And the Award Goes To....Summer Fancy Food Show 2015

By: Finance Foodie

Every year when I attend the Summer Fancy Food Show, I try to come up with a game plan in order to maximize the sampling while minimizing the bloat in my stomach. Unfortunately, every year I fail at this, and this year was no exception.

Enter at Your Own Gastronomical Risk!

With over 180,000 specialty food products on display, one could not try to sample all the goods at this three day festival, even with the most iron clad gastronomic organ. I tried my best to take it all in - here are my highlights from some of the food groups I perused.

Sweeeetttt
Among the hundreds of cookies, chocolates and confections, I definitely scream the loudest for the ice cream confections (apparently I am not the only one -- the lines for the frozen treat booths were always the longest). Good thing there were so many different ice cream purveyors to sample! Among my favorites were: Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss pints, a line of  oh-so-yummy dairy free ice creams made with coconut milk (the Naked Coconut flavor tastes like you are biting into a frozen fresh coconut); JC's Pie Pops were so cool (literally) - did you say pie flavored ice cream on stick? Two desserts in one sounds like a winner to me! For those who like a little vino after dinner, Mercer's Wine Ice Cream pints does the trick - I'll take a Riesling and Cherry Merlot please -- in a cone of course LOL!

Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss

JC's Pie Pops

Mercer's Wine Ice Cream

Saaaavory
On the weekends, nothing is more satisfying than snacking on the couch while binge watching a trashy reality series. Good thing I attended the Fancy Food show - for now I have discovered several more (fancier and healthier) options to choose from.

Rhythm Superfoods Broccoli Bites

I love mindlessly snacking on chips but sadly that's a no go for the waistline (especially now that its beach season). Now if there was only a healthy chip-like alternative, all my problems would be solved....WELL POOF! Introducing Rhythm Superfoods Broccoli Bites, a line of air baked and seasoned broccoli florets that has the consistency of a chip but the nutritional power of the raw veggie. How's that for eating my veggies Mom?

Beanitos

I've been a long time fan of Beanitos so when I saw these babies in the Editor Showcase with their full line up, boy was I super happy. Beanitos' line of bean chips and snack puffs taste like real chips but are made with fiber and protein rich whole beans. So even though calorie-wise they are similar to the standard chip, they are much more nutritious and delicious.

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So there you have it - of course there were many many many more purveyors, but I could only choose a few favorites. I'm already looking forward to next year's show - and getting my stomach ready now!