This March marks the 40th anniversary of National Nutrition Month, giving us one more good reason to make smart eating choices. The theme for 2013 is “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day,” and encourages us all to find healthy diet and physical activity habits that work for our lifestyle.

Here are a few healthy eating tips for National Nutrition Month from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:

Eat Breakfast

“There’s no better way to start your morning than with a healthy breakfast.”

Wake up right with a nutritious meal that will fill you up and give you energy and focus for the day ahead. Browse some of our favorite healthy breakfast foods.

Fix Healthy Snacks

“Healthy snacks can sustain your energy levels between meals.”

Satisfy your hunger with smart snacking choices, including these ideas recommended by the Academy:

• Popcorn topped with grated parmesan cheese
• Parfait with yogurt, fruit and granola
• Celery sticks topped with peanut butter and raisins

Cook Balanced Meals

“Cook more often at home, where you are in control of what’s in your food.”

Cooking your own meals allows you to be an active participant in what you eat, plus it’s a fun way to explore new flavors and foods. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends making half of your plate fruits and vegetables, varying protein choices to include seafood, nuts and beans and opting for 100 percent whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers, pasta and brown rice.

What are your personal tips for eating a healthy diet? Happy National Nutrition Month!

Spring has sprung, and Easter is just around the corner! On Sunday, March 31, kids (and lucky grown-ups!) everywhere will be delighted to hunt for Easter eggs and enjoy a basket full of Easter candy.

You still have plenty of time to order your Easter treats. Here are a few that we think you’ll love!

Easter Baskets and Buckets

Bunny’s Bucket of Sweets is sure to make anyone smile! It’s brimming with classic goodies: pastel Jordan almonds, jelly beans, Swedish fish, gummy bears, chocolate sunflower seeds, white chocolate cherries, milk chocolate caramel, and chocolate cashews.

The festive Easter Sweets ‘n’ Treats Basket celebrates spring with a sweet rainbow of colors. Inside you’ll find Swiss petite fruits, jelly beans, chocolate sunflower seeds, mocha beans, pastel Jordan almonds, cappuccino cocoa cordials, dark chocolate peanut clusters, gummy bears, chocolate cashews, and ice cream sundae malted milk balls.

Jelly Belly 49 Flavors

Jelly Belly jelly beans are true customer favorites. Everyone has a flavor (or two, or many!) that they love best, whether it’s toasted marshmallow or juicy pear. These are some of the most realistic flavors that you’ll find in any jelly bean.This Jelly Belly 49 Flavors assortment lets you try them all!

Pastel Chocolate Covered Fruit

Kids will love the chocolate, and parents will love that they’re eating fruit — everyone wins! This pastel chocolate covered fruit comes in a palette of bright colors, including pastel chocolate strawberries and pastel creamy chocolate apricots. The Deluxe Pastel Chocolate Berry Mix has cherries, blueberries, and apricots — it’s like a chocolate covered fruit salad!

Healthy Easter Candy

Health nuts will be happy to know that there’s healthy Easter candy just for them! Our organic gummies include organic gummy bears and even vegan organic gummy bears. We carry organic hard candy, including organic lollipops, and organic jelly beans. Indulge your sweet tooth with all organic ingredients!

Speckled Robin Eggs

These Speckled Robin Eggs by Hershey are a classic Easter candy! Mini milk chocolate malt balls with a candy speckled coating have a satisfying creaminess and crunch. Absolutely delicious!

What’s your favorite kind of Easter candy?

Talk about a nutty holiday! Today is National Peanut Lovers Day, and we are taking that as a sign to enjoy some of our most delicious peanutty treats.

You can feel good about joining us in snacking. Peanuts are a great source of protein, and research shows that diets higher in monounsaturated fats from peanuts and peanut butter reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 21 percent, compared to the average American diet. Here are a few of our favorite peanut snacks!

