Close your eyes, and imagine: You’re twelve years old, and you just got off the yellow school bus after a long day of 7th grade. Your backpack is heavy with textbooks, and as you make your way up the driveway it smells like fresh cut grass. Your stomach grumbles, and you rush to get inside so you can have your favorite after-school snack. What is it? Can you picture it? Can you taste it, even now?
For me, it was apples dipped in peanut butter. As an adult, I come back to this sweet, protein-packed snack whenever I feel the need to connect to my inner child. Our favorite nostalgic foods connect us: to our families and friends, to our most cherished memories, and to the person we used to be! While my nostalgic snack is apples and peanut butter, there are so many classic dishes that transport us back in time. Do Ants On A Log ring a bell? How about pizza bagels? Join us as we explore some of our most cherished nostalgic foods, and stick around for ideas on how to upgrade them to an adult palate!
Food That Makes You Full: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
We’re starting off strong with the King of the Lunchbox: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. These are easy to make, easy to transport, and easy to enjoy! In our opinion, the best preparation includes peanut butter and fruit jelly layered between lightly toasted pieces of sandwich bread.
PB&Js have a wide appeal with children because they balance sweet and salty flavors while delivering crunchy and soft textures. There is also room for customization while making these ubiquitous sandwiches! Are you team Crunchy PB,or team Creamy PB? Do you prefer raspberry or grape jelly? White or wheat bread?
If you’re looking for an upgraded PB&J, consider adding a shot of potassium with banana slices, additional protein with bacon, or some pretzels for an extra salty crunch!
Food For Sharing: Salty Snacks
Are you familiar with the phrase “all that, and a bag of chips”? We all know that the cherry on top of any meal is a fresh bag of salty, flavorful snacks. Everyone’s got their own favorite flavor and brand, and we’re lucky we have so many options to choose from.
Personally, kettle cooked salt and vinegar chips ruled my household! Your favorite nostalgic salty snack might not even be potato chips– options like cheese crackers and popcorn were popular around the lunch table. Perhaps the most appealing part of snacks such as these are their undeniable ease. No cooking and no dishes necessary!
Just plop down on the couch and munch away. A grown-up way to enjoy your favorite chips could include a variety of dips, salsas, and even homemade aiolis. Pro tip: pair your chip with a complementary flavor. If you like spicy chili corn chips, for example, try adding cream cheese for a rich and cooling effect! An even more adventurous option includes pairing plain potato chips with creme fraiche and caviar.
Classic Food Choice: Fresh Baked Cookies
The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is perhaps one of the most beloved scents in the world. It brings us back to memories of hanging out in the kitchen with a loved one– cracking eggs, making a mess of the flour, and asking over and over again to eat the raw dough! Whenever I feel like I need a dessert that also feels like a warm hug from Mom, I make a batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies and eat one hot from the oven with a glass of milk.
If you’re looking for the same experience but aren’t a confident baker, have no fear! Ready-to-bake cookie dough is sold in most grocery stores, and tastes just as good as the homemade version. If you feel inspired to add to an already perfect cookie, adorn your chocolate chip cookie dough with extra ingredients like mini marshmallows, pretzels, sea salt, browned butter– even dried fruit and crystallized ginger! The sky’s the limit with these versatile snacks. But, be sure not to overbake if you want an ooey-gooey center.
The Fruity and Chewy Foods
When you were a kid, fruit snacks just sounded better than regular fruit! They came in all kinds of crazy configurations: little gems that spurt out sugary juice, long spools of fruit leather that melted in your mouth, and even mini gummy versions of the real fruit. Fruit snacks are a great way to introduce some fruit vitamins to your picky eater, if you look for options with real fruit as an ingredient.
If a crinkly bag of flavored gelatin doesn’t appeal to you any more, consider making your own DIY fruit leather at home! You can use any fruit of your choosing, and customize the level of sweetness to your personal preference. Another way to enjoy this nostalgic snack is to wrap a fruit roll-up around ice cream! This recent viral trend upgrades the fruit snack to a full dessert, and delivers a strangely satisfying crunch.
Breakfast Food: Cereal
Okay, now we know that cereal is traditionally breakfast, but for many of us, cereal served as a great meal substitute and in-between meal solution. From Lucky Charms to Reeses Puffs and Raisin Bran, each cereal has a delicious spin put on it. And its fun to use different milks, sometimes maybe chocolate, sometimes maybe even coffee.
Cereal is timeless and for a lot of kids especially its just a simple and fun dish. There are now even restaurants in the US that are completely dedicated to cereal and offering crazy cereal bowl ideas long with cereal shakes and sundaes. It’s safe to say cereal is one of the most popular foods in the world, probably due to its simplicity, but also do its amazing taste, that always delivers. And there is no better way to start your day with someone then with a fresh bowl of cereal and a hot cup of coffee!
The Nutritious Foods: Veggies With Dips
Veggies are a hard sell to young, picky eaters. A creative move from parents everywhere is pairing the healthy veggie with a delicious dip– just like the song, “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down”! Classic duos include celery and peanut butter, carrots and ranch, and even broccoli and melted cheese.
Hummus is another fantastic way to sweeten the veggie deal while delivering on protein. A great lunchbox tip: pack your hummus in a plastic bag, and cut one corner off slightly. Twist and seal that corner with a twist tie. When your child is ready to eat, they can undo the tie and squeeze it out onto their veggies like a frosting bag! This no mess hack has saved many a lunchbox from disaster. There’s no need to change anything about veggies and dip to make it appropriate for adults– just call it girl dinner, or crudite!
Frozen Foods: Ice Cream and Popsicles
Did you know that there is some scientific evidence to suggest that daily ice cream intake, in moderation, is actually very good for you? Kids everywhere, rejoice! Nothing beats an ice cream cone after a hot day in the park or a popsicle at the beach. Don’t even get me started on the complete joy we feel when we hear an ice cream truck jingle!
This dessert is nostalgic because it reminds us of times of celebration, moments of play, and the excitement of getting a little treat. Nowadays, homemade and no-churn ice cream is becoming a huge DIY trend. Being able to customize your ice cream to your dream specifications is highly appealing. Other fun, adults-only ice cream ideas include boozing up your ice cream floats, or using your precious espresso machine to make an after-dinner affogato.
Trail Mix: Food For Fuel
Let’s get nutty! Trail mix is a fantastic choice because of snack because it is another texture adventure, filled with the sweet and the salty. Trail mix offers a variety of different angles to take. You can add in candy, seeds, different fruits, its really limitless options. Trail mix offers a big punch in terms of helping fill you up. It’s perfect as a snack with lunch, and it is also a great appetizer too! You really cannot go wrong with trail mix, a fantastic and tasty choice.
Food We Loved: In Conclusion
Your favorite childhood food can come with you into adulthood! With a little imagination, nostalgia can be just one ingredient in a delicious recipe. Let us know which nostalgic nosh brings back memories for you!
Looking back, as we discussed some fan favorite childhood nostalgia snacks, it’s really a trip down memory lane. There are ways in which we can connect with our loved ones, and one of those ways is by sharing a favorite snack. It allows you to have a little blast from the past while also experiencing your own form of deja vu. Its a great way to make new memories, by sharing the old! So whether your vice is a salty bag of chips or a tasty bowl of cereal, there is no going wrong when its snack time. We hope you enjoyed sharing these noshes with us, and wish you a Bon Appétit!
