Anita: 0:00

Hey there, sunshine. If you are all about eating whole plant foods in the way that's simple, enjoyable and delicious, so that you can finally feel your best and live your God-given dreams, you have found your family, and today we are talking about something that's very personal to us, because we're about to hit the road again and go on vacation, and what comes to mind when you think about a road trip? Well, snacks.

Jarrod: 0:22

You got to have road trip snacks.

Anita: 0:24

It's always about the snacks. Now you may think, if you've just transitioned to whole food, plant-based, or you're new to this, what in the world do you eat and where do you find it? So we're going to be sharing five of our favorite snacks today and some of the places that we find them that you might not expect. Hey sister, welcome to the Power on Plants podcast. Are you tired of staring into the fridge wondering what to eat so you can just feel better? Do you want to avoid spending hours in the kitchen making complicated meals in the name of health? Would you love to leave fatigue behind and finally have the energy to do all the things you want to do? Hi, we're Jared and Anita Roussel, christ followers, healthcare professionals, parents of four and big fans of great tasting food. We, too, tried exercising more, eating natural and clean foods, but we still found ourselves struggling with what we thought were changes that come with age or bad genes, and we weren't finding answers the traditional route. So we dug into the research and created our secret nutritional weapon sustainable plant-based living. The truth is, you can eat more whole plant foods and it's not hard. You just need the way that's realistic and delicious so you never feel deprived. If you're ready to enjoy your meals, no longer be held back by your health struggles and actively live your life, then you're in the right place. So grab your favorite plant-based cup of happy pop in those earbuds and let's get started. Welcome back to Power on Plants. We are thrilled to have you with us and have you as a part of the Power on Plants family.

Anita: 1:58

Today, as we're packing our things, getting ready to head out on the road, we want to share with you how simple it can be to find healthy snacks. You always think I've got to go to this grocery store and that grocery store, but sometimes it's just a little switch, just a little change in the way that you think that can make all the difference. And this happened for me one time when I was in a home goods and I was walking the aisles looking at the linens, looking at the kitchen stuff, and, lo and behold, there are three or four aisles of snacks what in the world? And so you look at them and, of course, typically, just like all the regular snacks, you see things that say healthy and natural. But if you've been around us any amount of time, what does Anita always say? Turn that puppy over. If you sang that with me right then, then you know you're part of our family.

Jarrod: 2:49

Absolutely and if you didn't.

Anita: 2:50

This is one of our key phrases that we use here at Power Implants Turn that puppy over. What does that mean? That means you flip the bag over and you look at the back and you're going to see what's actually in there. I'm not talking about carbs, grams, protein, all this stuff, the macros. I'm talking about the actual ingredients label. Generally, it's the simplest things that make the biggest difference, and that is especially true when it comes to the ingredients in your foods.

Jarrod: 3:18

Because the front of the package they can say whatever they want. An example that goes back to a long, long time ago was olive oil mayo. But when you flip that puppy over, olive oil's last on the list and it's got tons of other things in it so they can say whatever they want to on the front, because that's the billboard they're trying to get you to buy it. But you got to look at that ingredient list because that will tell you what you need to know.

Anita: 3:39

Yes, and the first point I want to make here is always always look around in the stores you're in and keep an eye out for new snacks to try and check them out. But I want to break the mindset that the snacks have to be found in the grocery store, because you might find them wherever you go. We find them at places like here's your Insider Scoop if you live in areas where you have these stores HomeGoods Insider Scoop if you live in areas where you have these stores HomeGoods, tj, maxx, marshalls, even Ross. At times we found snacks World Market is another great place to look for snacks. So if you have any of those stores, always check the snacks area and read the back of the package. And today, on top of that, we're going to share with you five of our favorite recent finds from these stores.

Anita: 4:27

The first one is apple chips. Now, I know that may not sound so exciting, but I'll tell you when you can find an apple chip that doesn't have oil, sugar, any of the nasty ingredients that you can't even pronounce on the back, you're golden. I mean, I remember this time when some of our friends were coming to visit us and they said oh, I help the, you know so-and-so, got this and that and all I had was apple chips. And you look at the back of the apple chips and it's oil, sugar, apple chips. It's just the first ingredients. I think we're oil and sugar and then some other things we couldn't pronounce.

