What’s in my Pantry – Snacks

I think you all know by now how much I love to cook. But let’s be real. I work a 40 hour a week job as a sales rep that has me on the road 3000 miles a month, help my husband with his company and run an online business with my husband that takes over my weekends. Oh yeah, and I write this blog with my sister. Oh, and I cook and clean and have a garden and love to boat and play with the dogs and… Yeah, you get it. I don’t even have kids to run after and I’m exhausted 99.99% of the time.

So when it comes to cooking from scratch every little thing we eat? Nope. Not gonna happen. And did I mention that my husband is a self-proclaimed “snack master” and hates most things “healthy” or gluten free. I do my best when I can but honestly I need somethings that are ready made to grab and go or leave in my purse or car for emergencies.

Chips

I love corn chips. Unfortunately corn and I aren’t friends so I stick mainly to Non-GMO versions or grain free versions. When we do eat Potato chips it is mostly in the summer when we are boating and we stick to Kettle Chips in Avocado oil.

• Paqui corn chips. These are Non-GMO Project certified and Gluten Free and completely addictive. Our favorite flavors are the Nacho, Queso and Ghost Pepper.
• Siete foods grain free chips. You would never know these were grain free. When I first found these I could only get the Sea Salt and the Nacho Flavors but now our Whole Foods carries all of the flavors and we haven’t had a single flavor we didn’t like!
• Samai Plantains. I only eat this brand or plantains. I first had them 5 years ago while on St Thomas in the USVI. I came home and googled where to buy them and they have been a regular delivery from Amazon ever since. I literally never get tired of these. My favorites are the Lime and the Jungle Chili Flavors.
• Glutino Pretzels. Let’s be honest. I really only eat pretzels for the salt. But these do have a great flavor. Even the hubby likes these.

Crackers

I have been known to bring my own crackers to parties. I know. But when you know there will be dips and a cheese tray, a girl has to have crackers! 9 times out of 10 someone else ends up eating most of my crackers.

• Mary’s Gone Crackers. These are good enough to eat plain. I love the Original, Cracked Black Pepper and Jalapeno but they are all pretty awesome.
• Glutino Original Crackers. Most of what I have had from this brand is good. The Original Crackers have a similar buttery flavor to Ritz crackers.
• Van’s Gluten Free Say Cheese Crackers. If you close your eyes you can pretend these are Cheese It’s!
• Blue Diamond brand gluten free crackers. They have a wide range of flavors from cheese to honey cinnamon in the Nut Thins as well as some Artisan varieties. Made from Blue Diamond Almonds, these are a real treat.

Nuts, Seeds and dried fruit

I keep a wide variety of nuts in the pantry. They are high in fiber and healthy fats, so always a good snack choice. I DO NOT eat Peanuts – which aren’t really nuts anyway but a legume. Peanuts trigger cold sores for me so I don’t eat them anymore. I was really sad about this since I have been eating peanut butter on a spoon since before I could talk but after multiple tests showed them to be a problem, I cut them out for good. Many times I take a few handfuls of a few different nuts and toss them in with some dried cranberries or pineapple and some Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips and make my own trail mix!

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Pistachios
• Macadamia Nuts
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Dried fruit: cranberry, bananas, papaya, pineapple, bing cherries

Bars and Packets

Bars are an easy to take snack. I usually have some tucked away in my car and purse for emergencies. Keep in mind that some flavors may have Dairy if there is chocolate involved so be sure to check labels for your own personal sensitives.

• Lara Bars
• Kind Bars
• RX Bars
• Made Good Bars
• Justin’s Almond Butter Packets
• ProBar Almond Butter / Coconut Packets
• Epic Bars
• Paleo Angel Power Balls

Desserts

I love baking. Really LOVE baking. But some weeks I just don’t get something amazing made. Those weeks I rely on some basic desserts we keep on hand.

• Udi’s Muffins and Cookies. These are in the frozen section and there is a nice selection of muffin flavors and cookie varieties. It is nice that they are frozen so we can pop them out when we need something sweet.
• Hail Mary’s. These are stupid good. I usually eat some on the way home from Whole Foods. I seriously have no will power when it comes to these little snacks. I like the lemon, lime and espresso flavors.
• Miss Jones Cake in a Cup, Brownies and Frostings. These little single serve dessert are dairy free but not gluten free. So my husband eats them but I cannot partake. I may or may not be known to eat the frosting with a spoon.
• Ice Cream. Non-Dairy options have come such a long way from just sorbet. There are cashew milk, almond milk and coconut milk varieties. Even Ben and Jerry’s has non-dairy options.

So next time you are scrolling through IG beating yourself up for not making 3 meals a day and 2 snacks, dessert and condiments from scratch, take a deep breathe and remember it is ok to have some go-to ready-made snacks in your back pocket, or purse, so you don’t sit on it and squash it.