A peek inside Sarah's snack cupboard: Part I

When true snackers feel the need, that need is now. True snackers learn to keep snack stuff on hand.

On hand, for me, means stocking a designated cupboard with treats I'm guaranteed to find satisfying. Staples include:

• nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, etc.)
• seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)
• dried fruit (apricots, dates, figs, raisins)
• trail mix (versions of the above items, only combined)
• dark chocolate (bars or chips).

Other items sometimes make guest appearances, such as:

• veggie chips
• dried peas (wasabi flavor)
• chocolate-covered nuts.

While a handful of any one of these is fab on its own, they are highly mix-and-matchable. Huge variety is possible from from just a few such "building block" items.

This is perfect, as I'll nibble to suit my mood. (Fred is less choosy — all that matters is that he has a full bowl and a spoon.)

Of course, one needn't go whole hog. These items can easily be enjoyed in moderation, as toppers to other snacks. For instance, I regularly get sprinkle-happy when eating cereal, fresh fruit, Greek yogurt or frozen yogurt.

More deets to follow, on another day. Snack-a-doodle-doo.

DIY chocolate fondue

Had a hankering for some chocolatey goodness, so on a whim, Fred cobbled together a fondue kit.

Step 1: He gathered some hardware.

 

That was it. Just castoffs, really. A ceramic bowl, a tea candle and a wire coathanger.

Then, Step 2: he set it up. Like this:

As you can see, Fred merely cut and coiled the wire so that it supported the bowl just above the candle. Nothing to it, but wire snips and pliers helped.

Finally, Step 3: We tossed a few squares of dark chocolate into the bowl and lit the candle. Three minutes later, we were twirling chunks of fresh fruit in the melted chocolate.



We went with pear and apple, but you can dip pretty much whatever you wish. Bliss.

Hey, if you get a hankering — or wanna impress your friends — you too can be like my personal handyman Fred and just fonDO it.

Pure bliss

While visiting Edmonton last year I had the good fortune of passing by
Planet Organic Market. Upon dropping in, I had the even "gooder"
fortune of discovering Bliss Balls.

Bliss Balls are the tasty work of New World Natural Foods. Filled with
high quality and nutritious ingredients (e.g. dates, nuts, dark
chocolate), the Balls are decidedly "moore-ish".

Given that these delectable-yet-pretty-good-for-you treats are not

sold where I live, I've been intent on figuring out how to make them
for myself. Or at least make something akin to them.

Here's the result of my experiment.

Homemade Bliss Balls

Ingredients
Insides:

• 9 oz dates or date cake
• 5 oz cashew butter
• 4 oz almond butter
• 1 oz brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder

Coating:

• 5 oz chocolate
• 1 tsp vanilla

(Makes about 27 Bliss Balls.)

Directions

1. Into food processor, add dates, cashew butter, almond butter, sugar and cocoa powder. Pulse (scraping sides with spatula, as needed). Remove blade from processor.
2. Melt chocolate over very low heat. Add vanilla, and just enough water to keep chocolate sufficiently runny to roll the balls in.
3. Form balls, approximately 1" in diameter.
4. Pierce each ball with a toothpick. Roll balls in melted chocolate.
5. Place coated balls on wax-paper-covered plate, leaving toothpicks in. Cover with plastic wrap.
6. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens somewhat. (Lick the spatula while you wait. ;-) )
7. Remove toothpicks, then dollop on melted chocolate to cover the hole. Or add a piece of a broken cashew or almond to cover hole.
8. Store in refrigerator.

In summary, I'm extremely pleased with how my homemade Bliss Balls
turned out. So is everybody who has sampled them: my Mom, husband Fred,
and work colleagues.

See how long yours last!

A snack that's hearty ... and haunted

With October chugging along, I wanted to do something with a Halloween theme. So on Saturday morning, I baked pumpkin muffins.

Most fun of all was devising an orange-colored icing  without using food coloring. (Those sorts of additives creep me out — more than ghosts or goblins ever could.)

My orange color came courtesy of mixing a little pumpkin into the cream-cheese icing (see below). It turned out great.

I find pumpkin so easy to work with — especially if you get it from a tin. Despite it's reputation, I think pumpkin is the un-scariest of squashes.

