You’ve really got to stop cramming your maw with sugar and strange lab concoctions that have colors never seen in nature. They aren’t doing your taste buds any good, your waist line any good, or even your wallet any good. But hey, who wants to eat just celery and carrots every day? Nobody. But calm down baby bird, it’s not an either/or question. There are plenty of healthy, tasty, wholesome snacks around to fill your belly, not make you feel like a total POS for eating them, and keep your wallet intact.

How about chips that are whole grain, gluten free, made with real ingredients, and have no artificial preservatives or flavors – oh, and come in 4 flavors and are delicious? They exist. And they are from Walmart. No kidding. Buck Wild Tortilla Chips, available now for the first time, are not your mamma’s chips – unless your mamma works in the Buck Wild kitchen, and then they literally ARE your mamma’s chips… Asking you to Snack The Path Less Ordinary, these snacks are a really interesting blend of traditional bold chip flavors and more farmer’s market-type ingredients such as flax seeds, beet powder, and chia seeds. The taste is intense without masking the real corn of the chip underneath. In all, Buck Wild Chips come in 4 flavors as follows:

Cheddar Chipotle – There’s real red peppers in the chips! You can see them! And the taste is instant cheddar followed by a smooth chipotle flavor on the back of your tongue. I’ve taken down three quarters of a bag just writing about them.

Garlic Sea Salt – The first flavor I tried, because I’m a garlic fiend. Which is good, because the garlic dropkicks you in the mouth and doesn’t let up. My favorite flavor, but probably not for date night.

Jalapeno Jack – You don’t know jack until you’ve tried these chips. Imagine your favorite county fair nacho cheese dip – that’s exactly what these chips taste like. Childhood, excitement, and rollercoasters all wrapped around a corn chip.

Roasted Tomato Herb – Here’s the sophisticated choice, for when you want to be fancy and impress your in-laws. Or hey, maybe you just want to feel like an adult for once. No judgements, just enjoy the flavor with your bad self.

So now I’ve been eating all four of these bags while writing this, and it’s kind of sad how many I’ve eaten. Collectively, I’ve probably mowed down 2 bags worth in the last hour. Despite the general sense of gluttony, I don’t feel absolutely terrible like I would from noshing this hard on other chips or snacks. I’ve got energy from whole grains and orange fingertips from spices – not a bad life. Speaking of doing well, all bags sold go to support skill-building programs to help a new generation secure meaningful employment opportunities through FareStart’s Youth Programs and the MISSION BUCK WILD initiative. There is the proof that you can eat well and do well at the same time. Next time you’re prepping for a campout or just a day at the beach, grab some Buck Wild and upgrade your snack game. Your gut, wallet, and sense and self-worth will thank you.

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In my love for appetizers comes a sincere appreciation for anything in dip form, and many times my recipes involve creating a dip and putting it inside an edible vessel (I now realize how odd of a description that was, but just go with it.) My spinach dip is a particularly well-loved recipe by anyone who has eaten in my home, and I’ve tried to come up with ways to make it even more fun. I’ve stuffed it in crescent rolls (totally delicious, I recommend it), I’ve made my own pita chips to dip in it, and the latest and most revered adaption is making wontons out of it. I did this a couple nights ago for a few girls during our wine night, and no one was disappointed.

There’s something about a creamy dip stuffed in a crunchy wrapper to make a bunch of tipsy girls very happy.

I’ll explain.

The spinach dip part is easy. There is no magic or secret, it’s all to taste. Some people like it creamier, some like it with more spinach. So it helps to just start with a little of each ingredient and keep adding until it’s just right. 

I start with half a box of thawed chopped spinach (I prefer frozen chopped spinach as it mixes better, and can be portioned out very easily), and toss in half a block of cream cheese (I never said it was a healthy choice) in a microwave-safe bowl. My seasonings of preference are pretty straightforward- garlic, salt and pepper- but feel free to get a little creative with some cayenne or chili powder if you’re feelin’ spicy.

This recipe is meant to be simple and easy, with the control in the hands of the chef. After you’ve mixed it all together, give it a taste, and add whatever you feel is missing and then it should look a little something like this:

Take a single wonton wrapper in your hand or on a plate, plop a little dollop of dip in there- about half a teaspoon. Turn the wrapper so it looks like a diamond, not a square, dip a finger in water, and gently wet two perpendicular sides of the wonton wrapper. When you fold over the other side, it will create a triangle, and the water mixed with the starch on the wrapper will create a nice glue to hold all the dip inside. Do this with each wrapper until you run out of dip or space on the tray.

Now here’s the best and final part. If you’re trying to be healthy, skip this step, but if you want to up the delicious factor on these babies, keep reading. Melt a little salted butter in the microwave, and lightly paint it on each wonton before you put them in the oven. Don’t ask questions, just trust me on this. You’ll thank me later.

These bad boys are definitely a crowd pleaser, especially if it’s late at night and you’re a little less than sober. You’re welcome.

SPINACH DIP WONTONS | Yield: 20-30 pieces

Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 20 minutes | Total: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package frozen, chopped spinach (thawed)
• 1 block cream cheese
• Wonton wrappers- I prefer the Nasoya Brand
• 1 tbs salted butter
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with cooking oil.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl, add in half the package of chopped spinach and half a block of cream cheese. Microwave until cream cheese is soft and malleable.
4. Mix in garlic powder, salt and pepper, adding more to preference.
5. Lay single wonton wrapper in palm or on a plate, and lightly dollop approximately half a teaspoon of spinach dip in the center.
6. Turn the wrapper 90 degrees so it looks like a diamond, dip your finger in lukewarm water, and wet the two top edges of the wrapper.
7. Fold over the other side, creating a triangle. Repeat until you run out of space on your tray, or you are out of dip.
8. Melt the butter and brush onto each wonton.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and crispy.
10. Let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving, as the inside will be extremely hot!

The post Snack Recipe: Spinach Dip Wontons appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Here’s what I like about them compared to the other bars I’ve tried: they aren’t full of sugar that will just leave you crashed and tired again in 30 minutes, their ingredient lists are full of items I can identify, and they are 150 calories each. All goodnessknows bars are also conveniently precut into 4 small snacking squares, meaning you can grab them in-between emails or politely between sentences. If I’ve got a full bar in front of me, something in me wants to eat it as fast as possible like an animal. Simply cut it into squares, and suddenly I can snack on this bar over the span of 20 minutes and not be stuffing my face like a water buffalo.

They come in three flavors; Cranberry, Apple, and Peach & Cherry. All the bars come with almonds and chocolate, so your inner fat kid will be happy. Apple is easily my favorite for it’s down home flavor.

goodnessknows bars are my secret weapon around the F24 office to ward away the mid-afternoon nap demon – we call him Napdor, Slayer of Productivity. Compared to chips, candy, or even lesser bars, these little gems keep me awake enough to play pranks on my sleeping comrads-in-laptops. They don’t seem quite as pumped about this as I am…

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of goodnessknows. The opinions and text are all mine.

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