The Munchies and Health

Well greetings my green friends. Today I wanted to talk about cannabis use, and the munchies. One time a very wise older man told me: “it’s not the desert that will kill you, it’s the pebble in your shoe.” The munchies kind of reminded me of that, because it can become a real problem, unchecked. You are literally what you eat, and it matters. I know, I know, you’re like: “Yeah Rev, but I gots to have my candy when I’m baked.” I mean, some candy and crap is fine I think, but we tend to over indulge when baked, no? Okay then, that’s what I’m trying to raise your awareness on…

So, what am I going to share with you today regarding this subject? Good question, and here’s what I’m going to do. I am going to show you guys some of the ways I munch out and not totally torpedo my health. A lot of the crap you may eat is very likely way-way more crappy than you think it is. While we are on the subject of health, if you grow plants organically, like cannabis. Then by all means expand into a veggie garden so you can grow some very tasty stuffs. Okay lets look at my list of cool stuffs to munch on.

The Smoothie Solution

Sometimes, especially if you are a wake-n-bake fan, making breakfast can seem to complicated when compared to the microwave burrito in your freezer. I get it. But too many of those burritos, or Hot Pockets, or whatever processed crap, are gonna hurt you up the road. Believe it. Once you are in the habit of crap being your go-to food, you are headed for future issues you won’t like. Got a blender? Here’s a killer smoothie I basically survived on for a decade when I partied hard, smoked a pack a day, and generally ate like shit most of the time. I’m still alive and mostly healthy, and pretty damn old, LoL. Ready?

Rev’s Smoothie Recipe

In your standard blender add the following ingredients:

• • One large apple, chopped up. Red or green, whatever your taste, try each kind.
  • One BIG handful of frozen strawberries—grow your own and they’ll be uber delicious!
  • Two previously peeled, and then frozen bananas broken into several pieces each.
  • 1/2 of a medium orange, like a Navel or whatever you like best. Save the other half to snack on later. Using too much orange messes up the awesome flavor results.
  • A small handful of spinach leaves, (optional, but super good for you and you can’t taste the spinach).
  • 1 raw egg*
  • Add milk, start with filling about 1/3rd of the blender, blend and add more milk if needed.
  • Blend it up and pour into an insulated tumbler/glass, it’s so delicious. Cures munchies and fortifies the bod big-time.

*The raw egg was something I used every time I made these almost daily for a decade, and it never hurt me, however, there are some safety and health concerns around raw eggs, so make an informed decision here. Pasteurized eggs are the best choice here I think.

The Healthy Munchies (Salty & Sweet) You Wouldn’t Think Of

Garbanzo beans, really? Like something salty? Got an oven? Or better yet, an air fryer? Grab some garbanzo beans/chickpeas and go online for some recipes to air fry or bake these baybees all crunchy like corn nuts, but not as hard. Add a little oil to them before you air fry/roast/bake them and salt them up a tad. You can add all kinds of killer toppings like parmesan cheese, spices like paprika, garlic powder, or lemon pepper; or even dip them in chocolate if you like. They are super good for you even with some chocolate on top. Speaking of chocolate…

Chocolate Edibles. The only problem with the hash chocolates is that they are so delicious you will tend to overindulge. Eating too much cannabis infused product is a horrible overdose experience. Don’t do it. Always give it 2.5 hours to see how edibles are effecting you.

Link to My Latest Book: True Living Organics by Rev

Dark Chocolate Bark, (no Cannabis). Melt some dark chocolate, spread it thin on parchment, and sprinkle with nuts, seeds, or dried fruit. Break into pieces. This is rich and sweet without being junky. So killer, and way better for you than candy. If you do get candy from time to time, get candy with real fruit or nuts in it so at least you get some real food with all the crap.

Small “Meals” When the Munchies Strike

Celery or apple slices with peanut butter. Yum! My moms actually turned me on to these awesome combos. Try ‘em out, they are wonderful! By the way, if you like almond butter, when used with green apple slices, it is out of this world good, I think.

Fried potatoes dipped in Ranch Dressing. Now, you may indeed think of this one, but it is a go-to fast and easy breakfast for me. Wash and chop up the potato, coat the pan with a little peanut oil, I even use a little bacon grease here for extra flavor—just a tad is all you need. Not the healthiest ever, but way better than any processed bullshit like Hot Pockets or a fast food option, yikes. Use a silicone brush to lightly coat all the potatoes with melted oil, or butter, or bacon grease, and flip them a couple times pretty quickly to keep them from sticking to the pan. Just use a tiny bit of butter, oil, or bacon grease. I think of margarine like a synthetic butter—no thanks, I’m good with real butter.

