As we all know, the real point of going to the movies is the snacks.
Here at Healthyish, we generally drink the mindfulness Kool-Aid, but sometimes there’s an argument to be made for completely mindless snacking—the kind you do under the cover of movie theater darkness.
Just because I like to veg out in front of the big screen, however, doesn’t mean I opt for typical movie theater concessions. I categorically refuse the too-salty, fake butter–flavored popcorn and offensively overpriced sweets because first, they’re definitely not healthyish, and second, they’re not that tasty. So I’ve built up an arsenal of feel-good, taste-good movie snacks that I creatively sneak into pretty much every movie theater I enter.
The first category of snacks is my own homemade ones. There’s a reason popcorn is sold in every movie theater in America. It’s so fun and satisfying to eat! I pop it on the stove in coconut oil, then sprinkle salt, nutritional yeast, and Aleppo-style pepper over top. I’ll also throw together my own version of a salty-sweet trail mix with any combination of dried fruit and nuts I have at home. A mix of tart dried cherries, dark chocolate chunks, and roasted salted cashews is my favorite.
Then there are the times when I don’t plan ahead and want to pick up a snack on my way into the theater. I love buying fresh fruit because it's simple to eat and transport. In the winter, this means handy, easy-to-peel clementines. In the summer, it’s organic blueberries. If your store has a bulk section, that means an overabundance of snack options: wasabi peas, dried mango slices, smoked almonds, yogurt pretzels. The Whole Foods bulk aisle contains possibly my favorite movie snack ever: dark chocolate malted milk balls (because you can’t eat fruit and vegetables all the time).
Even though I usually stay away from packaged snacks, there are a couple items I fall back on occasionally, like those individual packs of toasted seaweed sheets you can find in most bodegas in New York. They’re perfect crispy little salt bombs that don’t translate into tons of empty calories. Another great snack I found recently is Splitz, a line of little crunchy rods made entirely from split peas, which come in fun flavors like fiery garlic. They’re high in protein and fiber, taste great, and have a short list of identifiable plant-based ingredients. Lastly, I absolutely cannot resist those bags of toasted coconut chips. They're my catnip. I will drain an entire bag during the previews.
My general life philosophy is to bring snacks anywhere and everywhere I go. So if the whole point of going to the movies is to be transported, then I believe in being prepared with a snack that’s easy, good, and just healthyish enough.