Seven Non-Sweet, Satisfying Snacks

This is a guest post from Stephanie Black. Steph has worked with Foodtrainers in many capacities, most recently as a researcher for my alleged second book. You can find Steph on Insta and twitter @stephgetsfood.

February, the month of heart shaped candy — oops, I mean the month of love — has come to an end. I am a chocolaholic to my core (“Chocolate” was my Bat Mitzvah theme…), but even I am ready to take a break from sweets. Speaking of “breaks,” Spring Break is around the corner, making this the ideal time to start cutting back on sugar. With that said, here are seven non-sweet yet satisfying snacks that this chocolaholic swears by.

1.    Cottage Cheese with Sriracha: During my dietetic internship, a fellow intern told me about this combo. I was skeptical at first, but now it is my absolute favorite snack. For extra health points, opt for Good Culture probiotic cottage cheese

2.    Simple Mills Crackers: these flavorful crackers need no partner/topping. They’re made from almond flour so it’s a crunchy snack with staying power (not easy to find). Just make sure to portion out your serving ahead of time to avoid over-crackering. And these can be purchased online from the Foodtrainers' shop.

3.    Epic Jerky: Between their bars and bites, this jerky brand is one of the few that I trust to taste great without converting my body into the Dead Sea. Honorable mention to VT Smoke and Cure and New Primal jerkys.

4.    Snack Pizza: These fiber-filled crispbreads serve as the perfect vehicle for any healthy topping. Foodtrainers’ current favorite is combining organic string cheese and Applegate pepperoni for a snack pizza-yes! Check out this post from Carolyn for some more Orgran inspo.  

5.    Creative crudité-it’s a good idea to have a container of cut veggies on hand at all times. To spice up your veggie snack, cut up jicama and top with a squeeze of lime and pinch of cayenne. OR buy a bottle of this (a great way to spice up margaritas too…Lauren added that, I am trying to stick to the subject!). 

6.   Pickles If you’re not already on the fermented food train, hop on board. Be sure to choose pickles that are fermented (not all pickles are). We’re fans of Bubbies brand but there’s a whole world of fermented veggies it’s hard not to find at least one kind you’ll love. 

7.    Bean dip move over hummus, have you seen the Go-Dip snack packs? These, no sugar added, gluten free, kosher, vegan (yes!) beauties are super flavorful bean dips with puffed nori chips. These are great for travel, post workout or any time really.

Stay calm, and non-Sweet snack on.

What are your favorite, non-sweet snacks?

Pie in the Sky and other Food for Thought

Maybe it’s just the way the cookie crumbles but it seems so many of our food expressions involve unhealthy foods. Cake and pie are popular for idioms; I’ve even been known to use “have your cake and eat it too” in weight loss sessions with clients. Have you ever thought about the origin of these idioms? Maybe you should use your noodle.

I chose some of my favorite foods to focus on:

In a pickle- which means in a quandary always seemed like a strange expression to me.  I love pickles and being inside a pickle doesn't seem like any more of an issue as being in any other food. In a pickle refers to stewed vegetables that are mixed up in order to become pickled. There is also a Shakespearian reference to being in a pickle from the Tempest (trust me I didn’t know this until I looked it up). Alonso says “how camest thou in this pickle.” And then there’s the slang word “pickled”, anyone know what this means?

Salad Days- this expression refers to youth. When I think of my younger years, I would call them Hostess Days, Fluffanutter Days or if I’m being poetic Ravioli Days. If anything, salad days are when you get older and need to watch things more carefully. However, Cleopatra (in Antony and Cleopatra) said “My salad days When I was green in judgment.” Here green, as in inexperienced, refers to green shoots of spring versus something consumed in an effort to be healthy.  

Salt of the earth- I love this expression and its connotations referring to people who are unpretentious, honest and good. There are many who trace this expression to biblical roots. An interesting explanation was that in the Moroccan city of Fez, the Jews, in the Jewish quarter, did much of the salt mining. They were considered very useful to the community and fostered this saying.

Eggs in one basket- Nothing beats a practical tip, I’m also fond of bigger fish to fry but thought I’d stay away from frying in favor of healthier foods. Eggs in one basket refers to when eggs were transported in baskets on wagons, if one basket fell off, presumably all the eggs in it would break. I like the idea of spreading risk but also appreciated Mark Twain’s alternative suggestion to “put all your eggs in one basket and watch the basket.”

Big Cheese/Cheesy- someone referred to as “the big cheese” is the opposite of salt of the earth. The big cheese is similar to what we commonly call “cheesy”. In culinary terms, nothing is more delicious than something cheesy but apart from food cheesy means something cliché’ or unimpressive. Even more unusual is that this term has its roots with the British in India coming from the Urdu word chiz meaning “thing”. So, do we have India to thank for cheese? That’s “bananas”

I hope you’re holidays aren’t “nutty as a fruitcake”, don’t “hit the sauce” and may you “bring home the bacon” in the New Year.