Frozen grapes (or berries). Yup, don’t knock these until you try them. The ultimate on hot days, and naturally uber sweet.

What you are trying to avoid especially about foods/munchies in my opinion are, synthetic colors and flavors, also “preservatives” like EDTA that I avoid big-time. Excessive sugar is so shitty for you, wow! Even drinking fruit juice isn’t anywhere as cool for you as eating the actual fruit it came from. A huge difference in health bennies. Just use real sugar, but don’t OD on it, yeah? Just a little discipline will do it.

Super Easy Healthier Solutions to the Munchies

Sweet Potato Nachos. Slice sweet potatoes into thin rounds, bake until crispy, then top with black beans, salsa, avocado, and a sprinkle of cheese. Way lighter than tortilla chips but still cheesy and satisfying.

Avocado Toast Bites. Use toasted wedges (toast points) topped with mashed avocado, a pinch of salt, and maybe red chili flakes, or try “everything bagel” seasoning it is excellent. You might LOVE this. You should at least give it a try. Sourdough toast is my favorite here. Very filling, deceptively so, heh heh. It’s not just a California thing. Trust me, if you are an avocado fan you will probably love this!

Now, I don’t want you to get me wrong here and think I am like a super health conscious dude and always apply my “rules” to whatever I eat. Nope. I have a powdered donut for breakfast sometimes. Fast food burgers, love ’em, and I eat them a couple times a year. I eat some crap, I’m not trying to “save” you by telling you to never eat things that suck for your longer term health. All I’m doing is telling you to make sure a good percentage of the things you eat aren’t shitty, rather than processed things, yeah? It’s the crappy things you consume habitually every day that will get you in the long run. Moderation is win-win.

Drinks

Okay, so besides the smoothie recipe above I gave you—that worked magic for me—and the fact that just straight up juices from fruits are way bad for you (as far as a sugar dosage) all the time, or even fairly often. Fruit itself is so much better of a choice. Eat an orange rather than have a glass of orange juice, yeah? Alright then, let’s talk about your morning ritual drinks.

Coffee & Tea. I’m a huge coffee fan, I drink at least 32 oz. per day, and I have been mostly sticking to that schedule for the last 20 years. I myself feel that coffee and tea are all good, it’s the additions that will screw you over in the long run. Try honey rather than sugar. Seriously, I felt like I actually became healthier—noticeably—from this one change in my life. Fake sugar is like margarine in my opinion, and both suck for your health compared to real sugar or real butter. Moderation being the key.

Creamer, ugh. I think some cream, or half and half in your coffee or tea is fine compared to cheap creamers. I really like a little (and I do mean a little) vanilla creamer along with some half and half in my coffee. However, I get creamer that is all natural and it costs a little more. Long term thinking.

Here’s another huge perk of coffee and tea drinking. Recycle/compost the used grounds and filters. Yup, awesome. Soil microbes and worms alike both dig on being buzzed on caffeine, and coffee/tea is full of great nutrients and organic matter.

Afterword

If you find yourself a killer ranch dressing, and you have an air fryer, you can come up with all kinds of cool veggies to dip and eat. I love zucchini air fried, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and more. My go-to Ranch dressing is Lighthouse Ranch, and having a really good Ranch Dressing matters I think. Since you should really try growing some of your own veggies/herbs, because that way you got good (for you) munchies in spades!

Okay my friends, so hopefully this article will start you thinking about what you eat, all the time, more. I wish I would have been smarter about it, sooner.  Using cannabis tends to make you want to eat easy crap. Yeah, not a news flash I know, but it can have really bad longer term effects is all I’m saying. You should care. So just balance it out with some good shit and you’re long term health and happiness odds are destined to rise!

Keep well in mind I am not a doctor or a scientist. This article is just some experience sharing. Do with it what you will. But you will thank me later if you make some proactive healthier moves sooner than later. Especially with what you eat daily.

Until next time, L8r G8rs…

• REv

Some Handy Links:

• Another article by yours truly: Jacking Up Your Bagged Soil

• Visit Kingdom Organic Seeds, at JBC Seeds for some killer genetics: Kingdom Organic Seeds at JBC Seeds
• Grab a copy of my latest book: True Living Organics the Druid’s Edition
• Visit my YouTubes channel all about weeds: Rev’s YouTubes Channel