Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! I was going to do this as a video but due to how busy I have been, I decided to do it as a post instead on Word Press. What is it? It is my Convention Survival Snacks! I wanted to do it as a video before Omni when the convention just started for us here in Central Florida but you know my sad computer story and couldn’t do it. If you guys still want a video later, probably before any fall/winter conventions, I could do it but right now with MegaCon fastly upon us dfr Memoria Day Weekend in one week…yeah! What snacks do I suggest, keep reading!
1. Protein Bars: Starting my list is protein bars! Reason why is that these can be tasty but they do help with filling in your appetite as the day goes on. The ones I did carry during Omni were the Cliff bars in Chocolate Mint which is basically a protein bar version of a Thin Mint. Yes, they do have that weird taste but they can be very handy when surviving three or in Mega’s case four days of convention going, it is good to carry one just in case!
2. Granola bars: Since I mentioned protein bars, granola bars are another great thing to carry in your backpack or messenger bag like me! Also for any of your hotel roomies to carry too. These are not that expensive and they do provide energy and protein too alongside fiber in case if anyone needs it. The bars I recommend the best are Quaker bars if you are into chewy bars like I do and have a nice crunch along with it and of course I do love my chocolate chips, S’mores, and of course I used to get the Thin Mint ones last year but a Variety Pack can last you and any roomies that may want a bar or two. If you don’t want them to be a squishy mess, there is the Nature Valley classic bars which are very crunchy and solid and you get two per pack.
3. Cracker packs: I am mentioning these because I started carrying these with me last year as a nice added snack in case if I felt my stomach rumble a lot more and they are those little Thomas or Captain Wafer cracker packs. When I was little and was in the second grade, I had these with my lunch and for snacktime during the day and these were filling and still are. Great thing that these come in different flavors and variety packs if you want more than one flavor and be surprised by eating them. My fave is always the cream cheese and chives because it gives a nice herbal flavor with the wheat crackers. Also, the peanut butter ones with the honey cracker are also good too! You can get them for a good price at WalMart, Publix, Dollar Gneral, and one place here in my area known as Ollie’s.
4. PopTarts: I know they aren’t the healthiest thing on the planet but knowing as a college student and a convention goer and you know you are late, PopTarts are your best friend! You don’t have to toast them, they are already ready for you to eat. Plus, you already have the frosting on top on a lot of them which with Toaster Streudel you have to put it on. Plus, nice accessory for that school girl cosplay to run out of your hotel room with a PopTart in your mouth. (I know, nerd!)
5. Nuts: If you want to keep the healthy part going and need extra protein, nuts are usually your best friend unless you’re not allergic to them. I remembered always carrying cashews and almonds but it was hard for me to finish them off in the end but I did something pretty cool which I will mention next…
6. Brownie brittle: If anyone knows about this then it is handy, if not I will esplain for any new people to the concept. Brownie brittle is basically the thin, baked parts of a brownie, basically the almost burnt bits of the brownie but in cookie form. THey have many flavors and the cool thing I did is I crumbled it up and mixed it with whatever nuts I carried and make it as a mini trail mix. Plus, it is low calorie for bronie brittle!
7. Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches: One of my all time fave things about being a nerd is peanut butter and jelly, especially in the same jar! If you guys remembered Goober Grape from the 1990s like me, then high five! Good thing is that you don’t harefrigerate peanut butter and jelly but you can do it with the sandwich itself after it’s made. I will be doing this since the pb does offer the protein and the j gives you the sweetness! Great for hotel snacking in between panels if you go back to your room and need a snack. Also, helps any of your roomies that may need it and it is also inexpensive when you gather your snacks for the con. I am doing this this time since during Omni until Sunday I didn’t eat breakfast which the good thing is that this is any time food too!
