Snackshots -- July & August

I've neglected to post Snackshots for the past few months.  You can rest assured that I've been snacking like a champion, which tends to be how I roll in the summer. 

My mom brought a Costco-sized box of Tate's chocolate chip cookies to Hilton Head for our large family vacation.  They lasted about twenty-four hours.  Even though I have limited my gluten intake over the past three years, I sampled a couple and found them ... completely delightful.

I was thrilled to find the gluten-free Tate's cookies at Jungle Jim's International Market.

These gluten-free Tate's cookies are ... just as delightful. 

Lucky I don't live near Jungle Jim's and won't be able to replenish any time soon.

And, because you might be curious, I am not gluten intolerant.  However, I began experimenting with gluten-free living several years ago and found that I was more clear-headed and less HANGRY when I avoided gluten.  Basically, what happens when I eat foods with gluten is that those foods make me want to eat more and more and more of those foods.  I was very strict for the first eighteen months or so.  Now, I have some gluten here and there without feeling like an powerless carboholic (you know, the kind of person who would name a blog "books and carbs").  I know some people are very eye-rolly on this topic.  I never pretend to have a gluten allergy and don't ask/expect others to make special accommodations for what is, for me, a preference and not a health issue.

One last thing ... the snackshot above features my cookie, a cold Diet Coke, and a great book on my kindle -- heavenly tableau!  The book was Katja Millay's The Sea of Tranquility.  Hated the cover and the title, but I really enjoyed the book.  A great YA read with interesting characters and a perfect balance of heft and hope.