Pumpkin muffins

1. In a large bowl, beat:

• 2 large eggs

2. Stir in:

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup pumpkin (mashed)
• 1/4 cup plain yoghurt

3. In a small bowl, mix together:

• 1 1/2 cups multigrain flour
• 1/2 cup 12-grain cereal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)

4. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir well, then mix in:

• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (hulled)

5. Spoon into muffin tray lined with paper baking cups.

6. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).

7. Cool 5 minutes, then remove muffins onto cooling rack.

Cream cheese icing

8. In food processor, churn:

• 1/2 package light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup pumpkin (mashed)
• 2/3 cup icing sugar

9. Once your muffins have completely cooled, smear 'em with this icing.

Decorate how you wish. I'm sure you'll do a boo-tiful job.

Raisin Spice Muffins

Autumn: it's the season for appreciating the color of leaves, for stockpiling firewood, for American football and for muffins.

Muffins?

Sure. This time of year invites baking. And when I bake, I bake muffins.

Muffins make an awesome snack, especially when they are packed with healthy stuff and served warm.

Here's a favorite recipe from way back, clipped straight from the cookbook I made for Fred so long ago:

Happy baking!

Power up … on the cheap!

If you're anything like me, you sometimes find yourself needing sustenance while on the go. Hence, a problem: where to get something nutritious, yet convenient? (Tasty and economical don't hurt, either.)

A popular solution for athletes and hikers – heck, active folk of all persuasions – is the energy bar. It's often called a power bar, a name borrowed from a leading brand.

I'm not in the habit of downing this kind of processed item, but sometimes ready-made helps simplify a busy moment. For occasions where nuts and fresh fruit won't carry well or supplies run low, I find the Equate "High Protein" bar to be a reasonable choice.

(If you don’t recognize the name, Equate is Wal-Mart's house line of health and beauty products. Their Pharmacy Department is the place to look.)

A good feature of this particular bar is its protein count – 20 grams to be precise. As a post-workout snack, or for times when you are looking for something closer to a meal replacement than a light snack, it's an excellent choice.

Well, "excellent" is perhaps too strong a word. The Equate bar carries a few ingredients that are less than ideal (e.g. fructose, modified palm oil), but this holds for most of these sorts of products. It's convenient, but hey, it comes with trade-offs.

Another nice feature of this bar is that it often goes on sale at $1 apiece. Yup, $1. That's a heap less than you'll drop on name brands.

P.S. I find "Fudge Brownie" or "Chocolate Peanut Butter" flavors to be best bets.

P.P.S. I am in no way being compensated for the subject matter of this article. Really, I'm not. Just wanted to give the heads-up on a fine deal.

Location, location, location

For me, certain snacks are linked to certain places. They just go together. From force of habit, I suppose.

Count me peculiar, but as I see it, a good deal of the pleasure of any place where I spend time comes from what I tend to eat there. (Oh, the memories.)

Everybody has their favorite places for indulging. Here are mine:

Sarah's top 6 snacking spots

6) In my car

The trusty Toyota has been the site of plenty of good eating: while parked, on the fly, driver's seat, passenger's seat, you name it. To be prepared, I keep handwash in the glove compartment and a stash of trail mix (at the least) in the trunk.

5) On the sports field

I play a heap of ultimate frisbee — too much, it could be said — so staying energized is key. I stock my kit bag with protein bars, nuts and dried fruit, and will often tuck in a fresh banana, bagel or the like. Unsure what this says about my play, but I usually deem between-point bites as the highlight of any game.

4) At work

Without a mid-morning and mid-afternoon pick-me-up, I'd be dozing, face down in a file. Nothing chases away the zombie-lurking-within like a handful of almonds, preferably the kind frocked in dark chocolate.

3) While travelling

Stir-fried crocodile in Adelaide. Stewed fruit-bat in Port Vila. Weasel coffee in Hanoi. For me and Fred, food adventures are tops, and a great way to begin learning about a foreign locale.

2) In the woods

Don't get out there often enough, but when I do, I love it. With fresh air swirling and the miles rolling by, a woman can really work up an appetite. (A guilt-free appetite, at that. Bonus!) Nuts, jerky, dried fruits and veggies, hunks of fresh parmesan, and chocolate — Mmm — are all staples.

1) On my sofa

Ooh, just give me my red sofa, my blanket, a sappy movie, a coffee table laden with munchies ... and I'm home, sweet, home.