8. Chex Mix: Another thing I love to carry during conventions is basically snack mix especially the beloved Chex Mix! Great thing about these is that you can carry it in small snack bags or you can get a freezer bag like I do and carry ate entire bag in it and it pretty much keeps you eating all weekend. Great to share with others too who love this stuff! What I also like is that there are different flavors to choose from which I do love the Traditional and Turtle ones the most. I want to try Muddy Buddy but got Traditional this time around since the Target I went to didn’t have Muddy Buddy. Anyways, Hershey’s did make their own which I haven’t found in my area yet but may do someday since I love having snack mix and it does keep you snacking even during panels. Heck, I think I had a lot of mix during Ranger Stop with the Cheddar flavor.
9. Japanese snacks: For that Wheeaboo inside of us, there are times when we want something to snack other things and there are times when we find vendors selling Japanese snacks! I always love finding Mr. Japanese Snacks whenever I go to the conventions, especially with Omni and Holiday Matsuri, he tends to carry a lot of new items and the classics that I love and the ones I tend to pick up the most since they last a good while is Hi Chew! They are like Starburst but a lot chewier and they have more flavors like apple, strawberry, and I even found cherry flavored at an Asian market in town. Speaking of which, there are also looking around in Asian markets if you have the time to do so since getting snacks can be time consuiing while packing. Also, you can get a great box of pocky for Scott McNeill.
10. M&M’s: I know candy is not the greatest thing but if you are craving for it then by all means but M&M’s are the best thing to go since they are really good movie snacks and panel snacks. Plus, there are the usual chocolate lovers that tend to carry these and also the old prhrse, “Melt in your moth, not your hand!” Also, if you find the M&M’s World during Omni, then a good idea to get some or a tin!
11. Chips: Potato chips in any style, whether your standard Lay’s, Cape Cod’s, and so much more, can be that perfect snack if you’re craving for them! They can be an excellent snack to share with your roomies or to go into the snack bar at your hotel or into a WaWa need be. The best chip for a backpack would be Pringles since they come in a cardboard tube and they don’t cgetcrushed as easily and you do have the travel size versions which I used to have in my university days. Plus, they are pretty cheap to purchase when you only have a dollar on you.
12. Combos: My finally snack of this list is of course Combos! I know, in case if you haven’t heard, these were re-called a year ago due to finding peanut elements in them and now they have been showing up in stores again, well depending where you live. WalMart bring them back in town. Anyways, these are our fave snack during conventions because they are easy to carry in a freezer bag and we all enjoy them the same. As in me, Gondras, and Nerdy Shirts. They come in pizza flavor, heddar, nacho cheese, and you can choose between the basic cracker and the pretzel. I prefer the pretzel slightly more because I am a pretzel addict! Now youc an see why I ove Chex Mix! Anyways, this is one good snack to carry and you can eat it easily during panels or while sitting down for a break.
Update! Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! I am adding a few updates to this post because I have something to announce at the end and I do have a few more snacks to add that I have forgotten!
Since you guys know that I have done my Convention Spotlight on Holiday Matsuri 2017 and this would be perfect to update this post since we are planning to have a room this year and after going through Irma, I did notice some foods would be great to take during convention and here we go!
Beef Jerky: I forgot to mention this food since Vivi did bring this up after having a huge bag from Sam’s Club during MetroCon 2014! As we all know that Beef jerky has been an important part of a lot of diets and heck it is a great food for a zombie apocalypse due to how it can switstand the environment but it does go old so better eat it as fresh as it is. Great thing is that it is tough and ready to eat and you can get a small bag for easy travel or a huge one for the entire weekend and friends at hotels. And the best flavor to me is teriyaki!
Trail Mix: Since I mentioned Chex Mix, I want to mention this snack and that is Trail Mix. This year for Holiday Matsuri I am planning to make my own but without the raisins. I hate raisins if anyone knows and loves me, no raisins anywhere! I admit I loved them as a kid but I did read that I can make my own Trail Mix even though there are different variations sold. So, why not make my own with stuff I love? It is an easy thing to make and all you need are nuts, seeds, dried fruit which there is a big list of and going to get one other dried fuit after my older brother leaving some dried mango and it is delicious! Plus, you can add other things like popcorn, pretzels, with mine I will be having brownie brittle which I used to do that with almonds and it will be fun. And you do have some seasonings with one recipe I did read. And you can put it in a jar or Ziploc bag and into a lunch box with said bag. If you don’t want to make your own, you can find the pre-made stuff in your local grocery store, heck Nature Valley makes their own Trail Mix bars so you can have for breakfast!