What’s your favorite food expression? Do you know what “pickled” means? Can you name 3 produce-centric idioms?

Foodtrainers' Favorite Gifts

Sprout Skincare

I love gifts. I generally enjoy giving gifts even more than receiving them (I swear). Whether it’s a hostess gift or birthday present, I like sharing something I think a friend or family member will appreciate. The gifts I cherish receiving are usually smaller ones. A friend showed up with a test tube-like container of black sea salt recently. It was wrapped with a bow such a nice surprise. And a few days ago a client came to a session with shishito peppers from the green market. I was so excited to try them I bit a piece off of one on my way home, not smart.
This week, we sent out our annual Foodtrainers’ Gift Guide to our Monthly Morsels mailing list. We tried putting together our “top 10” gifts but ended up with 11 because none of us was willing to cut anything out.  I thought I’d mention some of the gifts that weren’t on the list as well as my personal favorites.

For the Beauty Queen

When I wrote my natural skincare blog, many of you commented or tweeted me with your favorite brands of skincare. The Sprout users were a vocal bunch. I love the ingredients and the packaging (see top) of this line. I adore the gentle cleanser (and rosewater scent). I love the exfoliant (oats and salt- what could be better?) and though I thought I’d give it to the boys, I stole back the Cocoa Lip Balm (we share).

For the Hotty

I’ve gushed about McClure’s pickles before. Yes, I got out of my bed deathly ill to Google and track them down.  McClure’s also makes Bloody Mary Mix with the pickle juice. With Tito’s handmade vodka it’s a heavenly combination. On its own it’s the most delicious snack or egg accompaniment. If you like pickles and spice, you can’t go wrong. Give a jar to someone you love and they will love you back.

For the Tea Devotee

ultiliTEA- for my birthday, a friend of mine said “I sent you something, I know you’ll appreciate it.” Sure enough, she was right. I already have an electric teakettle at the office but this one has different temperature settings for green, herbal and black tea and it boils water by the time you have your tea bag in the cup. 

For the “Eco-have-it and know-it-all”

Strawesome- Everyone thinks of BPAs in plastic bottles what about straws? These glass straws are great for smoothies, for parties ( I used their black straws  in our Halloween dark and stormys) and according to dentists, when drinking coffee or tea. My kids love them but I love them more. They come in different sizes and colors, so match your décor or your favorite cocktail.

For the Hydrator

Ovopur- ok this is not a “little” gift but it’s a good one. Plastic has its problems and those gigundo, plastic water dispensers aren’t the most attractive contraptions. I’m a fan of healthy and beautiful and the Ovopur meets both criteria. We have one in our waiting room and though some mistake it for a snowman, it’s pretty popular. Can your New Years resolution be buying no more bottled water?

For the Cook

California Olive Ranch- Carolyn and I heard about these olive oils when we took Dan Kluger’s class at Degustibus. I am the type of person that goes home and looks up each item a chef mentions. I ordered the oil and passed on the pricey knife that was plugged. As directed, I’m using Millers Blend for cooking and Arbequina for finishing and salads. California Olive Ranch sources from sustainable olive ranches and its bottles are recyclable.
What have been your favorite gifts recently? Anything your eyeing this holiday season? Which of the above items would you pick?

Salty Tooth

All this Halloween talk has made me realize something I’ve probably known for a while. There are sweets I like. I mentioned Wednesday that I liked Mounds’ bars. I also like caramels, lemon meringue pie, crystallized ginger and dates. My mother used to give me Teuschers’ champagne truffles while I sat when she had her hair done and I still like those. If forced to choose between any of these treats and say delicious cheese or a French fry, the sweets will lose. I googled “salty tooth” and found a lot of information on various dental procedures and salt water rinsing. While that expression may not be legit, I know I’m not alone. At Foodtrainers, all of us are more salty than sweet. And so I offer some of our favorite “salty tooth” foods.
(photo above is from India, these are salt gatherers and photo take my the mother who bribed her child with champagne truffles)

Popcorn
My friend, chef Julie Negrin had a great blog post about popping popcorn in a pot and it changed my life. You put a little oil in a pot, add your kernels and cover the pot leaving a little room for air to escape. When the popping stops a little Kosher salt or a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Salty and crunchy.

Cerignola olives
Olives have to be one of the great salty foods and these are the king of olives. These large green olives have a firm flesh and amazing flavor. They are 3-4 times the size of a typical olive and fantastic for parties or snacks. In NYC, I get them at Citarella market.

