If you visit our warehouse in Cranford, NJ, you will be greeted by our new nutty sign.  Stop by and say hello!

The weather may be cooling down, but football season is just heating up. Put on your lucky jersey and cheer on your favorite team by hosting a game day party for fellow fans (and maybe a few rivals). Put a fresh spin on tailgating by serving some of your favorite sweet and salty snacks during the game.

Guacamole Bites

Don’t worry if you can’t find ripe avocados in October! These crispy guacamole bites are seasoned with natural avocado flavors and just the right blend of Southwest spices.

Black Bean Sticks

Pep up the crowd with these jalapeno-flavored black bean sticks. Each crunchy bite has a hint of garlic, tomato and onion, and you may find yourself fighting over control of the bowl as well as the ball.

Gum Drops

Revisit a childhood favorite — soft, chewy, multicolored gum drops sprinkled with sugar. Your only challenge will be deciding which flavor is your favorite.

Chia Chips

Football game snacks don’t have to be unhealthy to be tasty. Our chia chips taste great and are good for you! Chia seeds are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and they have proven health benefits, including reducing food cravings and blood pressure.

Chocolate-covered sunflower seeds

Cover salty sunflower seeds with a hard milk chocolate shell and you have yourself a crowd-pleaser. Put out a bowl of rainbow chocolate-covered sunflower seeds, and watch it disappear in minutes.

Garlic cheese sticks

Real garlic and romano cheese, baked with wheat flour and grains, make these garlic cheese sticks unbelievably flavorful. Serve them with dip or a hot bowl of chili for a tasty touchdown.

What are your favorite snacks for game day?

Tomorrow is Food Revolution Day, announced by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. In this article, Oliver gives some fantastic tips on how to feed yourself and your family delicious, nutritious foods. Though we have been known to occasionally enjoy a not-too-healthy treat, we love his emphasis on eating mostly whole foods, as well as involving the whole family in menu planning and cooking. Eating healthy can be a fun AND tasty adventure!

Here’s a list of some of our favorite healthy foods and snacks from Nuts.com. If you haven’t tried them, give ‘em a whirl! Who knows? You might just find a new favorite treat, just in time for Food Revolution Day!

1) Pumpkin Seeds: High in protein, phosphorus and iron, pumpkin seeds are an especially tasty treat. Try mixing them into trail mix, sprinkling them on salads or using them in place of pine nuts in pesto sauce.

2) Walnuts: We are just nuts for walnuts! An excellent source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, eating walnuts is a great way to increase your dietary fiber and protein intake. Studies have shown that eating a handful of walnuts a day can lower blood cholesterol, and that walnuts are a natural source of phytochemicals and antioxidants that can protect cells from free-radical damage that could result in cancers or heart disease.

3) Almonds: Of course, almonds are one of our favorite snacks! We munch them by the handful when we’re on the go or at work for a quick, filling treat. Almonds are high in protein, calcium and zinc, and tests have shown that eating almonds can lower your risk of heart problems. We highly recommend incorporating raw almonds, almond flour or organic almonds into your diet!

4) Chia Seeds: We love the incredible dietary benefits that chia seeds can bring to your life. These powerful little seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, and they have been shown to aid with weight loss, hydration, blood pressure reduction and blood sugar control. Try stirring a tablespoon or two of chia seeds into a glass of juice, water or lemonade for a great addition to your breakfast menu.

5) Goji Berries: We can’t say enough about amazing goji berries. This berry from the Himalayan Mountain region are thought to to enhance the immune system, improve your eyesight and protect the liver. Goji berries are also extraordinarily high in vitamin A.

What are some of your favorite healthy snacks and ingredients from Nuts.com?

Summer’s almost here, and we’re celebrating by sampling some new, delectable ice cream toppings. We love to have these toppings on hand for a special treat throughout the warmer months. They’re perfect for a decadent dessert, or even a build-you-own-sundae bar!

