Team Crunch: Top 10 Healthy, Crunchy Snacks

We usually divide snacks into team salty and team sweet. I don’t know where that leaves my favorite salty-sweet. Regardless of the flavors you prefer, most of us like to crunch. In LBT, I explain that crunchy is stress relieving (provided of course we are crunching on the right things). In honor of the Super Bowl, my crunchy lineup:

Dang Chips

We cannot keep these salted caramel coconut chips in stock. Yes, coconut oil is an immune booster and good for our “good” cholesterol but these are just about the most delicious chip around.

Halo Chips

Our snack queen brought these for me to taste- seaweed chips hmn. I tasted one and went back to my office and then I wanted more and more. Fortunately the bag was small. These are gluten free, the ingredients are great and a portion of the proceeds goes to help the oceans, nice.

Mary’s Gone Jalapeño

We’ve loved Mary’s Gone products for years. Gluten free with good ingredients quinoa, sesame and brown rice, now we love that Mary’s gone spicy.

Quinn Popcorn

I’ve written about Quinn before but it’s great for when you have people over. We have a shelf in our pantry for Quinn in Vermont. Now there’s a new Quinn, pre-popped Kale and Sea Salt

Food Should Taste Good

Aside from fantastic ingredients, Food Should Taste Good makes the best flavored chips. I adore the Kimchi but there’s still a place in my heart for lime oh and another place for The Works.

Greenola

You’ve heard of granola but what if you swapped the grains for greens? Yup Greenola, pretty great.

Way Better Chips

Perhaps you’re familiar with sprouted bread? Well these are sprouted chips. And they’re delicious too, try the sweet chili tortilla chips. 

Hail Merry Pecans and Bhuja

I’m always on the lookout for nuts and seeds for my beloved nutcase. I fill it with something different every day.  Two new favorites are Hail Merry rosemary pecans and these amazing Bhuja Peas.

Natures All Strawberry

These remind me of Crunchberries, you know Captain Crunch Crunchberry?

A healthier version, these are freeze dried berries. Great for all ages in fact a client’s baby was enjoying the banana flavor during our session.

What do you reach for when it’s “crunch” time? Have you tried any from my crunchy lineup? Which sounds best?

The Most Underestimated Ingredient

I could lie and say this post is for St Patrick’s day but it’s not; my only St Patrick’s day associations are traffic and vomit (nice I know) from the parade. This year, as I do every year, I steered clear. My book, which now has a title! is getting turned in and I skipped going to Vermont to edit and edit some more. The extent of my cooking this weekend was smoothies, socca (my current favorite carb) and steaming vegetables. Last night I made one of my favorite “just me” concoctions. I heated a small cast iron pan, added some coconut oil. Tossed on leftover vegetables, mushrooms and asparagus and added an ingredient that doesn’t get nearly enough love…frozen peas. I scrambled the veggies with a couple of eggs and sprinkled it with a little Himalayan salt. Delicious and not something I could serve the whole family.

As I added the peas (after brief nuking) I wondered why peas are dismissed, especially frozen peas. It may be the association with mushy, canned peas or the assumption that peas are nutritionally average but please don’t prejudge. My Cascadian Farm peas have 6 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein and a mere 100ish calories per cup. Peas also contain phytonutrients called saponins that have anti-inflammatory properties. And they’re pretty too.

Didn't post photo at the top to ruin the ingredient surprise, sneaky.

I’ve praised peas before in this Blisstree article. 

We use peas with pesto in gluten free pasta, in a great side dish with shallots and spinach (you can absolutely “Ina-size” this cutting the added fat and it’ll be just as good).  I will never forget a pea and mint smoothie that greeted us when we finished a hike at Blackberry Farm.

And let’s not forget the world’s best ice pack.

Unknown runner's leg, "frozen pea icepack" turned up many post plastic surgery photos,

People are starting to appreciate peas or actually they’re extorting peas for their protein. Larabar has a new offering called Alt with pea protein and Sunwarrior’s Warrior Blend protein powder uses peas in the “blend”. Chances are you have some peas in your freezer now that you had forgotten about, go show them some love.

And this book I’ve been annoyingly mentioning? It’s called

The Little Book of Thin

Foodtrainers' Plan-It-to-Lose-It Solutions for Every Diet Dilemma

Slated for January 2014, promise me someone will buy it.

Are you pro pea? What do you use them for? What do you feel is the most underestimated food?