Bagels & Cream Cheese: I bet you are wondering, “Say what now!?” While I was without power during Irma, I had to eat a bagel without toasting it and with cream cheese which shows I can survive on that. If you have a fridge available or cooler, you can keep your cream cheese in there and have a bag of Thomas bagels which you can find at your local supermarket! If you have extra cash, there is always your local bagel shop or Panera, I would suggest Bagel King if you are in Casselberry since they have really good bagels but if you want to spend less, Thomas has good ones and they are not as strong as most places which you can use the sweeter cream cheeses on the blueberry and cinnamon flavored gbgels, heck I use the Philadelphia cumpkin Spice cream cheese on the Thomas Pumpkin Spice bagels and it feels like you are eating pumpkin cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory! If you want them toasted, there is something cool you can do according to Hack My Life and it deals with the coffee maker in your hotel room where you can switch it on and toast your bagel face down for a little bit. Not sure if it works but that would be interesting to do if you need to toast it unless you spring for a suite with a kitchen that has a toaster like the Extended Stay near the Convention Center in town.
Ritz Bits: I got this idea from Nerdy Shirts and not sure if I had mentioned it but these have existed since I was a kid and best to carry them.
Dried fruit: If you aren’t into trail Mixes, there is always carrying dried fruit if you want your daily fiber intake which is important. Plus, you can refrigerate it or not and eat it straight out of the bag and they don’t go as bad as regular fruit since that can go bad pretty easily depending on what you bring. Even banana and apple chips are very popular for people when it comes to anything fruity. Also, if you have a fridge/freezer in your room or staying at home if it is close to the convention site, which we knew people who did, there are the Dole Banana Dippers.
Flavored Bread: As in banana bread, blueberry bread, etc. Remembered when I mentioned Thomas? They do have good breads that you can eat cold or toasted if you have toast. I wonder if that coffee maker toaster hack will work with this? Anyways, also WalMart’s bakery section does make their own too from what I remembered.
Deli Meats And Cheeses: Since I mentioned peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, if you are allergic to PB, you can always have deli meats and cheeses for sandwiches too. Since some rooms do come with refrigerators, that can help them keep them cool…or….
Lunchables: How can we not forget these!? I remembered carrying one each day when I started going to MegaCon with Gondras back in 2007 and these were handy too! Just carry a huge lunchbox and have one in there and there you go!
Well, that is it for this post again with added snacks! As a convention goer, these do help with survival and help you keep going before your next meal, especially with dinner.
Okay guys, time for seriousness! I am keeping the Patreon link down below but I am letting you guys know that with Holiday Matsuri that me, Gondras, and Nerdy Shirts will be sharing a room with some friends so it will be easier to stay at the World Center rather than driving back and forth in Orlando and gives us a weekend away from home too. So, I need help with my part to pay for the room which I am going to leave the link to Go Fund Me since that is supposed to be for our travels and haven’t gotten any donations. I need about $69.30 to pay for my part and if you guys want to donate more you can in case of gas or something but that’s all I need on my end since I am not sure about my funds situation until December. So, to donate to our Go Fund Me, it is at this link:
https://www.gofundme.com/nerdy-shique-universe-travel
Like I said in the description for this thing, conventions have gotten more expensive during the four years that we have been doing press and this our third year at Holiday Matsuri and it is an awesome opportunity and we can’t get our footage, photos, and interviews out to the net without all you guys so please donate if you can! Also, check out our Patreon down below since it feels like YouTube doesn’t allow you to mention them much anymore so please donate and help us and spread the word!
By the way guys, we have a Patreon now! Since we don’t have any donations on Go Fund Me, which you should donate to that to so we can have our convention experiences in and out of town to bring you awesome content to our YouTube, so we also have Patreon to continue it! Here is our link to donate:
Nerdy Shique Universe 