Snacks! I cannot live without them. Could I just eat more food during my three main meals of the day so as to avoid my inevitable 3 pm energy crash (and chocolate craving)? Probably! In so doing I might avoid my hangry alter-ego. But I like getting out of my desk chair, walking downstairs to rummage up a tasty treat, and taking a moment away from my work before delving back in for the rest of the workday.
Maybe you’ve experienced these trends during COVID-times too:
a) I cook more of my meals at home. I likely “eat out” (ie. pick up takeout from restaurants only to bring the food home) less often than I used to in the Before Times. Where I used to eat out 8-16 times per month, I now order takeout 2-4 times per month.
b) I am unable to access my office’s bounty of free snacks (ie. pop-tarts, trail mix, crackers, fruit and cookies). And no coworker is going to show up on my doorstep with leftover cake from their kid’s birthday party. (Though if they did I would not turn it down.)
What’s a snack monster like me to do?
Over the last 10 (?) months I’ve developed a home-based approach to snacking. Here are my go-to vegan and satisfying snacks that I now always have on hand:
- Roasted almonds: controversial opinion here, but raw, un-roasted almonds are no bueno unless I’m soaking them to make almond milk.
- Fresh fruit: bananas, grapes, strawberries, citrus
- Nut butters: almond, cashew, and peanut butters are my favorites
- Smoothie: Technically a combination of the above three categories, you can try a delicious Blueberry Banana Smoothie here.
- Chocolate: Obviously. 70% dark or darker, please!
- Date balls: Dates contain a surprising amount of vitamins and nutrients
- Something crunchy and salty: Think pretzels or Hippeas (WOW those things are addictive)
What are your go-to snacks to tide you over between meals? Comment below if you have any favorites I must know about!