Anita: 5:01

So a good brand that we have found is called Simple Slices. It's a red package and we picked them up the first time and they're almost crinkle cut like crinkle cut fries. They are the crunchiest, most delicious dried apple chips you can imagine. But the winner is if you can find the ones that say cinnamon, red apples, cinnamon, red apples or apple chips that have cinnamon on them. So I'm going to turn that puppy over. I'm going to read the ingredients label. Here goes Apples, red apples and cinnamon. If I had a clap emoji I could show you right now, or a clap sound bite. We would be playing that right now. But this is a winner.

Jarrod: 5:44

Imagine that Just apples and cinnamon.

Anita: 5:48

Shocking, right? This is what you want your ingredients list to look like, when you want to feel better and your joints to stop aching and the inflammation to stop taking control of your life, and you want your energy back. You want to avoid theing and the inflammation to stop taking control of your life and you want your energy back. You want to avoid the oils and the sugar and get the whole plant food. So, simple slices, it says. At the top, it says gourmet nut. Now I don't know if the gourmet nut or simple slices is the actual brand name, but keep an eye out for those because they are amazing. And maybe you think well, Anita, I don't have any of those stores near me. Well, how about you get online and Google this and see where you can find it shipped direct to your door? There's another life changing tip for you Get it shipped to your door. Take these same five things I'm telling you and I bet you can look those up and find them and try them out.

Jarrod: 6:33

I do find some of the best grocery trips are the ones we never have to make.

Anita: 6:37

Yes, right, come straight to your door, absolutely. And then the next one is any other kind of dried fruit, but we specifically love mangoes or apricots, and the ones by this brand, sunny Fruit. We really like these. They're organic and then let's turn it over. It's soft and succulent dried Turkish apricots and you turn it over over, it's just organic dried apricots, and these do have a little bit of water at. It's kind of funny that they're dried and then there's a little bit of water. But I think they may do that just so they're not overly dry. Because you buy dried fruit and I don't like the dried apricots that are so hard and dry. They just don't taste good. So these are a little I hate to, to say it moist.

Jarrod: 7:19

I hate to say that. Hopefully that word doesn't bother you. They're delicately reconstituted, delicately. How about that?

Anita: 7:26

They're wonderful. We really like these. The third thing that you want to look for are and actually the fourth thing these are some different types of nuts. So if you can find raw nuts, that's great, but when we travel we like to buy the ones with a little bit of sea salt. And there is one called Valued Naturals, and these are cashews. They're not organic, though. That's the only thing. I wish they were organic. But you might find an organic roasted and salted cashew with just a little salt. If you're eating salt-free, that's great.

Anita: 8:05

Look for the roasted that aren't salted. They also have those sometimes, but it's just cashews and sea salt, nothing else, and I don't eat a lot of them. We don't portion these out in big portions, not because we're afraid of gaining weight, but because of the salt. We don't want to eat a lot of extra salt. We don't add salt to our things, so but just for a little road trip snack we are. We're always hydrating, drinking a lot of water, and we eat very little salt. So on the trips we sometimes like to get the roasted, salted nuts, and that's just so yummy.

Anita: 8:28

Then the fourth one is Octo Nuts. It's O-C-T-O-N-U-T-S brand and it says Octo Nuts California. They may have a lot of other different varieties as well, but this is the dry roasted almonds with sea salt. I do personally wish they had a little bit less salt in them, but I still eat one or two, maybe with some of the other nuts, like in a trail mix or something. These are very, very tasty, and let's turn it over. Ingredients almonds and sea salt. That's it, nothing else, and I saved my personal favorite for last. What do you think about these? I'm going to get Jared's opinion about these first.

Jarrod: 9:04

I haven't had those yet.

Anita: 9:06

Are you kidding me?

Jarrod: 9:07

No, I have not.

Anita: 9:07

I'm going to rip the bag open right now You're going to get to hear Jared try these on the air.

Jarrod: 9:12

You told me about them, but I hadn't tried those yet.

