I wasn’t aware of the danger I was in while dividing my almonds and walnuts into single serving size snack bags.

Today was food prep day. Lots of vegetables and fruit got chopped in preparation for the week. It just makes life easier when whipping up delicious foods. If there’s a weight loss food habit that’s a must, it’s food prepping.

At the grocery store I picked up some walnuts and almonds, about a pound each. Sadly nuts are not on my Simple Start food list. While off-limits to me this week (my last week of the program), my husband can enjoy these terrific, healthy snacks, provided he can stop with one serving.

That’s where my mad food prep skills come in — and a lot of snack-size baggies.

I simply weigh or measure out the nuts per the recommended portion and seal them in a snack bag. Simple, and it ensures a single serving size. Plus, it’s super convenient when he needs to grab something on the go or pack his lunch in the morning.

The amount of nuts I get last for about 3-4 weeks. Not bad for about 10 minutes of my time.

A warning to those of you considering food prep.  I routinely run into a hazard when I break out the chopping board, food scale, measuring cups, food containers and snack bags.

My first hazard likes to sit to my left.

This thief waited in vain for an almond. Patience paid off when a big, juicy strawberry fell.

The second hazard likes to sit on my right.

Thief No. 2 and the ringleader. She likes to use her cuteness to hypnotize you into tossing her a morsel.

This time around, they enlisted help. The helper’s job — constantly bat at my head and neck (I sat down during today’s food prep because my leg needed a break).

The thieves came with an enforcer this time. While he loved batting my ponytail, jumping on my shoulder and kneading my back (which was awesome!) he couldn’t distract me from my task. Although I spent a lot of time shooing him off the counter and disinfecting.

I’m not sure what they promised their little enforcer, as he hates both thieves (and barely tolerates his humans).

Overall I did good. None of the nuts fell on the floor. However, A rather large strawberry slipped out of my hands. Shadowfax, my little dog, was so fast, the Old English Sheepdog was still laying down before she realized she missed the big prize.

Poor puppy. Maybe next time.