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Snack Ideas Needed


Shel_B

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I am about to reinstate the Monday Morning Coffee and Pastry Group here at my apartment building.  Here's the issue: We have a fair number of Asians living here as well as a number of older people with restricted diets.  I need to find some Chines or Asian style pastries or cakes that go well with coffee or tea, as well as being able to be stored easily.  For this situation, picking up items at Costco or TJ's would be fine.  I just need to get some ideas on what kind of goodies to look for.

 

Also, it would be nice to find low-carb or sugar free snacks, like muffins or a simple cake that can be sliced into serving sized portions.  I'm sure such things are available, but I've never seen them (never looked, really).  Anyone know of such things at Costco or TJ's.

 

Thanks!

 ... Shel


 

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Rather than guess at what they like, I would recommend that you solicit input from a few of your fellow residents, hopefully a representation of the groups that you'd like to cater for.  

If you can get some input, it may encourage actual event participation as well.

 

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What are the restrictions?  Mostly sugar, or others?   

 

When I think of Asian bakeries, I think filled buns and very light sponge cakes with cream and fruit.  If you're buying, not making, are there Asian bakeries you can visit instead of Costco?  Or if Costco adds a lot of sugary glazes, can you special order without?

 

Think lighter brioche or fruit danish, sponge or chiffon cake instead of coffeecake. 

 

Bacon is low carb, sugar free, and pre-portioned :)   Speaking of savory items, I think TJ's has frozen Asian buns you can bake.  I like their pot stickers but haven't tried the bread-ier baked buns.  They should be sugar free and maybe lower carb than straight pastry.  Also look in their appetizer section, mini quiche or little filled turnovers could work well.

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A friend gave me a box of these wonderful little Belgian cookies from TJ's....Speculoos.  I don't have a TJ's near me, so I haven't a clue if they stock them regularly.   On the occasion that I depart from lo-carb eating, I find myself dunking these in coffee, eating them mindlessly into oblivion.  There are 2.5g sugar per cookie, which is incredibly low in my book. ;+)  

 

Another delightful snack - in these parts- is Trenary Toast.   It's made in Trenary, MI- about an hour or so away from where I live.  They ship it all over. It is basically an ethereal cinnamon toast.   When my parents were alive, they'd come to visit us, and end up hauling bags and bags of it back to Detroit, for friends who had "placed an order" with my Mom, before they left on the trip.  My Dad absolutely loved it. And, if anyone ever lived who knew more about dunking pastries or cookies in their coffee....it was Daddy.   Darn tasty. 

 

I don't know much about Asian pastries, so I can't comment on that. But...those two little gems above might yield some smiles from your group. Another thought are those pre-made, frozen little quiche things- which Costco probably has.  Yum. Not for anyone on a diet. But darn good, no matter! 

 

 

-Andrea

 

A 'balanced diet' means chocolate in BOTH hands. :biggrin:

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One of my favorite, not-too-sweet, pretty healthy snacky things is bran muffins. I use this recipe, cut the sugar to about a third of a cup, and add diced figs or dates (raisins are canonical, but I don't like raisins) and walnuts or pecans.

 

Of course, I negate all health benefits by grabbing a couple fresh out of the oven and slathering it with an unhealthy amount of butter....

Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

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55 minutes ago, kayb said:

Of course, I negate all health benefits by grabbing a couple fresh out of the oven and slathering it with an unhealthy amount of butter....

I consider that to be an oxymoron.

 

There are really only two quantities of butter...not enough, and as much as a given piece of food will hold. :P

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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While in japan I visited the bakeries and noticed that they use rice flour rather than wheat.  The baked goods are so light they seem to melt away.  They also think Americans use way to much sugar.  Their food frequently looks like works of art.  It was fantastic to see what all they had.  

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