Anita: 9:14

Oh, y'all will not believe these things. I could not. The first time I tried them I thought I'm not sure, and the more I chewed them I don't want to say addictive, because I don't feel like any whole foods are addictive but these are like candy, they are so good. They're called organic sun-dried white mulberries. Now if you've tried mulberries before, I've had them before where they're dried but they're similar to raisins, so they're soft, kind of like if you would think about an apricot. I didn't really care for those as much. But these are sun-dried white mulberries. Again, they're organic. They're by Emirelli E-M-I-R-E-L-L-I of San Francisco.

Anita: 9:51

These things are amazing. It's like they brickle in your mouth. They look like a little berry, like a little wild blackberry if you've ever had wild blackberries and when you chew them they kind of fall apart and they're dry. But then the more you chew them, the chewier they get and they're sweet. I mean just sweet like candy and sugar. Get a couple, Don't just eat one. Eat a couple together, like three or four. Jared's going to try them on the air for you.

Anita: 10:15

He's going to give you the real deal and let you know, but try several together because some of them aren't as sweet as the others. And you chew them at first and you think, yeah, there's not a whole lot of flavor. You keep chewing them and they get so sweet. They're just absolutely incredible.

Jarrod: 10:30

It almost initially chews kind of like granola. It's a little bit crunchy and I love that A little bit crunchy.

Anita: 10:34

It's a little bit crunchy and I love that.

Jarrod: 10:36

A little bit crunchy. It's not initially sweet, but as you chew it more and more that sweetness develops.

Anita: 10:42

It's not overly sweet.

Anita: 10:43

I mean it's nice, because it's not sickeningly sweet, but it's got a great flavor to it. Madeline and I flipped out when we found these. When we first found them, we started stacking up because sometimes what I'll do and here's another tip for you is we will open the bag. If they have more than one bag of a snack and we know the ingredients are good, open the bag and try a little bit in the store and if you like it, then you're not in your car on your way home going. I wish I had bought more bags of those. You can get them while you're there, because the thing about these stores is they don't always stock the same thing like a grocery store, so you might not find that again, at least for a while, or ever for that matter. So stock up if you find something.

Jarrod: 11:19

You love Check these stores on a regular basis, maybe once a month, because what they have now they may not have a month from now. They may have something different. And if this month they don't have something that suits your fancy, try it in a few weeks. Go back and take a look, because they may have something different. And, like you say, if you like it and they've got five bags of it, go ahead and take them, because they may not get any more.

Anita: 11:41

Okay. So these chew like granola, but then when you keep chewing them they get like a gummy candy. It's not like gummy bears, where it's gelatinous, it's more like Starburst or something like that. Chew it in your teeth. I mean, it's bizarre how different they are. There's nothing like them that I have ever tried. I love these organic sun dried white mulberries, and let's turn that puppy over while Jared's trying them for a second time.

Jarrod: 12:07

It takes a moment for that sweetness to develop. So good, but they're not overly sweet, that's. What really hits me. Is that they're not sickeningly sweet, they're just good.

Anita: 12:18

Oh, they're amazing. Ingredients 100 organic dried white mulberries. This is worth the try. If you can't find them in a store around you, look for these online, because they are worth the try. Very different and you know. When you get something different and it's a whole plant food, you're just getting more nutrients, more vitamins, more things.

Jarrod: 12:42

More variety.

Anita: 12:43

More variety. That's it. You hit the nail on the head right there. Friend, you know that we love sharing these things with you and if you are not already a part of our group Podcast Insiders Experience, come in and join us at poweronplantscom forward slash p? I e. That's poweronplantscom forward slash pie and there you can look up every single episode anytime.

Anita: 13:08

We've said anything that you're searching for and want to know about when it comes to whole plant foods and with well over 300 episodes, you are going to find everything you need inside this group. Wait, and with well over 300 episodes, you're going to find so many of the things you need to get started and even go farther on your plant-based journey. We've loved hanging out with you again. We are looking forward to this trip so much, and we hope that what we've shared with you today is going to help you not only enjoy your future car trips, but also enjoy snacking at home in the way that's healthy, exciting and fun. Until next time, remember, you are loved, you're prayed for and we will see you again very soon. Thank you.