Japanese snacks and caffeinated cereal, here we come.
Depending on where you live, who you regularly interact with, and your personal health, you may or may not be eating out on a regular basis. Perhaps you’re ordering takeout more often than you once did. Still, no matter what, chances are high you are consuming more foods and drinks at home than ever before. Without your office kitchen’s stock of string cheese, you’re on your own. Without happy hour, you’re opening wine in your living room. And without dinners out, you’re at least sort-of cooking sometimes.
After months (and months and months) of this routine, we know we’re not the only ones who are sick of the same alcoholic respite, evening snack, and five-dinner rotation. We also realize that we tend to stick with what’s familiar because it’s easy, which is why we’ve done the work to dig up seven new buys to put a little pep in your food-routine step.
You had us at chocolate-covered. And then you had us again at dessert bites. That is to say we are all in on these automatically portion-controlled frozen snacks, which are vegan thanks to coconut milk and coconut cream.
Dream Bites Vanilla Sky, Dream Pops.
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Coffee and cereal in one? Consider us intrigued. This organic rice, oat, and coconut flour mixture includes notes of cacao and Intelligentsia Coffee, so it essentially turns your cereal milk into cold brew. Warning: Do not consume as a midnight snack.
Dash Cereal, $24/2 boxes, OffLimits.
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The first all-natural Sichuan chili sauce comes straight from Chengdu, i.e. it’s authentic. Fans drizzle the contents of this flavorful jar on eggs, noodles, and even ice cream. Guess we’re having dessert tonight!
Sichuan Chili Crisp, $15, FLY BY JING.
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Find us the person who doesn’t like Nutella, and we’ll have a word with them. But despite our dedication to the hazelnut spread, we’re opening our minds up to a slightly more sophisticated spread. You can freeze this sweet medjool date syrup, roasted tahini, and organic cacao mixture for dessert, drizzle it over oatmeal, and layer it on toast. But who are we kidding? We’ll probably just eat it out of the jar.
Chocolate Date Tahini, $10.99, just date syrup.
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We’re sorry to be the bearers of extremely obvious news, but the chances you’re jetting off for an East Asian vacation anytime soon are rather low. Get a (literal) taste of what you’re missing each month with a box of Japanese snacks, teas, and candies, all sourced from small, family-owned businesses.
Bokksu, $49.95, Bokksu.
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Whether you’re a non-drinker, are currently pregnant, or would rather skip the boozy beverage tonight, this non-alcoholic aperitif has gained rave reviews for its sophisticated flavor profile and versatility as a mixer.
Ghia, $33, Ghia.
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We wouldn’t be mad about eating granola every morning but we know a lot of the big-box brands are packed with sugar and the like. Gr8nola’s formulas are made with only natural ingredients — whole-grain oats, honey, sunflower seeds, etc. — and we are, in fact, eating some flavor on the daily.
Top Sellers 4-Pack, $30, Gr8nola.