My Love for Peanut Butter

When I was at the grocery store the other day, I saw something truly wonderful.  There are few things in life as great as a sale on Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter.  Actually, I think I really showed a great deal of restraint by only purchasing two jars (considering I had peanut butter at home already).  I bought one jar of White Chocolate Wonderful and one of Mighty Maple.  And have been blissfully devouring them all week. 

 

I can eat peanut butter on pretty much anything.  It's probably my favorite food, and I'm always stretching its versatility to the limits.  Granted, I bought two sweet flavors at the store, so most of my peanut butter consumption this week has steered clear of the savory variety, but not entirely. 

 

Of course, my favorite accompanyment for peanut butter is fruit, whether it's slathered on apple slices, mixed with a mashed banana, or incorporated into one of my morning protein shakes. 

I also took the opportunity to step up the game on my Peanut Butter Cup Chia Pudding by using White Chocolate Wonderful in place of plain, creamy peanut butter.  Oh yes, what a delicious improvement!  This stuff is great for dessert, of course, but also served as a delicious breakfast this week - full of protein and fiber, it does a great job of keeping you full until lunch time! 

 

And while of course peanut butter and grain seems normal enough when bread is involved - there's always peanut butter toast and PB&J sandwiches - not everyone thinks of peanut butter popcorn.  But this sweet and salty snack is super easy to make, and makes a surprisingly filling movie snack! 

 

Just prepare popcorn, nuke enough peanut butter for desired coverage (I used three tablespoons of Mighty Maple), drizzle PB over popcorn, and stir to coat thoroughly.  Then be sure not to tell anyone you made it so you can enjoy the whole bowl yourself!

Vegan Hiking Snacks

We haven't quite left for New York yet ...  So much for leaving first thing in the morning!  But the delay gives me time to write this quick post on hiking snacks.  We plan to do a big hike in New Paltz, so we definitely need to bring fuel sources that are easy to munch on while we're walking.  I put together a mix of homemade and store-bought snacks for the journey. 

 

First up, Old Bay chick peas.  These are so simple and delicious, but full of protein to make them a great hike food.  Just spread rinsed chick peas on a baking sheet, sprinkle generously with Old Bay, then roast until they reach your preferred level of crispness (I prefer a softer center rather than a totally crunchy chick pea). 

 

I also picked up some Asian snack mix at the store the other day.  This particular mix is Giant brand, but you can find it at pretty much any store.  There's sweet in the toffee peanuts, salty in the various crackers, and even spicy in the wasabi peas.  It's a great mix or all sorts of flavors and the combo tastes delicious. 

 

Muffins may not seem like typical hiking food ... and indeed these may not last until the actual hike.  But without access to our typical protein shakes in the morning, I wanted to make sure we would have some good breakfast fuel before we set out on the hike itself.  These are easily transportable and won't make us too full, but will set us off on the right foot (haha, see what I did there?). 

 

And finally ... cherries.  Mostly because we have just a few left and like I said yesterday, I hate to waste food.  But they're also sweet and delicious. 

 

My actual favorite hiking food is your average trail mix, which didn't make the cut this time.  I was worried that with the heat, my favorite part - the chocolate chips - wouldn't survive the journey.  Next time I go on a hike in cooler weather, it will definitely be back in the running!

What are your favorite hiking snacks?