What I Learned Growing Up in an “Ingredient-Only” House

In my childhood, my dream home would include a Barbie-pink kitchen, where the pantry would open to a plethora of beautiful, name-branded snacks, from Cheetos to Little Bites. The perfect mixtures of sweet and savory would spill out of the closet, with so many shapes, colors and glorious Red 40. Just thinking of it made me happy, so many options to nibble on. In reality, no matter how hard I begged my parents at the grocery store, the Cheetos would not make their way into the cart. 

Don’t get me wrong, in no way did my parents leave me hungry, but 10-year-old me could not grasp why my friends always had the best snacks at their house, and all that I could offer them was fruit slices and nuts. My parents took “almond mom” in its literal sense, to say the least.

Nonetheless, I am grateful that my pantry was always full, except it was mainly ingredients — along with nuts, oats, chocolate chips and all of the sauces one could imagine. The occasional Trader Joe’s snack would be thrown into the mix, but having an older brother meant that they did not last long. 

Although I was jealous of the snack-having households growing up, I knew that I had to take matters into my own hands. As a result, I got creative with what I could find at the time. I made remedies for all of my favorite snacks through this creativity.

As a college student, I know a lot about working with limited resources, especially living in a dorm. The best part of living on my own is having the freedom to buy my own snacks, but when the budget or pantry is low, I find myself reverting to my old habits. What I can provide now is a list of at-home remedies when one is lacking snacks but is craving a little treat. 

One of the best sweet-and-savory mixes is an at-home trail mix. If you regularly or irregularly bake, you might have various nuts and chocolate chips with no home. All you have to do is throw them into a ziplock bag and enjoy them at home or on the go. Even if you have no nuts, putting chocolate chips into a spoonful of peanut butter mirrors a Reese’s peanut butter cup. Finally, if you have a nut allergy or just a sweet tooth, a handful of chocolate chips never fails to satisfy anyone. 

Another universal solution is shredded cheese. Somehow, my house would always have it. My favorite remedy with this wonderful ingredient was to sprinkle some onto a tortilla and microwave it for about 45 seconds. When it was ready, all I did was fold it in half and there it was, a quesadilla. This was a fantastic, savory snack to pair with sour cream or salsa. Similarly to chocolate chips, shredded cheese can be enjoyed in handfuls if resources are lacking. 

A very underrated snack that should be more normalized is oyster crackers. Whenever my family had chili or certain soup, I knew it was going to be a good-snacking week. Oyster crackers, made with no oyster, contrary to my original belief, are salty little circles of pure joy. They are truly a great chip alternative when they are available. 

All in all, this experience made me learn so much about food and my gratitude towards it. With limited time at school, it is essential to make the most of the resources you have to make a sustainable meal or snack. I am grateful that I could learn how to at such a young age, although I was not thrilled at the time. The only thing I would change in my house is less fruit and more Cheetos. 

• almond mom
• ingredient household
• snacks