1. Jumbo Roasted Peanuts

Our jumbo roasted peanuts will take you back to sunny days spent at the ballpark. We take fresh Virginia peanuts and roast them without salt so you can appreciate their wonderful natural flavor.

2. Buffalo Peanuts

Our buffalo peanuts are flavored with an addictive blend of sweet and spicy seasonings, perfect for a party appetizer or a snack on the go.

3. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Peanut butter and dark chocolate together? Yes, please! We fill our decadent, premium dark chocolate cups with creamy peanut butter for a taste that is unbelievable.

4. Blister Peanuts

Our blister peanuts are a new item at Nuts.com and already receiving rave reviews. We boil them in water, then roast them and sprinkle them with salt for a seriously crispy snack.

5. Peanut Brittle

Some things never go out of style. Our old-fashioned peanut brittle is just as good as you remember it from your childhood: sweet, crunchy and tasty.

What are your favorite peanut snacks? Browse more Nuts.com peanut products!

It’s almost time to paint the town green! St. Patrick’s Day is coming up next weekend, and now is the time to place your order for your favorite green goodies. Surprise your family with a scrumptious selection of green candy or bring in a special batch of treats to make your co-workers happy.

Here are a few of our favorite St. Paddy’s Day sweets:

Leprechaun’s Delight 
We cover sunflower seeds with a kelly green chocolate coating for a snack that is salty, sweet and green all over.

Green M&Ms
No more picking through a bag of M&Ms just to find the color you want! Now you can buy a 1 lb. bag of your favorite milk chocolate candies that are all decked out in green for the holiday.

Green Apple Gummy Bears
Our green apple gummy bears are perfectly bite-sized and just the right blend of sweet and tart.

Mint Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
Chocolate and coffee lovers, rejoice! These tasty candies are the best of both worlds — high-quality espresso beans dipped in mint chocolate and bits of ground coffee.

Pear Fruit Slices
Our pear fruit slices are a new spin on an old favorite. Each bite has a juicy and refreshing pear flavor.

What is your favorite green candy?

Follow our St. Paddy’s Day Pinterest board 

Yesterday was National Chocolate Mint Day! There’s a reason that Thin Mints are the bestselling flavor of Girl Scout cookies: people love chocolate mint. The refreshing peppermint perks up the rich, creamy chocolate and awakens the senses. Peppermint offers many health benefits, including aiding digestion and soothing the stomach, and improving respiratory function.

There are so many ways to enjoy mint chocolate! Here are five of our favorites.

1. Andes Mints

You don’t need to wait for housekeeping to put this on your hotel room pillow! They’re individually foil wrapped, so you can take them on the go, pack a treat in your child’s lunch bag, or store a few in your desk drawer at work. Each bite-sized bar features a layer of mint-green cream sandwiched between two layers of chocolate.

2. Mint Cookies Malted Milk Balls

Add mint to malted milk balls and you have yourself a crispy, minty treat. If you like Whoppers and are also a fan of mint, give these a try. For coffee lovers, Mint Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans have a similar creamy coating with a coffee kick.

3. Mint Chocolate Chip Astronaut Ice Cream

Devour this classic ice cream anytime, anyplace! No freezer is necessary, because it never melts — except in your mouth! If you’ve enjoyed astronaut ice cream before, you know that it’s freeze dried so that astronauts can eat it in space. The creamy, crunchy texture of mint chocolate chip ice cream cannot be beat.

4. Mint Lentils

Don’t let the name fool you – these are candies, not beans! Shaped like lentils, these mint chocolates have a colorful candy shell. You can even browse our candy by color and order these to match the colors of your wedding or special event.

5. Chocolate Mint Coffee

Flavored coffee lovers, rejoice! The scent of chocolatey mint coffee brewing is sure to perk you up  in the morning. The chocolate mint flavor mingles subtly with this smooth coffee to please your palate.

Browse our full selection of chocolate mint goodies!

