The time has come to start thinking about packed lunches for work and school. In addition to lunch, consider adding any one of these locally-made snacks to help get you through the day.
Made With Local
What started as a small home-based business in a Dartmouth kitchen has grown into a nationally-available healthy snack sensation. Known originally for their small-batch granola bars in flavours like sticky squirrel, blueberry grunt, and peanut butter blondie, the Made With Local line has evolved to include high-protein instant oatmeals, and granola bar mix kits. The granola bars come pre-wrapped in the cutest packaging, illustrated by Pierre Tabbiner, perfect for throwing in your bag on the way to a meeting or class.
Schoolhouse Gluten-Free Gourmet
Aidan Brunn and Jen Laughlin are trailblazers of the Nova Scotia gluten-free scene. Snacks such as brownie bites, homemade gingersnaps, and chocolate macaroons are baked from scratch in their 150-year old converted schoolhouse on the South Shore. With a philosophy that gluten-free doesn’t have to mean deprived, Schoolhouse gluten-free crafts some of the tastiest treats out there. Find them on Thursdays at the Lunenburg Farmers Market, Saturdays at the Seaport Market, and at select retailers.
www.schoolhouseglutenfreegourmet.com/
Bandha Bars
Created by Ryan DesRoches, a former competitive cyclist, Bandha Bars were DesRoches’ answer to his search for a nutrient dense energy bar, with as little environmental impact as possible. DesRoches began making his bars by hand in 2012, delivering them across the city by bicycle. Today he and his team produce thousands of bars, each packaged in recyclable packaging, each week. Look for Bandha Bars across the city and beyond in flavours like almond chia dark chocolate, blueberry apple spice, and cashew cocoa.
Divine Dishes Gourmet Take-Away Shop
Who says all snacks have to be healthy? Led by George Brown graduate Chef Nora Lindner, everything on-site at Divine Dishes, from pizzas to take-home freezer meals, snacks to cheesecakes, is made by hand. They’ve become known for their rotating roster of snacks including old-school gems like peanut butter marshmallow squares, homemade rice krispie treats, and chocolate peanut butter balls. A peanut butter ball at 2 p.m. is sure to boost your spirits for the remainder of a work day!
252 Waverley Road, Dartmouth.
Bytz Foods Energy Balls
These healthy bite-sized snacks are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and paleo, with no-added sugars. Loaded with protein and healthy fat, flavours like sea salt caramel, cashew coconut, and banana crunch can get you through the mid-morning snack slump. Find Bytz on Saturdays at the Halifax Seaport, and also at Pete’s in Halifax, Organic Earth Market, and Dilly Dally Café.
https://www.instagram.com/bytzenergyballs/
Every week Kelly Neil brings you the scoop on a different local restaurant. Before Kelly Neil was a full-time food photographer, food stylist, and food blogger, she spent 12 years managing some of Halifax’s best restaurants.
