A Happy List of Tasty Snacks

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Among the most valuable friendships I have are those friends who, knowing I was off social media for Lent, still sent me photos of what they’re having for lunch or dinner or snacks because they know I’m interested.

There was a joke, in the first age of Instagram, that people were only using it to show pictures of their mediocre dinners. And while I get that sentiment, I also have to say that now that Instagram has morphed into so much more than “instant grams” of whatever you happen to be doing right then (heavily filtered and posted with nary a caption), I still want to see what my friends are eating for breakfast.

Maybe it’s nosiness, maybe it’s idle curiosity, maybe I’m just bored with what I’ve been eating and am looking for alternate ideas - probably a little of all three. I swap meal plans with one of my sisters-in-law, and pick grocery list inspiration from another friend. I compare baking itineraries with one and extract confirmation of crazy recipe ideas from another. The chief end of these calisthenics for all of us is to avoid boredom in what we eat, while still eating in a way that nourishes our bodies. See, I reject the diet-culture idea that eating well has to be restrictive, boring, and adhere to strict lists of dos and don’ts. Of course through trial and error I have found things that do and do not make my body feel best, and it is those principles that guide my food choices (sometimes). But I am the one who made that list, and I can adapt that list. I am not prescribed it by a random influencer or fitness coach who thinks they know my body and its needs better than I, who inhabit this body, do. (As always, I am not speaking against people whose food choices are driven by allergies, disease, or other reasons their diet is limited - sometimes facts of life do restrict your ability to eat freely. But those factors would still fall under your own knowledge of what makes your body tick. I doubt someone who is allergic to peanuts thinks that everyone else ought to be allergic to peanuts too.)

PCOS (a complex hormonal condition of which I’m the charming host) comes with things like insulin resistance. And the very thing needed to counteract insulin resistance is a war against letting my blood sugar see-saw. This means that for me, that well-balanced snacks are a must in my life! A well-balanced snack, to me, is a snack that incorporates a bit of healthy fat, and always pairs carbs with protein and some fiber. I have to say: for the myriad ways that PCOS is an atrocity and a blight on the face of humankind, it’s also nice that a prescribed way to handle some of its symptoms is making sure to snack. The great thing about the snacks I enjoy for keeping my blood sugar stable is that they are also delicious and nourishing for anybody looking to keep from a blood-sugar dip. Look, if you’re telling me I should have at it with the snickety-snacks and create a playground of potential things to pack in my lunch bag, I absolutely will obey your advice.

I’m sharing my list of snacks here, and I hope that you will add your own in the comments. For the sake of budgets and my own patterns of purchase, I have not included pre-packaged snacks in this lineup, although they are perfectly legitimate offerings - feel free to suggest your favorites. I grew up in an “ingredients household” and find that, although I see nothing wrong with occasional purchases otherwise, I’m way too interested in stretching a buck to invest heavily in packaged snack foods - even the many creative, delicious, and nourishing options. Trader Joe’s does sometimes get me (spicy crunchy mochi nuggets? Anybody anybody?) but those don’t become my staples. So the following category of snacks are more DIY in their approach - more like what you’d find in my very non-judgmental ingredients household. I do not think they will steer you wrong. They can even be beefed up and eaten as a meal. Whether you are aiming to keep your blood sugar stable or just have the munchies, here are some snacks that my make my heart happy!

• a pink lady apple and dill pickle cashews

• sourdough toast with ricotta and hot honey

• unsweetened, dried mango and salt and pepper pistachios

• stove top popcorn and sharp cheddar cheese (I like Old Croc or Black Cow)

• cottage cheese and fresh pineapple

• watermelon and feta salad

• spicy pecans and a tangerine

• hard boiled egg and fresh cherry tomatoes

• multigrain or sourdough pretzels with sharp cheddar

• fresh mango sprinkled with Tajin and roasted pistachios

• marinated olives and dried apricots with goat cheese

• spiced, crisp-roasted chick peas

• sourdough crackers and Iberico cheese

• whole milk Greek yogurt, honey, and bee pollen

• rainbow carrot sticks and hummus

• unsweetened peanut butter and apple slices

• “cookie dough” Greek yogurt with peanut butter and vanilla extract stirred in, and a sprinkling of chocolate chips

• deli-sliced turkey breast and quick fridge pickles rolled into “cigars”

• smoked salmon and dill on sourdough toast

• dried cherries, pecans, and dark chocolate

• pickled cauliflower & carrots and chili cashews

• tinned trout on Triscuit crackers with lemon

• smoked mussels on sourdough toast with chili crisp

• iced matcha latte made with whole milk and grass-fed collagen

• iced latte with whole milk, honey, and grass-fed collagen

• hard boiled egg with sumac and flaky salt

• “hot cocoa” made with whole milk, cacao powder, grass-fed collagen, a bit of maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt

Happy snacking! Don’t forget to add your favorite snacks below - I can update the post at a later date to include some of your contributions so we have a bit of a snack database going on.