This post is sponsored by The Laughing Cow® and features a fun giveaway that I assembled myself that I hope you guys will love! I am an official brand advocate for The Laughing Cow® in 2014 and while I receive compensation for participation, opinions are my own. I hope you enjoy this post and thanks so much for your support!
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you likely already know that I consider myself a very fast eater. (Remember this blog post when I talked about some of the methods Ryan and I use to try to prolong our dinner dates!?) Slowing down and savoring my food takes effort on my part. I’ve always been a really fast eater and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been one of the first people to clear my plate in almost any social setting.
When The Laughing Cow® reached out to me about their new initiative that centers around savoring snack time, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I know I personally could stand to slow down and enjoy my food a little more and this seemed like a good push to brainstorm ways to make myself take a moment and enjoy what I’m eating.
Below you will find some tips and tricks I’ve been trying to practice during snack and meal times to help me appreciate what I’m eating and actually experience food rather than just inhaling it all the time. I’ve also featured some food pairings with The Laughing Cow Cheeses to give you some snack time inspiration!
Simple Tips for Savoring Snack Time
- Step Away from Electronic Distractions
All too often I’ll eat when I’m working at the computer and look up and think to myself, “I don’t even remember tasting that meal!” What a shame! I never watch TV during the day, but I am on the computer all the time. I also check my phone a lot since I use it to respond to emails, blog comments and other work-related tasks. By stepping away from electronic distractions, I feel much more in the moment and this makes me concentrate on tasting and savoring my snacks and meals.
Crisp Apple Slices + Roasted Almonds + The Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Wedges
- Place My Fork Down In Between Bites
This is a tip I read in a magazine years ago that really does work. I tend to shovel food in my mouth a little too quickly, and taking the time to put down my fork or spoon in between bites extends mealtime a little bit and allows me to think more about what I’m eating and enjoy it.
Cucumber Slices + The Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Garlic & Herb Cheese Wedges + Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Enjoy A Snack with a Mug of Hot Tea
This is something I tend to do at breakfast time that makes my morning meal last a little longer, so I tried extending it to snack time and it really does help! If I fix myself an afternoon snack and a hot cup of tea, I’m much more likely to sit down and enjoy my snack rather than grabbing it and stuffing it into my mouth while I’m on the go. Which leads me to my next bullet point…
Gluten-Free Almond Crackers + Ham Pinwheels + The Laughing Cow Creamy White Cheddar Cheese Wedges + Cracked Pepper
- Sit Down
I am the queen of eating at the kitchen counter. When I make myself grab a plate or a bowl and take my snack to the table, it seems to send a message to my brain that this is a time I need to chill out and enjoy what I’m eating rather than eat something as fast as possible before it’s onto the next thing.
Fresh Strawberries + Pretzel Crisps + The Laughing Cow Creamy Light Swiss Cheese Wedges
- Break the Routine
I tend to eat the same snacks over and over again until I get sick of them and discover something new. When I take the time to get a little creative in the kitchen and try something new, I find that I’m a lot more likely to notice and enjoy what I am eating.
And now it’s giveaway time!
I have personally assembled a giveaway worth $300 for one PBF reader to win! I tried to select items to help you kick back and relax a bit so you can thoroughly savor your meals and snacks!
This giveaway includes:
- $100 lululemon gift card – For you to pick up some super cute, comfy lounge-worthy apparel that you can also wear in public
- Cable knit throw from Pottery Barn – To curl up with while you enjoy a delicious snack this winter
- Le Creuset tea kettle (color of your choice) – To brew a hot beverage to sip while you eat
- Anthropologie mug with your initial – So you can sip your tea in style
- Snack Time Kit from The Laughing Cow
To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment below telling me about one of the tricks you use to encourage yourself to slow down and savor your food or tell me about your favorite snack!
I will randomly select a winner on Friday.
Good luck!
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Lately I’ve been having homemade healthy zucchini bread for a snack. Delicious!
I definitely need to slow down when eating. I try to remind myself to put down my fork after every bite.
