Cool Hunting

Peeled Snacks
Noha Waibsnaider created Peeled Snacks a year ago when she couldn't find healthy snack foods at the grocery store. Three varieties are available, and all feature only dry roasted nuts and large chunks of dried fruits with no added sugar, oils, etc. One adds dark chocolate chunks. All are great, though we're partial to FigSated, which has apricots, dates, figs, almonds and pistachios. They...

Cocoa Coal
I'm really excited that more and more companies are creating "adult" food products that hit the sweet spot without pummeling you with extra sugar, HFCS, additives and preservatives; companies like GuS, and Fizzy Lizzy come to mind. Add to this growing cateogory my new favorite popcorn snack, Cocoa Coal from LesserEvil. Once you get beyond the name and the packaging you'll discover popcorn that...

Pop Chips
On a recent road trip we tried some Pop Chips and were very pleased with their light and crisp taste. Even better, they are not fried (fat and oil) or baked (dry and tasteless). Instead, Pop Chips use a combination of heat and pressure to create a healthy but delicious snack. We enjoyed the Parmesean Garlic Potato Chips a bit more than the Wasabi...

Eight Salty, Sweet, Mouth-Puckering Licorices
by Karen McGrane Licorice seemed wrong and bad to me as a child, one of those things like coffee ice cream or kissing in movies that made me deeply suspicious of adult desires. As my tastes have matured so has my preference for licorice and I seek out only the darkest, chewiest, and most complex flavors. Used as a sweetener and a medicinal since ancient...

You Bars
After an athletic mom and her marathon-running, allergic-to-milk son got fed up with the energy bar options on the market, they took matters into their own hands and came up with a customizable alternative that they call You Bars. On their site, customers can make up their own recipe to their exact specs, choosing from a variety of ingredients like almond butter, soy protein,...

Elev8 Me Protein and Fruit Bars
If you're anything like me, you've searched long and hard for a protein and energy bar that wasn't filled with loads of chemicals and artificial ingredients. After reading about and trying a couple of flavors of Elev8 Me bars, I started buying them by the case! Elev8 Me bars were created by a very physically active family in Vancouver who wanted to create the...