I am very aware that this is not exactly what you asked BUT. I recently learned the Ideal Snack Formula from a personal trainer (but a NICE one, who I trust not to screw me up around food). And she said that what I should be eating for a snack comprises three elements -
- A Fresh Thing (can be fruit or veg. A banana. A fistful of frozen peas. A whole punnet of blueberries.)
- A Protein Thing (I am vegetarian, so I can't have the most straightforwrad version of this which is meat. But - hummus, yoghurt, cheese, nuts, an actual protein shake if you can find one that's not disgusting)
- A Fun Thing (this could absolutely be the Ritz crackers! Or a baked good, literal chocolate, crisps etc)
So when it was Christmas I might have a satsuma, a little block of cheese and a mince pie. Maybe it would be nice to have an apple with peanut butter and a bag of hula hoops. Wouldn't it be good if there were raspberries, mixed nuts and dark chocolate buttons in. Etc etc etc.
Adore this formula, will be adopting going forwards, also interested in how you got into Having A Personal Trainer. (I would LOVE to become more strong.)
A friend who I trusted to NOT engage in stupid diet culture shared her. She's an anti diet culture personal trainer and she's lovely. She will text me things like REST IS A HEALTH BEHAVIOUR and BETTER TOAST FOR DINNER THAN NOTHING FOR DINNER when I'm struggling. She is named Hope <3. All personal trainers are £££ but I felt like I was slipping into one of my dieting/obsessive exercise spirals again and I'm not in therapy and she's cheaper than THAT and she reset me beautifully. Plus now I can do a press up! If you do have £££ her name is Hope Hudson and I reached out on insta. If you DON'T - the main takeaway for strength was "do 2-3 sessions every week consistently and you will get stronger. Don't knacker yourself or beat yourself up for not doing more. Bodyweight is fine, from home is fine. If you really can't be arsed, do a few squats and call it a day, who cares."
As someone who absolutely and passionately hates exercise I realised my disdain for it was because I have always been terrible at it and whenever I tried having a personal trainer or similar, if I stopped for a couple of weeks I would dread going back and avoid for another decade. So as I was approaching 40 I decided I need to do the minimum just to prevent the natural decline and make sure I can still walk up a staircase at 60 and found a local physiotherapist who does 25' strength and movement classes for old or injured people and started having a weekly 1:1 with her and went from lifting 5 kilos to lifting 20 kilos now.
Generally when I want to eat better I just think would I feed this to my child? Ofcourse they can have chocolate and snacks, but what would I try to actively promote in their diet
A pita bread split in half and toasted, spread inside with sambal manis (or other salty, savoury sambal/chilli sauce of choice), peanut butter and then stuffed with cucumber or red pepper slices. Super quick and hits the spot on all fronts – salty, spicy, sweet, savoury, carby, fresh and crunchy. Also works on nice toast or other flatbreads, but is perfect even on the cheap and crappy supermarket pitas.
Ritz crackers laid out on a baking sheet put a rolo in the middle of each one pop into a warmed oven for them to slowly melt. take out of oven put another ritz cracker on top so you have a lovely sweet/salty caramel snack!!
This is probably the greatest thread of comments we've ever had, maybe second only to the soupstack, but my God. It has been a real game changer for me and I am so grateful to all of you and I hope you have all found satisfaction!!!!
I like a couple of big Medjool dates, cut on halves and spread with peanut butter. I imagine almond butter would be nice, too, but I never think to buy it. Probably a bit of sea salt on top, if you like.
If you are a person who has sourdough discard, I highly recommend spreading that very thinly on a silicon mat and adding excessive amounts of seeds and smoked salt and parmesan and whatever your heart desires and baking until crispy - a la Martha De Lacey. Shatter them all up and keep them in a tupperware. Super easy, super savoury, super yum.
I came here to suggest the same. The dough also lives happily in freezer, which gives satisfying smugness as well as quick access to Parmesan shortbread
Sea Salt Water Biscuits.1.5 cups plain flour. 1tsp coarse sea salt. 1tsp sugar. 1.5tbs olive oil. .5 cup water.
Wet into dry. Cut parchment paper to fit oven tray and roll dough out as thin as possible on the paper and transfer paper and all to oven tray. Cut into cracker size squares, with a pizza wheel. Prick all over and bake in a hot oven for 12 minutes but check after 10. They need to be just beginning to brown. Sprinkle with more salt.
I like the salty blandness, but my mother, whose recipe it is, added finely chopped fresh hard herbs and that’s nice too.
tiny cucumbers smashed up with sea salt and olive oil! also just a hunk of nice cheddar and some salt and vinegar pringles (all three is the best snack on earth)
Babybel cheeses seem a naff suggestion but I find the act of peeling a couple whilst in the grip of work-rage very soothing. Otherwise, an aggressively seedy/fibrey cracker with a smoosh of hummus and a sharp cheddar.
I just bought two more boxes this morning! But we are both such fucking fiends for crackers that I KNOW those will be gone in, quite literally, one day if I don't try to find some other delicious things to also eat.
