Best foods for the munchies

September 16, 2016, at 5:05 p.m. There are a lot of perks to living in Colorado. Fresh air, reining Super Bowl Champions, great skiing, and a billion dollar legal marijuana industry to name a few. Pot tourism is thriving and with all that weed, many people are getting the munchies. The common definition of munchies is the gnawing sense of appetite after smoking or otherwise ingesting marijuana. Most often this craving is satisfied with a glut of junk food.

So, if you get the munchies and need some easy snack ideas, here are some great tips and tricks. We’ve limited our list to exclude the obvious junk food. Items such as chocolate bars and fast food are not included in our snack ideas. Also, anything that is complicated to make is not included here. That means no gas grilling, open flame sauté, or oven baking. Here are a few of the best foods for the munchies.

Top 5 Best Foods for the Munchies

5. Cold cuts

Salami, mortadella (bologna), prosciutto, buffalo chicken, turkey, shaved ham off the bone, or roast beef; It doesn’t matter which variety of cold cut you choose. Before you roll that joint, roll up some of your favorite slices and keep them cool. Add sliced cheese or vegetables to mix it up.

When the munchies hit hard you can hit back with a high protein snack.

Pros: Very little preparation is needed and you can eat with one hand, while the other one keeps a grip on your game controller. Cons: Cold cuts are high in fat and can be greasy.

4. Raw fruits

Maybe salty and fatty foods are not what you are craving at the moment of impact. Applesauce, straight from the jar, is always an option, but can be loaded with extra sugar. When our caveman ancestors got high, nature provided them with another source of sugar.

Raw fruits are an awesome food for the munchies. If you’re in New Zealand mow down a bucket of kiwis. Citrus can be messy and leave an acidic taste, so better to skip that if you’re really really high. Instead opt for a Honeycrisp apple, blue/rasp/strawberries, or pears. Even better, if you’re smoking with some hot girls get a bunch of bananas and see who swallow it one bite. You might get more than you bargained for.

3. Bowl of cereal

OK, now you are stoned out of your mind and you got the munchies BADDDDD. The microwave is broken and all the dishes in the sink are dirty. What do you do? Make a massive bowl of cereal. Frosted mini wheats or Fruit Loops seem to work around the Slickster Mag HQ, but whatever your go to breakfast cereal is will be the best.

Of course, you’ll need to have fresh, milk around. Pro tip – be sure to check the expiration date on the container. Soy milk lasts a lot longer, and if you are stoned out of your mind it tastes the same practically. So when you pack that bowl with Hindu Kush, have a bowl of Capn’ Crunch on standby.

2. Salad bar

You may disagree with this one, but hitting the salad bar before you hit the bong is a great option. Normally priced between $5-7 per lb. for a fresh salad, this is tremendously handy when the munchies hit.

Mix and match your own greens and other salad options into a perfect meal of stoner gnosh. Blending a variety of textures and flavors is key. Add some crunch, bacon and dressing to suit your taste. Since most of the salad bar is takeout, you’ll have a disposible container, a plastic wrapped utensil and clean up is snap. