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There are times when you need a snack.

Immediately.

Or is that just me?

There are often a few options – plain carrots (sometimes boring) or processed vending machine snacks (sometimes not very healthy, rarely filling). And then there are the snacks that fall somewhere in between. Ideally, they’ll contain a combination of fresh foods, protein, a bit of fat and some fiber so that they stick with you for longer than 5 minutes.

Here are some of the quick snacks I rely on, please add your own to the list, I’m always looking for new snack ideas!

Quick 1 Minute Snack Ideas: 

• tortilla + pesto + cheese  - microwaved for about 30 seconds
• apple slices + nut butter
• hot pita bread + hummus
• tortilla chips + salsa + refried or black beans
• toast + nut butter
• frozen waffle + apple slices + slice of cheese – broiled until cheese melts
• cottage cheese + fruit chunks
• smoothie: frozen fruit + spinach + milk + greek yogurt – blend until smooth
• slice of whole grain toast + smashed avocado
• handful of almonds + square of dark chocolate
• sliced cheese + triscuits
• greek yogurt + granola, cereal or fresh fruit
• quick deviled egg – halve hard boiled egg, mix yolk with 1-2 tsp mayo + salt + pepper, put mixture in egg whites

The title sounds scary, right? I know. This recipe is a little scary. But it’s more about where the recipe is from.

Along with a ziploc bag full of garden-fresh brussels sprouts stuffed in my suitcase, I also came home from Wisconsin with this cookbook.

It is the Congressional Club Recipe Cookbook that had been given to my grandparents. I was instantly in-love with this family heirloom (probably only thought so by me) and the glimpse it provided me to food circa 1945. Some of the dishes were absolutely awful-sounding. (Baked Prune Whip)  In fact, all of the recipes that included jello or gelatin were immediately dismissed.

Tuna Surprise and Salmon Loaf were iffy, but some of the recipes sounded delicious. And some just made me laugh.

Ultimately I decided to start my retro cooking with a Frosted Sandwich Loaf. Slices of white bread are slathered with butter, than filled with a filling of choice (sardine salad, egg salad and cucumbers are some of the suggestions) but with the thought of cream cheese, I went immediately to Minnesota Sushi (ham & pickle roll-up) because cream cheese and sardines just didn’t grab me.

The end result was beautiful. (In my crazy mind.) And the Taster actually enjoyed eating it. It’s not the kind of thing you’d make on a regular basis, but if you need a retro recipe, this is the cookbook to turn to.