RUSKS. Rusks are your friend. Theoretically for children but I think that's just because they haven't had the fancy chef treatment yet.
You will need: thick sliced bread, Vegemite or Marmite, marge or butter, grated strong cheese (cheddar is best).
- Heat the oven to a low heat (130 C / Gas 2).
- Spread butter or marge on the bread, a fair amount.
- Spread Vegemite or Marmite on the bread, more than you think you need.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Slice the bread into thick fingers.
- Bake in the oven until the bread has become hard and the cheese is browned and crispy on the edges. Should take around 50 mins but keep an eye on it. NB. You do not want toast which is still a little soft, you want a hard/crunchy rusk.
- Leave to cool, store in a sealed container.
NB. You can also hold off adding the cheese until the rusks have baked for around 30-40 minutes - dealers choice.
Maybe this is a weird mid-afternoon snack, but soy sauce eggs! Having a tub of them in the fridge makes me so happy. Soft boil 6 eggs, leave to cool, peel, pop into a tub with 100ml soy sauce, 1tsbp white wine vinegar 2 tbsp caster sugar and 150ml cold water. Put in fridge and leave overnight. Devour.
I am very aware that this is not exactly what you asked BUT. I recently learned the Ideal Snack Formula from a personal trainer (but a NICE one, who I trust not to screw me up around food). And she said that what I should be eating for a snack comprises three elements -
- A Fresh Thing (can be fruit or veg. A banana. A fistful of frozen peas. A whole punnet of blueberries.)
- A Protein Thing (I am vegetarian, so I can't have the most straightforwrad version of this which is meat. But - hummus, yoghurt, cheese, nuts, an actual protein shake if you can find one that's not disgusting)
- A Fun Thing (this could absolutely be the Ritz crackers! Or a baked good, literal chocolate, crisps etc)
So when it was Christmas I might have a satsuma, a little block of cheese and a mince pie. Maybe it would be nice to have an apple with peanut butter and a bag of hula hoops. Wouldn't it be good if there were raspberries, mixed nuts and dark chocolate buttons in. Etc etc etc.
Adore this formula, will be adopting going forwards, also interested in how you got into Having A Personal Trainer. (I would LOVE to become more strong.)
A friend who I trusted to NOT engage in stupid diet culture shared her. She's an anti diet culture personal trainer and she's lovely. She will text me things like REST IS A HEALTH BEHAVIOUR and BETTER TOAST FOR DINNER THAN NOTHING FOR DINNER when I'm struggling. She is named Hope <3. All personal trainers are £££ but I felt like I was slipping into one of my dieting/obsessive exercise spirals again and I'm not in therapy and she's cheaper than THAT and she reset me beautifully. Plus now I can do a press up! If you do have £££ her name is Hope Hudson and I reached out on insta. If you DON'T - the main takeaway for strength was "do 2-3 sessions every week consistently and you will get stronger. Don't knacker yourself or beat yourself up for not doing more. Bodyweight is fine, from home is fine. If you really can't be arsed, do a few squats and call it a day, who cares."
I love this!
As someone who absolutely and passionately hates exercise I realised my disdain for it was because I have always been terrible at it and whenever I tried having a personal trainer or similar, if I stopped for a couple of weeks I would dread going back and avoid for another decade. So as I was approaching 40 I decided I need to do the minimum just to prevent the natural decline and make sure I can still walk up a staircase at 60 and found a local physiotherapist who does 25' strength and movement classes for old or injured people and started having a weekly 1:1 with her and went from lifting 5 kilos to lifting 20 kilos now.
Your formula reminds me of the kids eat in colour formula! https://www.instagram.com/p/CqqT-HzAf_x/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Generally when I want to eat better I just think would I feed this to my child? Ofcourse they can have chocolate and snacks, but what would I try to actively promote in their diet
A pita bread split in half and toasted, spread inside with sambal manis (or other salty, savoury sambal/chilli sauce of choice), peanut butter and then stuffed with cucumber or red pepper slices. Super quick and hits the spot on all fronts – salty, spicy, sweet, savoury, carby, fresh and crunchy. Also works on nice toast or other flatbreads, but is perfect even on the cheap and crappy supermarket pitas.
(I've never commented on a substack before, so am surprising myself by how strongly I feel about sharing this.)
I love everything about this, I have everything I need except pita!!
Update: bought pita, LOVED this.
Sounds MEGA
Ritz crackers laid out on a baking sheet put a rolo in the middle of each one pop into a warmed oven for them to slowly melt. take out of oven put another ritz cracker on top so you have a lovely sweet/salty caramel snack!!
Oh my god.
My thoughts precisely
This is probably the greatest thread of comments we've ever had, maybe second only to the soupstack, but my God. It has been a real game changer for me and I am so grateful to all of you and I hope you have all found satisfaction!!!!
I like a couple of big Medjool dates, cut on halves and spread with peanut butter. I imagine almond butter would be nice, too, but I never think to buy it. Probably a bit of sea salt on top, if you like.
