods.co.uk @Moma (Twitter).

Evening snacking is definitely my weakest area and I really need to work a bit harder on my evening willpower! Something that has really helped is the gourmet popcorn from Propercorn. Propercorn makes really lovely unusual popcorn in 4 different flavours. My favourite was Sweet & Salty, but we were also sent Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun Dried Tomato, Sour Cream and Chive, and Lightly Sea Salted. They were all completely delicious and left us wanting more! Even if you devour the entire pack by yourself, that is still under 100 calories so you can snack away guilt-free! Popcorn is the ideal evening snack to munch on while you watch tv, and I will also be taking a bag with me to the cinema next time I go as I can’t imagine eating any other kind now!! www.propercorn.com @Propercorn (Twitter)