We love a good excuse for snacking, and February is full of them! Treats abound on Valentine’s Day, of course. But wait, there’s more! Here are three other February holidays that will keep the snacks coming all month long.

1. Chocolate Month

How do we love thee, chocolate? Let us count the ways. Chocolate is packed with powerful nutrients and mood boosters, as well as antioxidants to protect the body’s cells. It’s also wonderfully versatile, as you can see from our selection of chocolates and sweets! Try these chocolatey goodies:

Chocolate Covered Nuts

Whether you love macadamia nuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, or pistachios, you’ll love them even more when they’re covered in chocolate!

Fudge

There’s a flavor to please every palate: Maple Walnut Fudge, Rocky Road Fudge, and Caramel Pecan Fudge are just a few!

Colored Chocolates

Are you buying chocolate to celebrate a special occasion, like a wedding or a team sporting event? Choose your colors! Candy choices include Jordan almonds, M&Ms, and more!

2. National Fiber Focus Month

Fiber is crucial to a healthy digestive system. Many of our snacks are high in fiber and tasty, too!

Dried Fruit

Satisfy your sweet cravings with dried fruit like dried plums, Turkish figs, and dried apples!

Nuts

Almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, and pecans (in that order!) all pack in a healthy dose of fiber. Sprinkle them on your cereal or combine them into a trail mix to take on the go.

3. National Snack Food Month

Snack to your heart’s content this month, whether you’re looking for something crunchy, salty, spicy, or sweet! You’ll find it all in our selection of snacks. Here are a few suggestions.

Fruit & Veggie Chips

Veggie Chips are a great alternative to potato chips because they’re full of nutrients! Our assortment includes sweet potato, squash, carrot, green bean, and taro. We also offer exotic treats such as beet chips, plantain chips, and mushroom chips!

Sampler Packs

Sampling is delightful, because you can try many different types of snacks. These sampler packs bundle together a bunch of individual samples, and you can decide which you like best! Try our Spicy Sampler, Raw Sampler, or Heart Healthy Sampler, to name just a few!

Which snacks are you enjoying this month?

Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, but don’t worry: there is still plenty of time to order a special treat for your sweetheart, your family or your officemates. (Hint: we have next-day shipping options!) Earlier this week, we wrote about five of our favorite Valentine’s Day gift ideas, and here are five more:

1. Conversation Hearts

Remember giggling over conversation hearts when you were in elementary school? If you were bold, you slipped a “Be Mine” or “Kiss Me” heart into the Valentine of the boy or girl you liked. These classic Valentine’s Day candies are still a sweet, thoughtful and edible way to show someone you care.

2. Berry Medley Gift Tin

Red is the color of love and passion, and our Berry Medley Gift Tin is overflowing with three beautiful shades. Give your Valentine a big dose of sweetness (more than two pounds!) with milk chocolate covered dried strawberries, dried bing cherries and dried cranberries.

3. Aphrodisiac Mix

Our custom-selected Aphrodisiac Mix is the perfect blend of natural flavors and chocolatey goodness. Treat your special someone to dark chocolate covered strawberries, raw almonds, tart cherries, milk chocolate covered bananas, banana chips, dried strawberries and dried papaya.

4. Chocolate Covered Delight Circle

Our Chocolate Covered Delight Circle is as pretty as it is tasty. The round wicker tray is chock-full of jumbo buttercrunch mix, pastel chocolate covered apricots and cranberries, chocolate covered espresso mix and powder dusted chocolate almonds that will disappear before you know it.

5. “Just For You” Gift Basket

Your Valentine will be enamored with this gorgeous hand-woven wood basket overflowing with sweet and salty goodies, including butter toffee pecans, almond crunch, southern heat mix, gourmet chocolates, veggie chips, wasabi peas and milk chocolate cashews.

What are you giving your loved ones this Valentine’s Day? Browse more Valentine’s Day gift ideas.