My husband has been the same type of eater as you for as long as I’ve known him! He also tends to get distracted at meal time by his phone, so we give him a bit of time on his phone when we first sit down (if we’re out at least, if we’re home, no phones until we’re done eating) taking care of any business that needs to be tended to before putting it away for the meal. We make it a point to talk to each other and have really engaging conversations. This has become even more important to us and our meal times now that we’ve started a family. It makes me so sad when we’re eating out at a restaurant and an entire family is on their phones for majority of the meal! We’re both self proclaimed foodies so we allow ourselves a few moments to snap a pic before putting our phones away.
I love your snack ideas! They’re so simple and healthy! I’m definitely going to be needing these ideas after baby #2 arrives in January!
I love trail mix! So versatile and portable. I also love the think thin bars (guilty pleasure)—-they are just so darn delicious!
Apples and peanut butter, hands down best snack. Classic and delicious!
My favourite snack is homemade hummus with chips or veggies.
Drinking water while I eat forces me to slow down. Sitting down also makes me more likely to enjoy a meal as well.
My favorite snack is cottage cheese. If I crave something savory I top it with cucumbers and tomatoes and if I want something a little sweet I add apples and cinnamon.
My favourite snack has to be pretzels! I could eat them as a snack every day..always a go to when I can’t come up with something more creative.
Lately with a new baby I snack of all the time! Apple slices with goats milk caramel and hot tea are what I’ve been drawn to make to have next to me while I feed her.
One of my favorite go to snacks is rice crackers (either plain or tomato and basil flavor) with avocado and tuna spread on top!
Hi Julie! : )
I love to make my food look as best as it possibly can! I think that this helps me slow down and take my time to enjoy it.
However, my little kitten Lilly always wants to eat whatever I’m eating so fighting her off my food usually takes up some time too, haha!
Love from Scotland xoxo
Take it outside! Enjoying a snack surrounded by nature in fresh air with no distactions helps yoü appreciate it so much more!
My favorite snack lately has been toasted pita bread with hummus!
My favorite trick is to drink a sip of water in between each bite. It slows me down, and also makes sure I’m drinking enough water!
I try to eat dinner withy little brothers a few times a week and between bites we put our forks down and say something that we did, or that they learned at school that day. It’s a way for us to savor not only our meal, but our time together as well and to engage in conversation away from the electronics around the house. 🙂
I used to be the slowest eater in the world- but now as i’m always in a hurry I tend to shovel down all the food without even noticing! So it’s quite a good reminder- cause i love all the food and I should slow down again :-))
My two favorite go to snacks are cereal, which I could literally eat all the time, and peanuts! I get the peanuts in the shell so it takes longer to disassemble and consume. Yum
What a beautiful collection of things for a giveaway, thank you! It is definitely a challenge to slow down when eating with my little one, because he seems to get bored rather quickly at the table and that means we shovel our food in to finish. one thing I can practice doing is teaching him (as well as me) to take pauses between bites and chew our food instead of inhaling it.
For me, it’s always hard not to wolf down snacks. I try to drink a sip of water or tea or coffee (if it’s a morning snack) between bites to help me slow down. I also try to disconnect, step away from the computer or tv or ipad and sit at the table when I eat. It really does help! Some of my favorite snacks are PB and a banana, carrots and crackers with hummus, grapes and string cheese, almonds or a honeycrisp apple, they are sooooo good.
I am so excited for this giveaway ! These are all of my wish list items! You have great taste Julie! My favorite snack before a run is flax seed crackers with almond butter or hummus. I also like to incorporate some vegetables, so I will usually have some cucumber slices and carrots too! I think being knowledgeable about what your eating and the portion size is only effective when you sit down and enjoy your food (without the tv!). Thanks for the opportunity Julie!
I love to read a book while I snack. This helps me slow down because I get so into reading that I will often go several pages between bites, making snack time last longer and each bite taste more delicious!
I always make sure I have a glass of water with my meals, that way I take sips in between my bites, awesome way to slowwwww you down!
having to get as much food in as we could in about 5 minutes in basic training turned me into a ridiculously fast eater, and not much has changed today! My friends always tell me they look down at their food and when they look back up I’m already finished, haha! so since I haven’t quite grasped how to slow myself down, my favorite snack is an oatmeal pancake with peanut butter, banana and always cinnamon! 🙂
My favorite snack is usually some veggie chips or pretzels and hummus. Great giveaway!!
