Grey Days & Fruit Salad
Spring | Week 21 Snackagories
Grey days make me want colorful food.
Memorial Day weekend is supposed to feel like sunshine, patios, grilling, and the unofficial start of summer. Instead, Buffalo is rainy, grey, and cold. While I hold out hope the weather turns, the plan is to watch Project Hail Mary, on the couch with our cats. And snacks of course.
Coming off vacation directly into Memorial Day weekend was completely unintentional, and honestly, I kind of forgot about the kickoff to summer altogether.
This week felt quiet. A bit of a reset for me while the rest of the world seemed to be gearing up for road trips, lake days, and a long weekend. So many contrasts all at once.
Still, even in quieter weeks, life keeps moving.
Today is the Buffalo Marathon, and I have a handful of friends running the half. I’m really excited to cheer them on and see the city come together. There’s something incredibly motivating about collective effort.
I think that energy is part of what’s been pulling me back toward the gym lately too. Coming home from Copenhagen reminded me how much I rely on movement as part of my routine. Not as punishment. Not as pressure. Just momentum.
Like yesterday, even with the rain and low-energy mood, I still went to Wegmans.
I still bought groceries.
I still thought about what would make the week ahead feel easier.
I still planned out Snackagories.
Because that’s really the whole point of this practice.
Not waiting until you feel perfectly inspired.
Not becoming a brand new person overnight.
Just continuing to build small systems that support you, even during the quieter weeks.
June’s Snack Attack is somehow right around the corner, which feels both exciting and slightly terrifying in the way all meaningful things tend to feel. I’m nervous, energized, inspired, and hoping this month’s event feels like the start of a really beautiful summer.
If you’re in Buffalo and want to join us on June 14th, sign up for Snack Attack here.
This month feels especially aligned with what Snack Attack is becoming though: simple systems, seasonal food, community, and making nourishment feel less overwhelming.
I’m off to prep a fruit salad for a BBQ: strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and Three Wishes chocolate granola with maybe some kind of yogurt-honey-lime situation.
Nothing revolutionary. Just colorful food during a grey weekend.
This Week’s Snackagories
late-spring-meets-early-summer
The transition between spring and summer always feels especially fun to cook through. The markets start getting fuller, berries slowly become sweeter, herbs taste fresher, and everything feels lighter after months of comfort food.
This week’s Snackagories are built around colorful produce, easy flavor boosters, and recipes that make weekday meals feel a little more exciting without requiring a ton of effort.
🥣 Savory Dip / Spread
Roasted Red Pepper Dip
Roasted red peppers are one of my favorite shortcuts because they add instant depth without needing to roast anything yourself. I love recipes like this heading into summer because dips become the backbone of easy meals: snack plates, BBQ spreads, sandwiches, wraps, bowls, etc.
Ingredients
Roasted red peppers (make your own if you have the time, it’s so worth it)
Greek yogurt or whipped cottage cheese
Garlic
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Smoked paprika
Salt + pepper
Serve with:
cucumbers
pita chips
crackers
sandwiches
grilled chicken
grain bowls
Fun fact: red peppers actually contain more vitamin C than oranges.
🍞 Grab + Go Pantry Snack
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars
Rhubarb season always feels like the official bridge into summer to me.
Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but almost always treated like fruit because of its tartness. It needs sweetness to balance it out, which is why strawberry-rhubarb works so well together. Sweet + tart + jammy is hard to beat.
I wanted something easy to grab throughout the week that also felt seasonal and cozy enough for rainy mornings with coffee.
Ingredients
Strawberries
Rhubarb
Oats
Flour
Coconut or brow) sugar
Cinnamon
Butter or coconut oil
Vanilla
Chia seeds (optional for thickening)
Perfect for:
breakfast; in the car or on the go
afternoon snacks
marathon spectating fuel
🥕 Fresh Produce Snack
Tajín Cucumber Salad
This is one of those recipes that barely qualifies as a recipe, which honestly makes it perfect for Snackagories. I love keeping cucumber salads in rotation because they pair with basically everything and make heavier meals feel brighter.
Ingredients
Cucumbers
Lime juice
Tajín
Fresh mint
Salt
Optional: avocado or feta
🍫 Sweet Tooth Snack
Chocolate Cherry Mug Cake
If you’ve been reading, you know I’m very into chocolate + cherry. I’d love to know if my readers agree so please leave a comment about how you feel about cherries.
Cherry season aside, frozen cherries are one of my favorite things to keep on hand because they work in smoothies, desserts, overnight oats, yogurt bowls, and quick sauces. Paired with chocolate, they somehow make a 5-minute microwave mug cake feel a little elevated.
Ingredients
Cocoa powder
Flour
Baking powder
Milk
Maple syrup
Chocolate chips
Frozen or fresh cherries
Vanilla
Pinch of salt
Optional topping:
whipped cream
yogurt
extra cherries
flaky salt
🍗 Bulk Protein Source
Teriyaki Orange Chicken
My goal is to focus on proteins that can work across multiple meals throughout the week, and this one checks every box.
Sweet, savory, citrusy, and easy to throw into rice bowls, lettuce wraps, salads, or eaten cold straight from the fridge while deciding what to make for dinner.
Ingredients
Chicken thighs or breasts
Orange juice + zest
Soy sauce or coconut aminos
Garlic
Ginger
Honey or maple syrup
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil
Serve with:
rice
cucumbers
edamame
roasted broccoli
spicy mayo
green onions
Meal prep tip: this gets even better after sitting overnight in the fridge.
Sometimes nourishment is just continuing.
Continuing to stock your fridge.
Continuing to move your body.
Continuing to invite people over.
Continuing to build routines that make life feel a little softer, easier, and more colorful — even when the sky outside is grey.
And honestly, maybe fruit salad on a rainy Memorial Day weekend is its own kind of optimism.
Thanks for reading this week’s SubSnack <3
Until next time,
Niknack
P.S. If you’re local, June’s Snack Attack is coming up fast and I’d love to see you there. We’ll be talking seasonal snacks, simple systems, and ways to make summer cooking feel more approachable and fun. Sign up here.