Valentine’s Day is next week, and it’s time to pick out a gift for your sweetheart! Ladies and gents alike will love our tasty selection of goodies. There’s something for everyone! Here are five of our top Valentine’s Day gift ideas:

1. Chocolate Valentine

Want to show someone special just how much you care? Shower your loved one with our Chocolate Valentine tin. With one and a half pounds of our very special chocolate pretzels, we promise this will put a huge smile on anyone’s face! Crunchy, chocolatey, and sweet, this gift hits all the right notes.

2. Gourmet Chocolate Trio

Chocolate covered raisins, chocolate covered almonds and chocolate covered cashews come together to create our Gourmet Chocolate Trio. We use only large, premium quality nuts, raisins, and gourmet chocolate. These treats are rich and chocolatey, with satisfying nuts and chews.

3. Sugar Free Tin of Indulgent Treats

5. Truffles

Nothing says romance like chocolate truffles. Especially when they’re Gourmet GIANT Dessert Truffles. This pack of 8 contains these assorted truffle flavors: Dark Chocolate Raspberry, White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Grand Marnier, Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Champagne, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut, and Tiramisu. These will be the most decadent truffles you’ve ever tasted!

See our full selection of Valentine’s Day gifts!

Get out your jerseys and assemble your buddies, because Game Day is almost here! What could pump up your energy more than a satisfyingly crunchy snack mix? To fulfill cravings for sweet, salty, or spicy munchies, we recommend filling a few bowls with different types of mixes. Here are 5 nutty snack mix recipes from tasteofhome.com that will be a hit with your pals.

1. Spicy Chex Mix

Caution: Excessive celebration may take place after eating this mix. This nutty snack mix recipe combines Chex cereal, Cheerios, almonds, pecan halves, paprika onion powder, hot sauce, and dried cranberries for a sweet-tart kick.

2. Honey Nut Crunch Mix

If you’re in the mood for salty and sweet with a little spice, this nutty snack mix recipe will quell your craving. Combine smooth peanut butter, honey nut cereal, mixed nuts, mini pretzels with butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and cayenne.

3. Kickin’ Cheddar Mix

This kickin’ snack mix recipe will make your tastebuds do a victory dance! It’s crunchy, nutty, and creamy all at once, full of crispy cereals, pretzel sticks (or sesame sticks), cheddar cheese crackers, mixed nuts, pistachios, seasoned with spices like cayenne pepper and dill weed. Yum!

4. Confetti Snack Mix

This sweet and crunchy Confetti Snack Mix is a hit with kids! It’s so simple to make that they can do it themselves. Just mix Golden Grahams cereal with dry roasted peanuts, banana chips, raisins, and milk chocolate M&Ms, and you have yourself a tasty treat!

5. Blizzard Snack Mix

Those who love sweet and salty pretzels will devour this Blizzard Snack Mix. Combine miniature pretzels with roasted peanuts and chopped caramels, then toss with melted white chocolate chips. Can you imagine anything more tempting?

If you’d rather order your snacks than prepare them yourself, check out our Top Treats for the Super Bowl!

The Big Game is almost here. Have you stocked up on munchies? Whether you’re going to a neighborhood party or are hosting one yourself, you’ll want to share a few crunchy mixes to satisfy your hungry pals. After all, adrenaline-fueled cravings are serious business! Here are five delicious game day snacks that are sure to please any crowd.

1. Mix of Champions

Wish your team luck by noshing on the Mix of Champions. This spicy, salty, and smoky mix is packed with hickory smoked almonds, edamame, salted macadamia nuts, chili bits, buffalo peanuts, and cheddar sesame sticks.

 2. Bar Mix

5. Mix of the Man

This is a mix for those who are “man enough” to handle the heat. This unique mix is packed with hickory smoked almonds, cajun corn sticks, mixed nuts, toasted corn, cajun peanuts, dried strawberries, and M&M’s. The Mix of the Man is chock-full of sweet heat. Heat-seeking ladies, you’ll enjoy this, too.