We think that a selection of ice cream toppings isn’t complete without plenty of classic candies. With that in mind, we’ve added some of our favorites to our line of products! Our chopped candies are fabulous with just about any flavor of ice cream. Add some chocolate syrup, whipped cream and a cherry, and you’ve got yourself one sweet treat! (They also make fantastic yogurt topping, if you want a slightly healthier twist.)

New additions to our line of ice cream toppings include chopped Andes Mints, chopped Baby Ruths, chopped Snickers, chopped Whoppers and chopped M&M’s. However, the fun doesn’t stop there! We’ve also introduced nuts, such as chopped almonds and chopped walnuts, to our line, as well as treats like malted milk powder, cinnamon streusel crunch, chocolate covered waffle pieces and chopped grasshopper chocolate mint cookies. Snag your favorite today!

One of our favorite summer treats is a simple milkshake. Scoop 2 scoops of the ice cream of your choice into a blender pitcher. Add about 1/2 cup of milk, along with a handful of your favorite toppings and a squirt of flavored syrup or a small amount a vanilla. Blend until the milkshake is mixed well, adding more milk or ice cream to adjust the consistency. Voila!

What are your favorite ice cream toppings? We’d love to hear more from you about additions to our line that you enjoy, or toppings you’d like to see in the future!

I love teaching kids about entrepreneurship, and sharing my experiences. Here is a photo of me speaking to students at UAM High School on their Career Day last week. I had a blast!

~ Jeffrey

Did you know that Monday is National Picnic Day? We plan to celebrate this weekend by heading out with family to enjoy some fun in the sun and picnic treats!

There are lots of fabulous picnic-friendly foods that we just love, but right now the dish that tops our list is quinoa salad. This yummy side is similar to pasta salad, but it’s gluten-free so everyone can enjoy it! It’s a great way to use up leftover quinoa, and it’s simply delicious with sandwiches or barbecue.

Start by combining 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the quinoa for 20 minutes. Remove the quinoa from the heat, fluff it with a fork and let it come to at least room temperature (or store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make your quinoa salad).

Chop up about 2 to 3 cups of the veggies of your choice. (We like to use a combination of red bell peppers, cucumbers and thinly sliced carrots.) Very finely chop about 3 tbsp. of fresh basil. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of olive oil, the juice from half of a lemon, a dash of salt and pepper, and two finely minced cloves of garlic.

Toss the quinoa and vegetables in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss the mixture until it’s evenly coated. Cover the quinoa salad and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (This allows the quinoa and vegetables to marinate in the dressing and get a really nice flavor.) Right before serving, sprinkle your quinoa salad with 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds or walnuts and 1/4 cup of Parmesan or feta cheese. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

What are some of your favorite picnic recipes?

There’s still time to order oodles of springy treats, just in time for Easter! We have some truly unique and delicious selections in our Easter candy section that are wonderful additions to Easter baskets and Easter celebrations. Your special some”bunny” will love them!

Gummy candy lovers will get a kick out of our gummy carrots, gummy bunnies, gummy butterflies and gummy flowers. These pretty pastel treats are just perfect for Easter egg hunts and party favors! We also offer healthier alternatives to classic gummy treats, including organic gummy bears, vegan organic gummy bears and organic sour gummy worms. These organic gummies contain natural coloring and flavorings, with no high-fructose corn syrup. They sure are sweet!

Fans of classic Easter candy will love our Speckled Robin Eggs, Jordan almonds and jelly beans. We also love to have sweets on hand like pastel chocolate covered fruit, chocolate covered sunflower seeds, malted milk balls and pastel Sixlets. These fantastic candies are sure to please loved ones of all ages!

If you want to send a special basket of treats to a friend or family member, we’ve got you covered! Our Bunny’s Bucket of Sweets is packed with favorites such as Swedish fish, jelly beans, milk chocolate cashew clusters and white chocolate covered cherries. Our Easter Sweets ‘n’ Treats Basket includes treats like cocoa cappuccino cordials, dark chocolate peanut clusters and Jordan almonds. Yum!

