Microwave popcorn. It’s convenient enough that I can make it easily any time, but just inconvenient enough that it doesn’t all get horked down on the first day.
I find that stove top popcorn is even less convenient (so less tempting to eat all the time), but much cheaper, and maybe tastier in some ways.
Get a ~500 g (1 lb or so?) bag of whole kernels for $3-ish, some oil that you use for cooking other stuff anyway, and salt. Heat the oil on the stove with a few kernels, then when those pop, briefly remove from heat and add more. Make sure the pot has a lid. Keep shaking it side to side to keep the popcorn from burning.
I find it adds just enough oil to taste good, but not so much that I’m eating something super awful for me. (And it’s much tastier than air popped). And I assume you could still add melted butter if you want an extra treat.
I want to get one of those movie theatre style things where the popcorn can fly out of the pot.
I have one that’s this style and I use it a lot. I got my parents this other kind though and think it works better
I always found these a pain to clean. I had both types. And it’s another single use device. I switched to a pot on the stove and never looked back. Bought a special pot that has vented holes on the side so the popcorn doesn’t steam and get chewy.
Anything remotely resembling a snack will not be left for long so we don’t keep anything.
Yep. The only way to prevent daily snacking is by not having snacks in the house.
Same here. That’s why I try to stock up on more than I think I’ll need when things go on sale.
The two types of mentalities on display:
- I’ll eat too much so I shouldn’t buy any
- I’ll eat too much so I should buy more
Or the worst one of all - more packaging. I buy some things in smaller packages to help moderate. Ritz crackers? Hell yeah, but what size sleeve will I finish? Soda, hey at least it’s diet, once it’s open I’ll finish it, so it better be in a can
real
Nuts. Many kinds of nuts - peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews… Various mixes, sometimes with dried fruits, then there’s the spiced and coated varieties
Junk food is a metaphor for thermodynamics. Nothing lasts. if it’s in stock, then it’s eaten. So I try not to buy any. But even then I will dip strawberries in sugar.
dip strawberries in sugar
Aha, i knew it u sick mothafucka!
Dark chocolate. Sweet enough to satisfy sugar cravings, but a low enough sugar content I can chomp on one to get my blood sugar up before going to the corner store for breakfast.
I was with you until you said before breakfast!?!
Dark chocolate (75%+) has a non-insignificant amount of caffeine in it, an ounce can have as much as a cup of black tea, so that may be why.
Potato chips/crisps!
None. If it’s here, I’m eating it. I sometimes bring some home on grocery day but it’s always gone that day.
Usually, pototo chips, chocolate covered pretzels, gummies, chocolate cover gummies.
Frozen mango pieces. I love eating those whenever I’m in the mood for something to snack.
Not sure if it counts as junk food, but it’s something I always try to keep at home. Though lately they’ve been sold out at the supermarket. So I’m forced to fall back on my 2nd choice, frozen raspberries.
frozen raspberries
Haha those should be first choice. Basically the polar opposite in terms of flavor profile
Oh I love raspberries as well, it’s just that mangoes are more chewy when frozen.
Raspberries tend to be very hard and not as nice to bite down on when they’re straight from the freezer. But the flavor is great, no argument here :)
Breakfast cereal
My wife and I both agree that it’s a dessert, not a food XD
What ones you like?
I’m a sucker for fruity pebbles (I actually prefer the malt-o-meal bag version)
Pretzel rods. Chunky salt. Good crunch. Rods are the best hard pretzel shape.
My favorite is the Synders sourdough but rods are a close second
Snyder’s pretzel pieces (the really really Ranch-y ones) are god-tier.
There’s a brand of pretzel “crackers” that are nice and thin like a chip, but pretzeled. They also have a buffalo flavor with a nice little zing to it
Breakfast bars. They’re not just for breakfast!
I’m also partial to chips & salsa.
I love chips and salsa - issue being that I’ll house a party sized bag of tortilla chips and a big ol container of salsa in like 2-3 sittings, which I guess is fine… But it feels like that many corn chips ain’t healthy. Main concern is my salt intake.
None. If I crave for something crunchy I eat carrots or nuts. If I want to eat sweets I make my own brownies, marzipan or chocolate chip cookies. And if I really want to each chips/crisps I make my own batch.
When you say you make your own marzipan, do you start from almonds? That seems like so much work- is it significantly cheaper or better than store bought marzipan or do you just prefer to be self sufficient?
When I have time I do it from scratch but usually I end up using almond flour.
Does it taste better? Almond flour is over three times the price of marzipan here, so it looks like it would be more expensive to make it myself, but I love marzipan and am down to pay more and put some work in for better marzipan.
I could also just see the prices being different elsewhere, though, given that I’m in Germany and marzipan is a much more common ingredient than almond flour here.
It’s difficult to tell if it tastes better. Some store bought were better other worse. But the best thing about making it is that you can make the way you like it.
Mega chad behaviour 😎
Unsalted cashew nuts and french fries. The nuts I eat as is and usually run out by the end of the week. French fries I toss into the air fryier when ever I don’t feel like cooking.
Girardhelli brownie mix. Not claiming it’s the best ever but it’s 100x better than the Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines crap. But there’s also the barrier of 5-10 mins prep and 25+ mins baking so it’s not instant gratification y’know?
Once you bake a pan though it’s pretty great for the next day or two. Assuming you’re not too concerned with your waistline.
Edit: Oh and a box is like $3 at Big Lots. But you do have to supply an egg and cooking oil.
Plus you can get a Costco sized box!
Realistically this is also a healthy choice because it requires effort, so time to reconsider
Reese’s Pieces.
