Healthy snacks & drinks for gaming?

[Celebrim]

Typically, finding these cheeses requires a higher end market or a cheese shop though.

The bigger problem is that they are going to run you $10-16 dollars a pound.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Typically, finding these cheeses requires a higher end market or a cheese shop though.

"Cheese is fat man's candy." (Something I heard once...and I am fat.)

Finding good cheeses is getting easier. There's one I discovered a few years ago called Parrano. Its a hard cheese that combines the flavors of Parmesan and Gouda. Its become a go-to cheese for me, served on cheese boards, shredded for toppings on tomato dishes (esp. soups), or as an ingredient in cheese-centric dishes of all kinds.

It used to be available only in some specialty stores I know of- one, oddly enough, a liquor store, but also Central Market and Whole Foods- but now I can find it in my local Sam's Club and Kroger grocery stores.

Jarlsburg, a cheese in the swiss family, is becoming a grocery store staple, too. I recently had some served to me at a wine tasting as the main ingredient in a dip of sorts (made by the Kroger deli). It wasn't so much shredded as it contained 2" long strips that were broken up by the mixing process, resulting in a dip that resembled a pale coleslaw.

If you like brie, Belletoile triple cream is excellent, and can be found in increasing numbers of grocery stores. I've found it at Kroger, Tom Thumb and Market Street as well as higher end locales.

For lovers of blue, its a good time to be alive. Look for Cambozolla and Blue Castello for soft, intense blues, but be aware that nice, crumbly Maytags, Danish and a host of imported and domestic blues are beginning to pop up everywhere.

Most of these are under $10/lb.

One rare one remains on my list, though. A creamy white cheese with black truffles in it, fluctuating between $13-18/lb. The best way I can describe it is kind of like a good mozzarella with garlic and black pepper mixed in...but that doesn't tell the whole story. Its flavor is a bit more complex than that. And even the best stores I shop rarely have it. I've only been able to get it 3 times in the past 4 years.

 

[Krensky]

The bigger problem is that they are going to run you $10-16 dollars a pound.

While true, it's somewhat misleading.

Personally I find a half-pound wedge (about $7.50) of Beemster (well, Wegman's, but it's made by Beemster) Five Year Gouda will feed my group of eight nicely.

Now, I admit that there are fruits, nuts, and water crackers also involved, but it's not that bad a value.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

For flavoring popcorn I like Tabasco sauce or Cholula.

Zero calories added, lots of flavor, and it slows down how fast you eat.


Just be sure to provide low calorie beverages aplenty.




EDIT:

Dannyalcatraz's salsa suggestion is a good one, but the problem there is the chips. If you want to make low calorie chips, you can buy high flax, high fiber tortillas, spray them with VERY lightly with Pam, and bake them in the oven until crispy. Add salt/garlic/cumin/whatever and you have "fancy, homemade" chips (and you don't have to tell anyone they're low cal).

 

[Horatio]

You can always cook Works for me.
When cooking yourself, you can make really died, healthy and great tasting food. The only requiremnt is fresh and quiality ingredients.

When we play at my place (and that's almost always), I usually cook for everyone. After all, my friends like food prepared by me, and even bring most of the ingredients themselves. Here's my recipe for a 5 man table, DM included:

You'll need
- chicken breasts from 2 chickens
- 2 eggs
- cornstarch (that's maizena for you brittish gamers )
- 2 onions
- 1 small leek (or a half of a bigger one)
- really small letuce (or a half of a bigger one)
- 1 carrot
- 2 small pieces of garlick
- soya sauce, jalapenos chilli paste, ginger (powder), sugar, salt
- enough rice for everyone
- cooking oil

- wok (big \_/ shaped cooking pan) or similar
- cullender
- one small and 2 bigger bowls

Fill the wok with oil, 2 centimeters (1 inch) high. Let it heat up to 100°C (do the math for farenheits yourself ).
Mix chicken breasts cut to small pieces with 3 spoons of cornstrach, add the 2 eggs and mix again.
Move it into the heated oil and fry it till it's enough to kill any bacteria that might have been there (5 minutes should be ok). Stir it a bit every now and then so all the pieces are more or less kept apart. Move the meat to a cullender and let all the oil on it drop away. Also drain out most of the oil in wok, leaving only just enough not to burn the vegetables you're going to do next.
Meanwhile, cut all the vegetables into small pieces, mix them, and put them in the wok, stirring them constantly. Fry them for as long as you see fit (if you like fried vegetables more, fry them longer, otherwise fry them only briefly). You can add a bit of sugar into the vegetable mix to let it caramelise a bit in the process.
In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of sugar, 4 teaspoons of ginger powder, 2 grinded garlick pieces, pinch of salt, 6 big spoons of soya sauce, and 1 big spoon of chilli sauce (or less if you dislike really hot meals).
After the vegetables are fried enough to your liking, move the fried meat back into wok, add the mixed spices and sauce and mix it all together for 1 minute.
Serve with boiled (preferably jasmine) rice.

It takes roughly 20 minutes to make (if you boil rice simultaneously).

 

[invokethehojo]

I've got Crohn's, so I can't really have sugar. However, I've found that my wife's sugary cereal, without milk, works fine for me. It satisfies my sugar craving, but still has nutrients, and the calories aren't that bad. It also makes for a decent chaser in a pinch if your doing shots.

Or you can always stuff yourself with a huge, healthy dinner right before gaming so you couldn't eat snacks if you wanted to.

 

[Umbran]

All you need for a healthy salsa is diced tomatoes, cilantro, lime and/or lemon juice, salt (optional) and your choice of peppers.

And that cilantro is optional. I've found all too many people who think the stuff tastes like soap, and several of my friends who claim they hate the California/tex/mex branch of cuisine find they like it if I replace the usual cilantro with basil or oregano.

 

[Umbran]

Even though it is nutritionally complete and healthy, never EVER serve Nutraloaf to your guests.

Nutraloaf

I dunno. When I run Paranoia, foods at the table are the sort of things you'd find in Alpha Complex. That stuff would fit right it...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

And that cilantro is optional. I've found all too many people who think the stuff tastes like soap, and several of my friends who claim they hate the California/tex/mex branch of cuisine find they like it if I replace the usual cilantro with basil or oregano.

That would get you shot in most of Texas.

Edit: Speaking of untimely but richly deserved deaths, I'll try to stave off mine by noting I left onions out of my salsa recipe upthread, and have corrected it.

 

[Kzach]

That would get you shot in most of Texas.

Hell, I wanna shoot them simply for calling it 'cilantro'. It's C.O.R.I.A.N.D.E.R. people! Stop trying to be different just for the sake of being different.

Damn Americans!