Monday, June 9, 2008

Quality Food ∝ Available Time



It has been awhile since I last posted. Partially this is because I had a little Crohn's flare up, and no one wants to see recipes for dishes like jello or chicken broth! The other contributing factor is that I helped put on a retreat for the Paulist Center's young adult community and just didn't find a lot of time to cook in the days leading up to it. It was a real privilege to work with such a gifted planning team (see picture).

I find that the amount of crap I eat is inversely proportional (1/∝) to the busyness of my day. So it's especially important during these crunch times that I have some snacks on hand to get me through the day until I can pull something healthy out of my fridge. This leads me to my current snack obsession--almonds and dried cranberries. If you've never tried this combination, I highly recommend it. The nutty flavor of the almond goes quite well with the sweet of the cranberry. If you're looking for a fuller, slightly more astringent, and buttery nut then try substituting walnuts for the almonds. I usually eat about a 1/4c. of each at a time, just remember, don't go overboard. A snack is meant to get you through a crunch, not replace a meal!

So while I was a little stressed out and short on cooking time leading up to the retreat, it was totally worth it!

What are some of your favorite snacks?? Post a comment and let us know!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

My favorite snack is ants-on-a-log, hands down. How's the glycemic index on that?

Lately for a really quick dinner I've been cooking slices of sweet potato in the microwave, then adding a little olive oil and salt and pepper. I know, doesn't meet your normal standard of a five-color, three course meal, but...

ben said...

Robyn and i found this Black Rasberry Jelly that we are putting on everything. ok so mostly toast and toasted products. That is the current snack. my fall back is pepsi but i am trying to cut down on that.

Aaron Van Dyke said...

Mary: Ants-on-a-log are quite low on the glycemic index (I mean celery doesn't really have much of anything in it!) I do like sweet potatoes, I'll have to give it a try.

Ben: I also just got this black raspberry jelly at the store! Bizarre. I've been putting it on my gluten free waffles. You mean you don't reach for SYSCO brand snack products?!

Anonymous said...

I really like wheat WASA crackers with laughing cow light cheese wedges. mmmm... :)

Anonymous said...

To choose just one favorite snack? And a healthy one (my Pringle and chocolate chip cookie dough obsessions are definitely out)? That is tough. But I think I have to go with something my mom used to make when I was little: remember the slightly-diluted fruit juice you would put in the forms in the freezer to make your own popcicles? Yeah, that's definitely one of my favorites. If only I could find those forms again - now that summer's here, it would be the perfect time to use them!