My perfect snack(s)

A balanced mix of salted peanuts, organic raisins and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Protein from the peanuts, fiber from the raisins, a little bit of fat from the chocolate chips--I love it. I keep a lidded glass bowl of the mix on the kitchen counter and just grab handfuls over the course of the day. One of the problems I've had this past year is simply finding the time/remembering to eat during the day. Even though I wouldn't call this a great meal substitute, I'm pretty sure it qualifies as a relatively healthy snack. Before we were certain Beatrice didn't have any peanut or chocolate allergies, I made sure I rinsed off my hands after snacking, just to be on the safe side. 

Crackers and Toby's Mild Jalapeno Tofu Pate is a close second in the snack category. While I could just make my own Tofu Pate, Toby's does such a great job. When we've scraped the container clean and munched down every last little bit of goodness, we take that container to our local Co-op where they sanitize it and set it out for other customers to use for their bulk items (one less plastic bag, yo). Tastes good and saves the world--can't beat that!

I'm sure there are other snacks I should mention, but I got all distracted on the Co-op page and ended up at the Wheatsville Food Co-op page. It's the only Co-op in Texas (located in Austin) and my fabulous friend Mariah is the Deli Manager. Their deli menu looks delicious! Now I'm totally off the snack track and I've got a fierce craving for an awesome sandwich.

I suppose I should finish this post and eat breakfast before I start plotting a dinner revolution.

Okay...we have a few runners-up. Solstice Bakery's Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Goji Bars are not only healthy and delicious, they are also a favorite of President Barak Obama (another Corvallis connection to the White House!). 

Nancy's Yogurt with whatever fruit I happen to have in the fridge (generally blueberries or strawberries) along with a Kashi Granola Bar--I actually get to use utensils for this one! I usually have this after we get home from our walks. We buy the yogurt in 32oz containers to cut down on waste and, again, when the container is empty, we wander back up to the Co-op to drop it off (or just use it ourselves--Beatrice finds they work great as drums). The Kashi cookies are fabulous, as well.

That's all I've got time for today. I guess I have more perfect snacks than I thought. The lesson here would be to find some easy, healthy snacks and keep them on hand. There's nothing worse than having a moment to scarf something down and finding there's nothing good to eat!