Applegate Sunday bacon What’s salt without bacon? My kids love bacon but the nitrites and nastiness of bacon worried me a bit. I was happy to discover this Applegate product. Two slices are 60 calories and 290 mg of sodium (a serving of canned soup has 500). It’s gluten free and really good.

Marcona almonds
I referred to the Cerignolas as the king of olives and just read these almonds described as the “Queen of almonds.” What a great couple they would be. This “queen” hails from Spain. The almonds derive their saltiness from sea salt and there’s olive oil involved too. Add these to a salad or simply pop them in your mouth.

Nori snacks
I love nori (the black seaweed used for sushi) and often use it as a sandwich wrapper. A client brought me these snacks and they’re delicately salty and very low in calories. I could see these used in soups or one their own.

Pickles
I wrote about McClures  before and have jars of their pickles, bloody mary mix and relish in my pantry at all times. They would go in my salty hall of fame but they might have another pickle with them. I love NY Deli Pickles Horseradish Kosher Pickles . Ricks picks are pretty darn good too.

As far as my fellow Foodtrainers, Melissa loves salted edamame and crumbled feta cheese and Lisa likes avocados with kosher salt. None of us are advocating salt up the wazoo. The funny thing is many of these foods are far lower in sodium than processed foods. One still needs to exercise caution. Too much salt isn’t good but a little sure is.
Do you have a sweet tooth or a salty tooth? What are your favorite salty foods?

Foodtrainers Find: McClure's

A few weeks ago I was sick. I am rarely sick but I was in bed and miserable. And though most people wouldn’t be watching the Food Network in that condition, I am not most people and I was. My distraction came in the form of a DVRed episode of one of my favorite shows “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”  On this show, chefs and food personalities describe their favorite food from a certain topic. I think the topic for this show was “snack foods” though I’m not certain. I will warn you though that many of the foods described are far from healthy and the manner in which they are described makes you want all of them.

About halfway through the episode, Ted Allen came on the screen. He selected McClure’s pickles as his favorite snack. He explained the recipe for these pickles had been in the family for generations. He gushed about the perfect amount of crunch in these pickles. And then he sealed the deal for me by mentioning that these pickles come regular garlic/dill and SPICY! Suddenly I paused the TV, jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to the kitchen. “What are you looking for?” my husband who had not seen me, due to my self-imposed quarantine, in hours asked. “I am looking for pickles.” Now I knew there were no McClure’s to be had but was fairly certain we had pickles. My 7 year olds favorite “fruit” as he says (child of a nutritionist knows cucumbers are no vegetable) is pickles. And we had pickles! I pulled the lid off a container of Fresh Direct half-sour pickles and unfortunately saw one lonely pickle well past its prime. Yuck.

Ignoring my illness, I went to my computer and found the McClure’s website. I eagerly clicked the “BUY” button and was faced with disappointment again. I needed to purchase 12 jars of pickles for delivery. Holy pickles! I took a risk and emailed McClure’s to ask if they could make an exception for a local nutritionist with MANY pickle-purchasing clients. Within minutes I received a reply! Sadly, it was an away message and Bob McClure was out of the country. I closed my laptop and returned to bed.

The next day another email came. This one was from Bob (Mr. Pickle) himself. Bob said they would deliver any number of jars but it would have to wait until the following Friday. I ordered some regular pickles, I ordered some SPICY pickles, the relish for the husband and the Bloody Mary Mix because in my relentless (ok obsessive) searching saw it was written up in the New York Times and made with pickle juice (sounded like the Dirty Martini’s cousin). Friday came and I was frantically trying to tie up loose ends in the office. The doorman buzzed and was holding a package. In the days since my email with Bob, I had forgotten about the pickles but one look at the box instantly remembered.

I took a jar of the regular and a jar of the spicy and added them to the enormous tote of food/water and other items I feel we need for a simple car ride to Vermont. I would wait to try these prized pickles with the family. We picked the kids up and I held up a jar for the pickle-lover to see. “Look what Mom has?” I am sure a normal child from a normal mother would be less than pleased with pickles as an afterschool snack. Not my boy! His big blue eyes lit up and he said “I want one now!” My husband, ever the practical one, said “I don’t think that’s a good idea while we drive.” Well the impractical one was holding the pickles and wasn’t waiting any longer. I handed out pickles to the pickle-lover and his brother. I handed one to my husband who didn’t decline and I took one from the jar for myself. The only sound was crunching (yes Ted, just the right amount), we took seconds and spilled pickle juice in the process. It was one of the best things I ever ate. Once in Vermont, I cracked open the Spicy and may have to declare it THE BEST THING I EVER ATE.

What are your favorite snacks? Are you a pickle person?