The seeds I keep out because some days I do not want to open the cupboard

There are days when I am already tired by the time I get to the kitchen. Opening the cupboard, finding the jar, getting a spoon, putting it back feels like more than I want to do. I started leaving a small bowl of the toasted mix right on the counter where I can see it.

I had been sitting at the table for most of the afternoon and my legs felt heavy when I stood up. The idea of opening the cupboard and reaching for the jar on the top shelf was enough to make me almost skip adding anything extra. Instead I reached for the bowl that was already out.

Now when I make toast or heat up some rice205 kcal or even just have a piece of fruit I can add a spoonful without any extra steps. The bowl is always there. I use it more on the low days than on the days when I have more energy because it removes the small barrier. On one of those afternoons I put some on the toast with the olive oil119 kcal already out. Later when I warmed some vegetables I added another spoonful without deciding first.

I refill the bowl from the jar when it gets low. Sometimes I add a few more walnuts185 kcal or a different seed if I have them. The point is that it stays out and I do not have to think about whether I feel like getting the jar down. It just happens. By the end of that day the bowl was lower and I had eaten more than I would have if the seeds had been put away.

The mix itself is simple. Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds mostly, with a few walnuts for the fat. I toast them in a dry pan until they smell toasty and then let them cool before I put them in the bowl. The toasting is the only step that takes any time and I do it on a better day so the bowl is ready when I need it.

I have used the seeds on toast with a little honey64 kcal when I wanted something sweet but still substantial. I have sprinkled them over a bowl of warm beans when that was all I had the energy to heat. Once I even added them to a piece of fruit I was eating standing at the counter because the bowl was right there and it turned the fruit into something that felt like more of a snack.

What matters is not the exact mix or the amount. What matters is that the decision to add something extra is already made by having the bowl in the place I am standing. On days when my appetite is quiet this small thing helps the food I do eat go a little further without me having to work for it.