Okay, I think a lot of us can agree that social distancing has been a bit rough. The thing that has always served me well is a good snack, so I thought it would be fun to create a list of a few of my favorite snack ideas while we’re all keeping everyone safe at home.
- Baked Goods
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I was so excited to include this because it doubles as an activity, and we could all use some fun ideas right now to cure a bit of boredom! If you’re not a big baking person, you can just make drop cookies or mug cakes and voila, the perfect movie snack! Also, if you have to entertain younger kids, you can set up a baking or decorating station for them, they will definitely enjoy it. My mom used to do that when I was younger, and I have nothing but positive memories from that. You can also make them “healthy”. It’s still dessert, but a healthy dessert! I have an ever-growing obsession with strawberries and recently realized the power of angel food cake, which is such a simple yet effective combination. It’s also very filling, so I cannot more highly recommend treats with fruit, because although it’s more added sugar, it’s the good kind of sugar that your body actually needs. Now I’m just flexing my minimal nutrition knowledge, but honestly, make an activity out of it; it makes it so much more fun, especially when you get to eat after working so hard!
- Mix It Up With a Good Smoothie
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First things first, use frozen fruit- I cannot stress this enough! Due to our current state, it may be hard to find fruit in the coming months. However, this is also a great way to get rid of the fruit that may already be going bad. Frozen fruit is normally a bit more expensive, but a large part of that is because you get so much more and it lasts a long time. It’s also a great way to mix up meals every day. If you’re feeling a bit healthier one day, add some different kinds of fruits and possibly some protein powder (not too much though, because if you’re not able to consistently work out, it’ll likely not benefit you as much). On the other hand, if you’re feeling a bit more in a sugary mood, put a few chocolate chips in there or maybe a small bit of ice cream. There has never been less judgment than there is right now because we’re all kind of stuck at home anyway, so just enjoy it!
- Comfort Food
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Let’s be honest, there are a lot of reasons to be stressed right now, so if you just want to curl up in some comfy clothes and eat some warm mac and cheese, have at it! Also, because groceries are kind of a tricky situation right now, heat up that easy mac and call it a day! Truly, sometimes the easy stuff can taste just as good if you can be clever with it. By this I mean, add those extras. Salt and pepper, “Anything But The Bagel” seasoning, or any seasoning, for that matter is so important and can honestly make it feel like it’s a more professional meal. Before this entire virus even took place, I got really good at learning the importance of making a good meal, simply because I just don’t often have time to sit down and actually enjoy a big meal. I get very excited over food sometimes if I can, because it may just be a microwave meal, but it’s a good microwave meal that I made taste extra good.
- “Healthy” Snacks
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This can vary a lot, because honestly a lot of “health” snacks never actually fill me up. I’m not sure if this is a common thing or just me, but the serving sizes for healthy snacks are truly ridiculous, and honestly make me feel so bad for being hungry. What I’m aiming at is, find snacks that are meant to be filling and appear filling, rather than just ones that are labeled as healthy. This is the part where you can get creative and just combine things Top Chef style. I recently discovered these Harvest Snap chips that are supposed to be chip-form for snap peas. I also highly recommend a good granola bar. For example, if you’re running low on time and want more of like a meal-style kind of thing, Clif Bars are super filling, but be careful because they are heavy in calories and some resemble more of a desert (which isn’t always a bad thing, just watch what time you’re eating it). I also have recently become obsessed with Nature Valley, just because although they’re sugary, certain ones can fill you up a lot and are great for while you’re in online classes! Aside from that though, there are so many hidden combinations that you can work into being a really tasty and filling healthy snack. Again, adding extras to any meal will almost always make it better.
- Eating Like it’s the 2000s
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Bare with me, I promise this isn’t as bad as this remarkably and cheesy Prince-inspired title. Okay, hear me out, lunchables and kid cuisines. They may not be as filling as they were when we were eight, but this is a solid snack idea! I love Lunchables because I see knockoff versions all the time, and I’m honestly always satisfied afterward. This can also apply to other at-home childhood classics like peanut butter and jelly, Nesquik chocolate milk and Yoohoos, which I have been drinking far too much of lately, and apples and peanut butter (basically what I’m saying is to stock up and consume an excessive amount of peanut butter). Also, apparently there are a ton of companies that are bringing back childhood favorites from the ‘90s and early 2000s that are reappearing in stores! Dunkaroos, Eggos cereal, Gogurt, honestly the opportunities are endless. If you’re craving some nostalgia, there’s never been a more fitting time for some microwavable pudding and super small sandwich portions.
- Snack Dates
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This isn’t a specific idea, but I wanted to say although we can’t have cute coffee dates and lunch gatherings, it can still have a fun time with the ones we love right now,.Skype is still available, and I’m sure a lot of people would be willing to hop on and have a cute coffee date online. It won’t be the same, and that sucks, but we can still make the most of it, and that’s the most important part. As cheesy as it is, we’re all going through this together, so make the most of your time inside and if you only have time to drink some hot chocolate and chat for fifteen minutes, make them count and take a breath.
Overall, although this is a bit of a rough time right now, hopefully this makes it a bit easier to at least choose a meal and make that a happy experience. Also, a friendly reminder to take what you need! I’m not saying to completely avoid things that look good in stores, but buying twenty gallons of milk that are only going to expire anyway is just making things harder for the other people that can’t get to stores earlier and are missing out on food that they may need! This is especially important when considering people that use the WIC program (The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) and have other food accessibility issues. So please just be mindful, do your best and enjoy a nice warm meal, even if that’s all you do today.