Updated 11/17/12
BUY IN A STORE
Almond Butter and Flackers, I like to keep snacks in my office that I don’t really like but also aren’t awful. The reasoning is that if I really like it, then I’ll eat it because it’s there and tasty. If it’s just “ho-hum”, then it will sit in my office and will be there when I realize I’ve had to stay late at work and am starving and have no other Paleo food around. Get the cinnamon & currant Flackers (flax) at Roots and the small portable packets of Justin’s Almond Butter at Wegmans or MOM’s. They will keep forever and require no refrigeration. Rating = 5 as an office food item, Rating = 3 for taste.
Nori Wrapped Power Wraps, Gopal’s brand. These contain all ingredients that I like individually – sunflower seeds, brazil nuts, coconut, nori (fish free), and salt. However, when combined the result is absolutely terrible. I first tried the Italian flavor and thought maybe it was just the seasoning. Then I tried the Masala flavor and realized it wasn’t the seasoning, they were just awful. Rating = 1 (FYI – the cat actually liked it).
Sweet potato chips with Sea Salt, Terra brand crinkle cut or regular cut or Food Should Taste Good Brand Kettle Cooked. These chips have sweet potatoes, sea salt and oil (canola and/or safflower and/or sunflower). They are both good, but the Food Should Taste Good Brand are better. Rating = 5.
Pumpkin seeds, Gopal’s sprouties, Savory seasoning includes tumeric, lemon, ginger, cayenne, and salt The seasoning is okay but nothing special and certinly not worth the pricetag. Rating = 3.
Sacha Inchi seeds, AKA Savi seeds, sold at MOM’s for $2.79/1oz. Rating = 0 (seriously, the cat wouldn’t eat it). These taste like bitter grass that has been compacted into a ball and then coated in a slightly rancid oil. The main claim to fame of the seeds is that they have a lot of Omega 3, but how do they stack up to fish oil supplements? I use Carlson Fish Oil supplements (orange flavor, soft gels) which have 320mg omega-3’s per soft gel, and you can buy them for $33.90/ 240 soft gels. After doing some math, it turns out that you get 2500mg of omega-3 per dollar from the Savi seeds and 2300mg per dollar from the fish oil capsules. Since the cat ended up with the seeds, the capsules are a much better value. On the topic of supplements – I recently bought some Barlean’s Organic Fish Oil supplements and later realized that they contain soy, so be sure to check all the ingredients!
Plantain Chips. You can get them at BJ’s, Marshall’s, and Lily’s Mexican market. BJ’s are made in palm oil and Trader Joe’s in sunflower oil; to me they tast very similar except BJ’s are saltier and, therefore, more addictive. Marshall’s occasionally also carries Sweet Plantain chips as does Lily’s. Rating = 5.
Vegetables. We cut up a bunch of carrots, celery, and peppers and take them into work as a snack. I also keep a huge bowl of cherry tomatoes in my office. We buy the cherry tomatoes at the farmers market or BJs because they are good and cheap.
MAKE YOURSELF
Fried Plantains. Cut the plantain into circular slices ( you may want to cut it while still in the skin if it’s extremely ripe to prevent squishing), and fry in coconut oil until brown on both sides. Add whatever you like for seasoning. I like cinnamon or cayenne pepper; poppy seeds give them a little extra crunch, salt is always good, and for variation try ginger, cardamom, or curry powder. The longer you let them ripen, the sweeter they will be (if they are black then they will be deliciously sweet). Rating = 5.
Hard-boiled eggs. Boil up a dozen or so, peel them all at once so they are quick to snack on; Rating = 3.5. You can also devil them by mixing mashed yolks with a tablespoon or two of guacamole, salt, mustard, and lime juice (evolved campfire recipe); Rating = 3.5. Or you can do 6 eggs plus 1/2 C olive oil, 1/16 C vinegar, 1.5 tsp lemon juice, and seasonings of choice (yahoo answers); Rating = TBD.