The Sweet Life

Ever hear someone declare to be a sweet or a salty person? Wonder how they’ve taken to the salted caramel trend. Hopefully Culinary Thrill Seekers are still reveling in improved health from recent New Year resolutions, but you’ve got to get some sweet stuff now and then. Try these options:

Sweet Chaos Movie theatre butter popcorn was once the epitome of aromatic heaven and it’s still a classic crave. At what year in American history do you think jalapeno blue cheese popcorn stopped sounding “out there” and became a must have? Sweet Chaos offers both of those to suit your mood and I’m a very huge fan. This is not to snub honey chipotle, sea salt or the other sweet kettle guys. No way. I’m giving love to all these flavors, some of which got me through the first area hurricane of 2020. These flavors have come with me into 2021 with benefits of non-GMO kernels popped in coconut oil for a memorable snack that is “delightfully disruptive.” Pop over to www.sweetchaos.com to rank your choices. Hungry Buddha Nutrient- and flavor-dense, Hungry Buddha is “Keto Done Clean” as a trade-marked thing. Espresso Brownie and Triple Chocolate really tastes gooey and good is “enlightening.” I had to go there. Chocolate Chip and Coconut Cocoa are also little bars of plant-based healthy fats that can go everywhere you are. Long, distanced lines? You have Hungry Buddha to look forward to. Sunflower seed butter and coconut oil contributes to 11 grams of healthy fats for a lasting boost of energy. They’re also dessert-worthy. There are other fun lifestyle examples and products at www.buddhabrands.page.link/barsUSA This Saves Lives Hey honey? Would you like a Madagascar Vanilla Almond & Honey bar? It saves lives… This Saves Lives is actually a line of healthy – and very good – snack bars and crispy treats flavored for adults and packaged for kids as well. Each purchase helps gets food to hungry people and you’ll feel good about what you are serving to your family. Talk about diverse. There are 10 classic snack bar flavors alone including Dark Chocolate Caramel (a personal fave), Almond Mocha and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt. I love the kid stuff with fun characters and flavors with a full serving of fruits and veggies. Now here’s another fun fact. Actress Kristen Bell is a cofounder, along with Ryan Devlin, Todd Grinnell and Ravi Patel. Let’s go snack and know you are helping promote RUTF (ready-to-use therapeutic food). We eat together with these purchases. www.thissaveslives.com Rancho La Gloria Rancho La Gloria hotel in Tijuana is still giving us the Margarita. What began in 1938 is still popular and is now extremely convenient. Experience 100 percent Blue Weber Agave in every little plastic bottle of Rancho LaGloria ready-to-drink margarita in original (as we are most used to it), peach or strawberry. Real lime juice keeps it bright. On the rocks or blended, this is the pick-me-up many of us are seeking as the weather warms for the season. This offering keeps Margarita both classic and evolving. Easy and delicious and just right for social distancing. www.ranchogloria.com Take Five Are you a full spectrum chocolate lover? Five is named for the commitment to offer a 5:1 ratio of CBD to minor hemp compounds. Made in the U.S.A., this line offers a range of products in bottles and gummies and some delicious Original Milk Chocolate Squares and Sea Salt Dark Chocolate. As if adults don’t already lock up their favorite goodies from little ones, this alluring pouch of squares is designed to keep away from minors. I think even the individual serving is intentionally challenging to open. It’s worth the wait. This full-spectrum CBD chocolate square is scored into four smaller squares so you can pace yourself and maybe save some for later. Read up on this product. I can say I love the flavor the first time I tried it. Another evening I finally sat down to a hot tea, movie and a square and 30 minutes later I was nudged awake. I’d relaxed that much. “We do it differently and you’re going to feel the difference,” is the message on their website at www.fivecbd.com Killer Creamery When did ice cream get so funny? Now we can “shop guilt-free pints of keto ice cream” in flavors of Peanut Blubber, which was my family’s pick of a sampling weekend. We tried fun flavors in very creative titles such as Jam Session, a raspberry flavor with dark chocolate chips. Other creative monikers: Chilla in Vanilla; Caramel Back, Salted Caramel flavor; Lemon Squeeze, lemon poppyseed flavor; and Got Buns, cinnamon bun flavor with dough pieces. Can you eat all you want? Never. But you can dish a smaller portion of guilt when you want some cool rewards. The folks at www.killercreamery.com can tell you all about the keto part. Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie living the sweet life. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com