The Dreaded Black Snack-hole

Happy July 1st!

Alright, so this post today is going to be a little less writing and a bit of my other favorite past time, food. A lot of it has to do with a phase I'm going through at the moment, for you see I am a snacker.

And I'm sure you're all thinking, so? We're all snackers to some extent. Well, I'm hoping to improve my snacking life. You see, after my third pregnancy I got addicted to sugar. Don't laugh. It was the only pregnancy I had where I craved sugar. The first I craved pizza and buffalo wings. The second pork rinds (don't judge), but my third all I wanted was junk. Reese's dipped in whipped cream (this is a thing. I promise). Or popcorn dunked in hot chocolate, milk shakes or whipped cream (again, this is a thing. One of my favorite things. I need popcorn.). Even what my family has dubbed as slammers which consists of popcorn, or Doritos (my dad's favorite) eaten together with your candy of choice whether it be Butterfingers, Reese's or my personal favorite peanut butter M&M's.

My baby is now five years old I'm still snacking on junk food. And gaining weight. And the problem is, I snack while I write. Stuck on a plot point? Grab a snack. Hit a wall? Grab a snack. Made it through page one? Grab a snack. The list goes on and on.

I love food. I'm the self proclaimed queen of copy-cat recipes. Want to make Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana? I have a recipe for that. Texas Roadhouse rolls? Yup, and I can even make the butter. Costco's Bistro Scalloped Potatoes? Got you covered with the best recipe ever. I went so far as to find a pretty darn good recipe for Pizza Hut Pizza dough. But the problem with all of these recipes is that none of them help me when I'm in the mood to just grab a handful of something to stuff my face while I'm writing. And don't get me started on just not eating because that's a whole other topic completely.

What I'm hoping to do today, and I'm hoping that some of you will help, is to find snack recipes that I can eat while I write and still remain somewhat healthy and not on a sugar high. And so, I present The Writer's Snack Cave, (I believe it's next door to the writer's cave.).

1. Hot Chocolate with Vanilla creamer

This one is pretty self explanatory and sometimes a kick of hot chocolate does the trick. Just mix hot chocolate with French Vanilla coffee creamer. Ta-da!

2. Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Whipped cream in a can is not nearly as fattening as whipped cream in a tub. Simply cut the end of the strawberry and spray some whipped cream in there.

3. Tortilla Wrap

I love to make these when we're going out of town or on a picnic because the medallions are easy for the kids to eat and not super messy. I like to take a tortilla and spread ranch across. I'm a big meat eater so I like a mixture of turkey, ham and roast beef topped with American cheese. Add lettuce and tomatoes, roll and cut into medallions. Easy for snacking.

4. Fruit Cones

Waffle cones are the greatest thing ever. Add fruit into the waffle cone and you've got a satisfying sweet snack. Add chocolate chips (or peanut butter or butterscotch) mini marshmallows, fruit, wrap in foil and place in an oven or over a camp fire and you've got the best s'mores ever.

5. Veggie Confetti Dip

Now, this recipe I found on the The Nourishing Home website. I love cheese and crackers, and while I haven't tried this yet, it's on my list of things to eat.

• 4 oz homemade yogurt cheese (or cultured cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup each of your 4-5 favorite raw veggies (see suggestions below)
• 1/4 tsp of Celtic sea salt
• Pinch each of dried parsley and dill weed

1. In a medium bowl, add homemade yogurt cheese (or cream cheese), salt and seasonings. Use a fork to mix well to combine.
2. Finely dice ¼ cup of your favorite raw veggies such as carrot, broccoli, celery, green onion, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, etc. (I do not recommend using cucumber, unless you lightly salt it and let it sit in a colander for at least an hour to drain. Otherwise, it will make your cheese spread soggy.)
3. Add finely diced veggies to the seasoned soft cheese and use a fork to mix together until well incorporated.
4. Line a small glass bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap and add the veggie-cheese mixture to the bowl. Place in fridge at least one hour (or overnight) to harden.
5. When ready to serve, remove from fridge and place flat side down on serving platter. Gently remove plastic wrap. Serve with your favorite crackers.

6. Chips and French Onion Dip

I'm sure some of you are wondering about this because you can buy containers of dip in the dairy section, but my family makes a homemade dip with cottage cheese that I simply can't get enough of. Take a container of cottage cheese, I prefer the larger curds but use whatever you like, and mix in a packet of French Onion Soup. The powdered soups are usually with the regular soups. Dip your favorite chips. Easy and addictive.

7. Spinach Dip

Down the same aisle with the French Onion soup packets is a Knorr spinach dip packet with vegetables. Mix with mayo and sour cream and you've got spinach dip. I prefer French or Italian bread to dip in it, but some people like tortilla chips. 

Of course you can always go with the tried and true past times, hummus and crackers, plain fruit, granola bars, etc., but I'm always on the look out for something I can do myself. Got a favorite writing snack? Share in the comments!