Welcome to day 400 of quarantine. Me and my roommates find ourselves fighting the urge to bake yet another batch of brownies. We haven’t seen a vegetable in our home in weeks. Every hour on the hour, we all convene in the kitchen for another snack because what else are we supposed to do during this pandemic?
I’ll admit, that was a little dramatic. While we have been trying to regularly eat vegetables and limit our brownie intake to one tray a week, snacking is what’s keeping us alive during this quarantine. When I realized the sheer number of Cheez-It’s I’d eaten since the quarantine began was actually a problem, I started to find other snacks that still satisfied my cravings for salt and sugar.
Here’s a few of my favorite mostly healthy snacks that are getting me through this pandemic.
- Popcorn
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While some of the extra buttery microwave popcorn brands might not be the healthiest, popcorn by itself is actually a pretty good low-calorie snack. My favorite brand is Orville Redenbacher’s Original Kernels, which cooks within minutes on the stove. It’s only 120 calories per serving, and it’s easy to control how much butter or salt you want to add to it.
- Frozen Grapes
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Grapes by themselves are already one of my favorite fruits, but freezing them makes it like a little popsicle. Especially as it gets warmer outside, they make a great frozen treat.
- Pita Chips and Hummus
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This is one of my boyfriend’s favorite snacks that I’ve claimed for my own. Hummus is high in protein, so it’ll satisfy you in between meals. Pita chips are also a little salty and crunchy, so I can pretend I’m eating potato chips.
- Fruit Smoothies
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There’s so many different recipes for fruit smoothies that I’m considering trying a different one each day until quarantine ends. I grew up watching my mom make smoothies with whatever frozen fruit we had in the freezer, soy milk and sometimes protein powder. It satisfies my sweet tooth almost as well as a brownie.
- Homemade Salsa
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I stole this one from my mom, and it’s the easiest to make it your own. All it takes is some tomatoes, onions, salt, cilantro, limes and jalapeños (or any other chiles depending on how spicy you like it), and you have a low-prep time salsa fresca. The last time I made it, I used two large tomatoes and half of an onion, both finely diced. Then I added in three jalapeños — also finely cut — with a half bunch of cilantro, a pinch of salt, and the juice of two limes. Once it’s mixed up, it’s ready to eat.
I fry my own tortilla chips, but for anyone who isn’t a fan of the extra grease (or grease burns), I recommend buying some chips instead.
- Trail Mix
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Before the coronavirus, I would get my favorite nuts, dried fruits, and dark chocolate from the bulk bins at Sprouts and then mix them into my own trail mix at home. Currently I prefer to minimize the time I spend in the grocery store, so I buy whatever trail mix I can find.
- Banana Pancakes
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I became addicted to this snack after I realized I had no flour to make banana bread with my over-ripe bananas. Instead I mixed the three eggs I had in my fridge with the two bananas and cooked them in a skillet until they looked like pancakes. It was a pretty good snack, especially with some peanut butter or Nutella on them.
Since then, I’ve bought flour so I’ll also make actual banana pancakes if I have a little more time to dedicate to my snacking.
- Gyoza
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Every time I go to Trader Joe’s, I can’t stop myself from buying these Japanese-style dumplings. Usually I prefer to eat them in a soup, but if I’m just snacking, they warm up within a few minutes in the microwave. They taste good by themselves, but they taste great with gyoza dipping sauce (also found at Trader Joe’s).
- Peanut Butter Pretzels
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They’re salty and crunchy, and that’s basically all I need in a snack. When I found out that Trader Joe’s also carries them covered in chocolate, I was hooked.
Whether I’m actually hungry or just want an excuse to get up and walk to the kitchen, these snacks have become some of my favorites. They make me feel a little healthier and keep me from grabbing at whatever cake mix I have in my cupboards.
Let us know in the comments what you’ve been snacking on this quarantine!