What are some of your favorite kinds of Easter candy?

Calling all nutty chefs! The first Monday in April (April 2) marks the start of National Bake Week – and kicks off our National Bake Week Bake-Off on Pinterest!  Enter photos of your recipes and have them re-pinned to win a $50 Nuts.com gift certificate.  All it takes is three easy steps!

Step 1: Create a Nuts.com National Bake Week Bake-Off board on Pinterest.  Be sure to follow Nuts.com on Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/nutsdotcom/).

Step 2: Pin a photo of the recipe you’ve created with at least one ingredient that we feature on Nuts.com.  Also, pin a photo of the ingredient from http://nuts.com.  Include the hashtag #nuts.com on each of the pins.

Step 3: Share your board with us by posting a comment on the original contest announcement pin (http://pinterest.com/nutsdotcom/national-bake-week-bake-off/), along with a link to your board so that we can follow your re-pins.  If you have trouble adding the link, please email your photo to anne@nuts.com and we will post it to our board for re-pinning.

We love to shake up our usual snack routine by including delicious dried fruits, as well as fruit and veggie chips. These treats are great on the go, making them wonderful for road trips, after-school treats or a quick afternoon pick-me-up at the office. Here are five of our favorite fruit and veggie snacks:

1) Banana Crisps: These super-crispy, thin-sliced banana chips are simply delicious! Banana crisps are fabulous in homemade granola, trail mix, cereal or yogurt, Of course, we’ve been known to eat them by the handful, as well!

2) Dried Strawberries: Dried strawberries are one of our best-selling varieties of dried fruit. Maybe it’s their sweet flavor or their berry-licious consistency, but either way, we can’t get enough of them, either! They’re the perfect alternative to candy or fruit snacks.

3) Dried Mango: In the wintertime, we long for a taste of something tropical. Dried mango certainly fits the bill! Our sunshiny-sweet dried mango is a vacation for your taste buds. Try some of this slightly chewy treat for a taste of the tropics.

4) Plantain Chips: In South America and Mexico, plantain chips are as popular as potato chips are in the United States. These crispy, crunchy chips are slightly sweet and slightly salty. We love to pair plantain chips with a ham sandwich or PB&J at lunchtime, and they’re also fantastic crumbled on top of salads. Watch out, because you won’t want to stop eating this amazing snack!

5) Veggie Chips: Of course, this list would never be complete without veggie chips. We love this quirky mix of green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and taro. Veggie chips pair well with just about any sandwich, soup, salad or dip, and we wouldn’t think of hitting the road without at least one container.

What are some of your favorite snacks?

Did you know Mardi Gras is Tuesday? We love to indulge in a slice or two of king cake this time of year! This nutty treat, which can be made a couple of different ways, is always delicious with a steaming hot cup of coffee or tea.

The most common type of king cake seen in the United States (at least where we’re at) resembles a cinnamon roll. It’s usually filled with a mixture of ground cinnamon, sugar and butter, although the filling can include yummy nuts, cream cheese, fruit or almond paste. Our favorite recipe, from allrecipes.com, is a breeze to make because you mix the dough in a bread machine! (A stand mixer equipped with a dough hook also works well.) The filling, a mixture of chopped pecans, ground cinnamon and sugar, is nutty and delicious. This recipe is definitely a winner.

Another (and, as some people might argue, more traditional) king cake variety is the galette des rois. This almond-flavored, cream-filled pastry is packed with goodness. All recipes include a custard center made with almond flour, and some also incorporate a layer of sweet raspberry jam or strawberry jam. This recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini is fantastic, and uses hazelnut flour as well as almond flour to get a nutty and delicious flavor in the almond cream. It might look like a little extra work, but you won’t regret making this delicious treat!

Do you and your family have any special Mardi Gras traditions?