Slowing down to enjoy a snack is so hard! Usually I try to have it something I make instead of just grab. If I take the time to put together peanut butter crackers rather then just open a package if them I usually am more focused on my food!
I wish I needed to tell myself to slow down come snack time but with 3 year old twins curious about what I’m eating my method right now is “one bite for me, one bite for you and you”-helps with portion control too I guess!
My favorite sweet snack right now is greek yogurt with pb2 and stevia and a chocolate vitatop on the side-feels like I’m doing more damage while I’m meeting my weight loss goals 🙂
My favorite snack is pita chips with salsa 🙂
My favorite snack is so simple but soooo delicious and satisfying! I toast a piece of Ezekiel sprouted 100% whole grain bread with garlic and herb Laughing Cow Cheese and a thick slice of tomato with freshly ground black pepper to top it off – yummmm!
My favorite snack is cheddar cheese and an apple.
My favourite snack right now is probably a couple of hard boiled eggs with steak spice (I know, weird) and a honey crisp apple. I cannot get enough honey crisp apples right now!!! They are definitely my favourite and only in season for a short time!
To slow down I follow almost all the same tricks you use. I find especially eating without distractions and drinking lots of liquid at the same time helps me.
I eat way too fast, so sometimes I make my food extra hot so I have to cool down each bite before eating it! My favorite snack right now is Quest bars.
Sitting Down by the Table, Making sure distraction are put away ie. phone, tablet, TV off
My favourite snack would have to be these homemade peanut butter granola squares my daughter’s grandma makes. She makes them slightly different everytime which I love.
I heard the put your fork down in between bites as well. In addition I always make sure to take the time to thoroughly chew my food. I heard that can also make it easier on your digestive system. Great give away!
My favorite snack is Greek yogurt. I have to have it everyday
I try to schedule my snack times so I give myself 20-30 mins to make my snack eat it and clean up so I don’t feel rushed. It works great for me 🙂
I try to take smaller bites of what I’m eating so that the food lasts longer and I get to enjoy it more.
I actually do the opposite of sitting down, I have found that if I leave my snack on the counter and move around I will come back to it and snack on it slowly and enjoy it longer!
My favorite snack right now is a cheese stick followed by a piece of fruit. Love getting the savory + sweet combo.
Cherries are my fav! I wish they were in season more. Lately my favorite snack has been blueberry protein muffins.
I am trying to really chew my food. I read it could help with digestive issues.
To ensure that I savor my afternoon snack, I usually will make sure it is on a plate and that I have a drink to go with it. I normally will have tea or water with lemon.
I am terrible about savoring my food. I also enjoy it with a hot glass of tea. Nothing better.
My favorite snacks would include hummus with pita wedges, rice cakes with natural nut butter, or laughing cow with crackers + apple wedges. Yum!
Having a conversation with someone really helps!!
One of my favorite snacks is apples and peanut butter!!! Refreshing and comforting at the same time 🙂
I like to sip water between bites and that helps me slow down and actually enjoy my snack. Plus, I’m able to eat a smaller portion when I’m drinking water while eating. I’ve been loving apple slices and crunchy almond butter lately. It’s the perfect afternoon snack and easy to take to work and enjoy.
My favorite snack is usually almonds and an apple because I can grab them and go!
I have a few favorite snacks.
My first favorite snack to eat is hummus and veggies. Love especially dipping carrots and cucumbers!!!
The next one I love is called cow piles. The name is not appealing but they are extremely easy to make and I make them smaller so they’re bite size and I eat 1 or 2 a time. They’re no bake and amazing to eat! There’s a lot of sugar in there so I have substituted honey in place. They are still amazing! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/katie-lee/no-bake-cow-pile-cookies.html
It helps me to sit down and put away my phone.
I turn off my computer & tv, and put away my phone. Just me, my book & a snack on the window seat!