Sometimes, you just can’t beat a crunchy, salty snack. Problem is, these aren’t always the best types of foods to be consuming when trying to lose weight and eat healthily.

If you’re like me and have more of a savoury than a sweet tooth, treats like potato chips are hard to pass up, especially when cravings strike.

Nothing beats a bowl of soup on a cold day. Not only is a big serving of veggie based broth low in calories (making it the perfect food for weight loss), it’s also packed full of vitamins and nutrients, making it an ideal healthy lunch or dinner.

A bowl of hot soup can also have more than the usual nutrient benefits for our bodies. The easy digestibility of the warm liquid makes soups and broths a thermogenic food. This refers to foods that actually help us to stay warm and maintain our body heat, even when the outside temperature drops.

We often get asked about breakfast ideas here at Lose Baby Weight.

While we would normally suggest you tuck into a Healthy Mummy Smoothie (see all our recipes here), we understand that some days you might fancy something else with your cuppa.

So today we thought we would take a look at ideas for toast, and the health benefits of each.

Using 2 slices of wholemeal toast (at 180 calories) you can easily check out the calories and nutrition information based on the average amount of spread you would use on top.

In general, you are making a good choice by using a whole food rather than a processed spread.

For instance you can use a whole tomato for less than 30 calories, or a boiled egg has just 73 calories; whereas a tablespoon of peanut butter comes in at 127 calories.

Why should kids have all the fun? Just because you have made some food for your little ones doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it too.

And more often than not, if you are cooking for your children you will be using healthy nutritious ingredients that will aid you on your weight loss journey.

Sometimes it is as simple as just a change in texture that takes food from adult to kid-friendly.

Try one of these ideas and see if it brings out the child in you.

• Mac and Cheese – when you are craving pasta there are ways to make it without a calorie explosion. Try our low fat mac and cheese recipe here.

• Custard (pictured) – no, not the store bought kind (can you believe a lot of them contain no eggs at all?). Try this simple recipe that your kids will love as much as you. It warms you up from the inside and feels like a big cuddle. Mix 2 eggs, ½ tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp of cornflour together with a splash of milk. Add 500ml of milk and cook stirring over a saucepan of simmering water until it thickens.

Do you give your kids a large portion of greasy take away for dinner? Let them skip breakfast and then fill up on a pastry for morning tea?

Do you let them stay up late at night and then drink 2 or 3 coffees a day?

Give them a whole bag of chips to scoff in front of the TV, and encourage them to wash it down with a litre of soft drink?

No? Didn’t think so.

Yet for many of us there have probably been times when you have fed these things to yourself.

Isn’t it strange how some of the things you would never dream of letting your kids do, are the very things that you have done to yourself?

When you are a busy mama it can be so easy to put everyone else’s needs before your own.

How many times have you been caught out at the park in the late afternoon with 3 jumpers, 2 spare pairs of jeans and a couple of t-shirts for your little one and nothing warm for yourself?

Or worse, stuck in traffic with just enough food for the kids and nothing for you?

Just like the boy scouts, you need to be prepared.

So while you probably never leave home without wipes, nappies, spare outfits, water and snacks for the little people in your life – remember to look after your needs too.

Today we’ve got 10 snacks that are handbag friendly. Many can even be left in there for a few days at a time, which is great when you are on the go.

Healthy snacking is so important when you are trying to lose weight. It keeps your metabolism firing, it gives you energy and it keeps your head straight (meaning you don’t get so hungry that you want to dive head first into a bucket of chicken).

Hands up if it’s starting to feel like winter around your neck of the woods? It certainly is around ours! Darker mornings, early sunsets and the chill in the air till the sun fully comes out hints that cooler weather is on the way. Autumn and winter can be tricky times when it comes to weight loss and healthy living.

We tend to feel more inspired and enthusiastic when the sun is shining. The longer days that summer brings makes it easier to fit in exercise, while the warmer weather makes foods like salads and smoothies easier to eat as they help us to stay cool, especially on those days when even eating makes us sweat!

If there’s one type of cuisine that takes the cake as one of my absolute favourites of all time, it would have to be Mexican.

There’s something about the delicious flavours and textures that make it a delicious lunch or dinner. Unfortunately, many Mexican dishes aren’t exactly great for weight loss. 

All that cheese and sour cream is chock full of the extra calories that we try to avoid when we want to lose weight. 

Unless you’ve been hiding beneath a rock, chances are good that you know that tomorrow is Mother’s Day here in Australia. Whether you go all out with the celebrations or stick to something low key, enjoying a yummy breakfast with your family is one of the easiest ways to celebrate the day.

I’m a huge fan of one-bowl recipes, especially one-bowl recipes that are both healthy and weight loss friendly!