All the Snacks Bon Appétit Staffers Stash at Their Desks
Just because you brought your (damn good, homemade) lunch doesn’t mean you won’t still want a snack to get you through your work day. And while we’re all about that 11 a.m. banana or 3 p.m. hardboiled egg, sometimes, those just won’t do. For the moments when all you want is something salty, sweet, or sometimes both, what you’re really craving is some indulgence. Here, a short list of the tasty treats our editors keep at their desks.
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Photo by Alex Lau1/9Rancho Meladuco Medjool Dates
“I keep a little container of plump and chewy Medjool dates right next to my pen-and-pencil holder on my desk, which is to say—within arm's reach. I prefer the big, sticky, unpitted ones, which require me to slow down and eat with awareness. You can't throw these into your mouth by the palmful (have you ever had a salted cashew?). They're fat free, rich in fiber, potassium, and copper, and because they're so sweet, one or two will definitely satisfy as a treat.’ —Carla Lalli Music, food director
Buy It: 2 lb. box Rancho Meladuco Dates, $38 at Williams Sonoma
Photo by Alex Lau2/9Tub of Goldfish
“If a 30-ounce carton of Goldfish for around $8 isn't the deal of the century, I don't know what is. I went through a phase where I kept a never-ending carton on my desk next to my Cisco multi-line telephone and you can guess which one got more attention. Do you know how happy people get when they see a carton of Goldfish the size of a desk lamp? VERY HAPPY. Colleagues would come to my cubicle to "talk about edits" or "run some ideas by me" and I'd pour the fish into their hands like holy wafers while patting them on the head saying 'you are blessed, go forth, and share your blessings with the world.' Good stuff, Goldfish.” —Alex Beggs, senior staff writer
Buy it: Pepperidge Farm 30 oz. Carton Cheddar Goldfish, $8 at Target
Photo by Alex Lau3/9Ground Up Nut Butter
“I firmly believe that work lunches should be leisurely but work snacks should be maximally efficient. And nothing is more efficient when it comes to calories than nut butter. Ground Up, a Portland, OR–based nut butter brand with lots of fun varieties and a social-justice bent, is my brand of choice. I keep a few jars (like this chunky almond cashew coconut!) at my desk at all times and take spoonfuls as needed. Back to work.” —Amanda Shapiro, Healthyish editor
Buy it: Ground Up Chunky Almonds, Cashew, and Coconut Nut Butter, $20 on Amazon
Photo by Alex Lau4/9Lundberg Rice Cakes
“I always keep a pack of rice cakes in my desk drawer. Sometimes I eat them on their own, but they're peak snack as a neutral vehicle for whatever topping I'm in the mood for. If I'm craving something sweet, I'll eat one with halva or honey; savory, I'll add some cream cheese or peanut butter. They're also great to have on hand when there's guacamole or hummus around, since a rice cake has a more substantial crunch than a tortilla or pita chip. Plus they last longer.” —Elaheh Nozari, senior commerce editor
Buy it: Lundberg Family Farms Organic Brown Rice Cakes, $3 at Thrive Market
Photo by Alex Lau5/9Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
“When it's 4:30 p.m. and I feel my sluggish afternoon mood setting in, the only thing that can save me is a single Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Buttercup. (It’s actually more like six, but who's counting?) They're the right balance of sweet but not too sweet, so I don't need another snack to chase it, and according to people who like to tell me about foods that are good for you, there is enough protein to give me a boost of energy. With a little self-control, it takes me about two weeks to get through the 1-lb. box I keep in my desk drawer. It's not small, but it's worth all the reshuffling of "important documents" I do to get them to fit.” —Christa Guerra, art director
Buy it: Trader Joe's 16 oz. box Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, $16 on Amazon
Photo by Alex Lau6/9Nacho Vibes Hippeas
“No matter how often I try to convince myself that I am not a grown-up, I am constantly reminded of the fact at work, where I stare at a computer screen and send electronic messages into the ether for hours on end. And that's where "nacho vibe"-flavored Hippeas come in. They're essentially glorified cheese curls, made of puffed chickpeas instead of puffed corn. Snacking on Hippeas breaks up the monotony of the day (it helps that they're so crunchy) and makes me feel like I'm back in fifth grade. And since they don't leave any cheesy dust (formally known as ‘cheetle’) on my fingers, I can have my snack, and get right back to typing.” —Sarah Jampel, Basically editor
Buy it: Hippeas Nacho Vibes Chickpea Puffs (6 pack), $20 on Amazon
Photo by Alex Lau7/9gimMe Snacks Seaweed Thins
“I love snacking on seaweed sheets, but if I'm pulling them out during the work day, I'd need, like, 100 containers to be fully satiated. Which is where the Seaweed Thins from gimMe Snacks come in. Built like a sandwich—with a layer of tamari, seeds, and nuts spread between two strips of seaweed—I like to think of them as a crunchier and more satisfying (hello protein!) level-up to the usual seaweed snack.” —Rachel Karten, associate director of social media
Photo by Alex Lau8/9BjornQorn
“My 4 p.m. cravings tend to skew savory, which is why I aim to keep a bag of BjornQorn stashed in a desk drawer at all times. For the uninitiated, BjornQorn is popcorn that's generously coated in nutty-salty nutritional yeast like some sort of healthyish—but no less potent—Dorito dust. It's better than any bagged popcorn around, with tinier-than-usual kernels that have the perfect ratio of crunch to cheesy coating (my ultimate snack ranking system). The only downside? If any of my coworkers spot me snacking, I'm conscripted into sharing the whole bag.” —Aliza Abarbanel, assistant editor
Photo by Alex Lau9/9Tony’s Chocolonely Chocolate Bars
“I'm very lucky that I get to sit next to Alex Beggs, the queen of snacks. I mean, she has a dedicated plate to potato chips. She's always trying out new products, which means we get to try new products, and lately I've been VERY into the Tony's Chocolonely that sits very conveniently at the border of where our desks meet. The thick chocolate bars come in all different flavors—sea salt, almond nougat, pecan coconut, hazelnut...—but my favorite is the one filled with salty pretzel-y crumble! It's an efficiently salty-sweet bite, which is exactly what you want in between emails.” —Emily Schultz, social media manager
Buy it: Tony’s Chocolonely Chocolate Bar, 5$ at Tony’s Chocolonely