I love a Medjool date with a Brazil nut stuffed into it ❤️
If you are a person who has sourdough discard, I highly recommend spreading that very thinly on a silicon mat and adding excessive amounts of seeds and smoked salt and parmesan and whatever your heart desires and baking until crispy - a la Martha De Lacey. Shatter them all up and keep them in a tupperware. Super easy, super savoury, super yum.
Seconded!
Parmesan shortbread. Recipe here:
https://www.nigella.com/recipes/parmesan-shortbreads
Dead easy, very, very, delicious and keeps for a few days in a tin (not that they do when I make them)
I came here to suggest the same. The dough also lives happily in freezer, which gives satisfying smugness as well as quick access to Parmesan shortbread
Sea Salt Water Biscuits.1.5 cups plain flour. 1tsp coarse sea salt. 1tsp sugar. 1.5tbs olive oil. .5 cup water.
Wet into dry. Cut parchment paper to fit oven tray and roll dough out as thin as possible on the paper and transfer paper and all to oven tray. Cut into cracker size squares, with a pizza wheel. Prick all over and bake in a hot oven for 12 minutes but check after 10. They need to be just beginning to brown. Sprinkle with more salt.
I like the salty blandness, but my mother, whose recipe it is, added finely chopped fresh hard herbs and that’s nice too.
I am going to try this first. Yes. This is exactly the nibbling vibe I seek.
You can cut them out properly- but the baking paper and pizza wheel trick makes it so quick and easy.
This sounds genius. Possibly, as a variation, with some rosemary. Or chili.
Have some people coming round on Saturday when it will be cold and rainy so might make these.
I love these and for some reason never thought about making them myself!! Thank you!
tiny cucumbers smashed up with sea salt and olive oil! also just a hunk of nice cheddar and some salt and vinegar pringles (all three is the best snack on earth)
Babybel cheeses seem a naff suggestion but I find the act of peeling a couple whilst in the grip of work-rage very soothing. Otherwise, an aggressively seedy/fibrey cracker with a smoosh of hummus and a sharp cheddar.
BABYBEL this is a perfect suggestion!
Oh yes I love a mini cheese!
Your previous tip around green apple + peanut butter with salt/cinnamon/hot water was 🏆
I cannot believe I forgot this and now I am eating it as I type, peanut butter on the keyboard, this is heaven, thank you VERY MUCH. xx
Oh my god I FORGOT THAT thank you so much for reminding me!!
Also some kind of smoked/spiced warm nuts, like Nigella's bar nuts?
I eat whole bags of mangetout and sugar snap peas, raw, straight from the bag. So crunchy and delicious.
ME TOO!!! I forgot about this in my post!
And celery! It has THE best crunch sound, love it with hummus.
Oh and toast with peanut butter and banana slices, obviously
Homemade popcorn in the microwave! I love mine with melted butter and furikake.
I use this method: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-popcorn-in-the-microwave-227332
Maybe also a batch of the Union Square bar nuts, made with whatever nut you have kicking around? https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/12/union-square-cafes-bar-nuts/
Nutritional yeast is also delicious on popcorn!!
Started making homemade popcorn straight from corn kernels in a pot using coconut oil- game changer
I recon just eat all the ritz crackers but I’m a horrible influence
I just bought two more boxes this morning! But we are both such fucking fiends for crackers that I KNOW those will be gone in, quite literally, one day if I don't try to find some other delicious things to also eat.
I'm addicted to Aldi rosemary crackers
RUSKS. Rusks are your friend. Theoretically for children but I think that's just because they haven't had the fancy chef treatment yet.
You will need: thick sliced bread, Vegemite or Marmite, marge or butter, grated strong cheese (cheddar is best).
- Heat the oven to a low heat (130 C / Gas 2).
- Spread butter or marge on the bread, a fair amount.
- Spread Vegemite or Marmite on the bread, more than you think you need.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Slice the bread into thick fingers.
- Bake in the oven until the bread has become hard and the cheese is browned and crispy on the edges. Should take around 50 mins but keep an eye on it. NB. You do not want toast which is still a little soft, you want a hard/crunchy rusk.
- Leave to cool, store in a sealed container.
NB. You can also hold off adding the cheese until the rusks have baked for around 30-40 minutes - dealers choice.
Ok I am very compelled by this, NEXT on my list, thank you so much!
My grandma used to make this for us, I didn't know that's what it was called over here ❤️
My Australian mum made them for me (hence vegemite in the ingredients) so I've always assumed it was from Oz.
Maybe this is a weird mid-afternoon snack, but soy sauce eggs! Having a tub of them in the fridge makes me so happy. Soft boil 6 eggs, leave to cool, peel, pop into a tub with 100ml soy sauce, 1tsbp white wine vinegar 2 tbsp caster sugar and 150ml cold water. Put in fridge and leave overnight. Devour.
Such a good idea! And good for instant ramen too.