Quick Fruit & Nut Snack

Snack food. Yummy!

Snack food should entertain the taste buds and energize the body to brighten up a dull afternoon at the office or a long stretch of studying. Ideally, it should please and enliven the person snacking, without producing an unnatural caffeine or sugar high that is all-too-soon to be followed by a slump. Of late, I've taken to snacking on dried fruits and/or nuts when garden grazing is not an option.

The quick snack pictured here has just five simple ingredients:

(1) Raw, organic walnuts
(2) Raw pumpkin seeds
(3) Raw, organic golden berries
(4) Dried blueberries
(5) Raw, organic cacao nibs

Walnuts are an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. They're so obviously brain food that the nut meats even resemble brain tissue.

Pumpkin seeds offer protein, fiber, and healthy fats, as well as the amino acids tryptophan and glutamate.

Golden berries offer a sweet and tangy-tart flavor akin to pineapple. They are packed with vitamins and antioxidants. High in beta-carotene and bioflavonoids, they are said to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and offer vitamins, minerals, and fiber for health.

Cacao, chocolate, is said to be the food of kings. Cacao beans are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, omega-6 fats and the amino acid tryptophan. Although perhaps this recipe could benefit from using whole cacao beans--as the nibs tend to sift to the bottom between the larger morsels, the nibs were readily available when this particular snack-attack hit.

Toss the lot together in a small dish and enjoy the crunchy, sweet, savory, and tart tastiness!