There are those rare individuals who eat three square meals a day with no snacks, but most of us need a little extra fuel between meals. Despite their sometimes bad reputation as sugary or salty sources of empty calories, snacks can be an essential part of a healthy diet and a source of needed energy. Convenient, healthy snack food is particularly important while cruising aboard a sailboat.
When provisioning, buy more snacks than you think you are necessary. I’ve noticed that people snack more aboard boats, especially on hectic days or when weather and waves make meal preparation difficult. Having well-planned snacks is useful during a full day of sailing and an absolute necessity for an overnight or multi-day passage. Even if your cruising consists solely of leisurely day sails, you’ll still want munchies to enjoy with your sunset cocktails.
Designate a snack cabinet in an easily accessible location in the galley.Stock it with healthy, non-perishable, grab ‘n go items such as nuts, dried fruit and granola bars. As an added bonus for the boat chef who has carefully planned her menu and shopping trips, if hungry sailors know there’s a snack cabinet, they’re less likely to raid the fridge and eat the ingredients for that evening’s dinner!
When provisioning for Virgin Islands cruising, here are some of my favourite snacks:
ADVERTISEMENT
Property Sales
Snacks are one area of provisioning where it can be hard to find local options. Look for interesting and unexpected local goodies such as crunchy seasoned channa (chickpeas) in Grenada, tamarind balls in St. Vincent & The Grenadines and empanadas in Puerto Rico. Plantain chips are also readily available throughout the Caribbean.
Before you set sail, consider making a big batch of granola or trail mix to have available as snacks. It won’t take more than a few minutes, and you can customize the ingredients to suit the tastes of your crew. For starters, try my yummy and filling trail mix recipe, which is just the right mix of sweet and savoury.
Fruit and Nut Trail Mix
½ c shelled pistachios
ADVERTISEMENT
½ c chopped toasted almonds
½ c roasted sunflower seeds
½ c golden raisins
½ c diced dried apricots
½ c unsweetened dried coconut flakes or coconut chips
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
Susie Younkle, Home-cook and Sailor
Latest posts by Susie Younkle, Home-cook and Sailor (see all)
- An Easy Curry Dish - January 14, 2014
- 8 Cheerful and Chewable Charter Provisioning Tips - December 4, 2013
- A Tasty BVI Recipe with ‘Greens’ - September 25, 2013
- BVI Picnic in Paradise [BVI Food Recipe] - July 30, 2013
- Guava Fool Dessert [BVI Dessert Recipe] - July 1, 2013
