What "Snackin' Free" Means To Me

What's your favorite way to snack? Enjoying a sliced apple and peanut butter during the afternoon slump at work? Savoring a midnight snack to celebrate a long days' work? What about sharing a big bowl of popcorn during family movie night? However you snack, most people are doing it. In fact, surveys report that 94% of Americans snack at least once a day.

Lately, though, a different kind of snacking has entered my life and I have Snackin' Free to thank.

For those of you who don't know (like I didn't until Snackin' Free offered me samples of their products to try, no strings attached), Snackin' Free is the delicious brain (stomach?) child of Laura Savinovich. After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, Laura decided to adopt a paleo lifestyle and re-create the recipes of her family and friends with ingredients that would taste good and treat her body well. 

As I tasted a variety of Snackin' Free goodies - all of which are free of gluten, grains, dairy, soy, peanuts, processed sugars and artificial ingredients - two thoughts stuck out in my mind. First, "How does she do it!?!" Second, "What does the phrase 'Snackin' Free' mean to me?" 

A small portion of the samples I received!

While it certainly means eating food free of a variety of allergens, it also means to:

Munch on a fluffy, perfectly spiced cinnamon bagel studded with raisins at 10 at night just because it's there, you can, and you just survived an insane day of travel back to college. 

Sprinkle a modest amount of paleo granola - your favorite being the blueberry granola cereal that combines crunchy nuts with chewy blueberries for a stick-to-your-ribs smoothie topper - for your Instagram photo, but spoon it out of the bag when actually eating!

My favorite toppings!

Have graham crackers (the first since your celiac diagnosis) with breakfast because they offer just the right amount of fluffy crunch and remind you of childhood s'mores, except covered in spices instead of extra sugar. 

Mix a double chocolate chip cookie into homemade granola for clusters of chocolatey flavor that crumble in your mouth and offer just the right hint of sweetness.

Sweet and savory YUM!

Use BBQ sauce - that, although a little hot for your taste, tasted too fresh and well spiced to resist - as a dipping sauce for chips to complement your enchilada stuffed spaghetti squash. 

Accept a bite of mom's almond flour snickerdoodle even when you're not hungry...and agree that it is the perfect mix of dense yet crispy and seems to be sprinkled with cinnamon and cacao instead of straight sugar. 

Basically? To snack free is to enjoy the bread that isn't usually part of your diet or the cookies you don't necessarily need but definitely want. It's to honor your cravings instead of strictly following the clock. 

A goodie box for any time of day!

Perhaps the most important part, it's choosing to fuel yourself with foods you can trust - in terms of being free of allergens, full of quality ingredients and from a cook who cares - so that when you're biting into that treat, the delicious taste is all you have to think about.

However you like snacking, the freedom to choose when, what and how you eat remains constant. When it comes to my snacking routine, though, I have another constant...mainly, the desire to taste goodies from Snackin' Free again soon!


*I received these products from Snackin' Free for free, but all opinions and ideas are my own*

*Also found at Flaunt it Friday, What's Cookin Wednesday, IHeartNapTime, Saucy Saturdays and RunningwithSpoons!*

What goodie from Snackin' Free would you eat first? What does snackin' free mean to you? Tell me below!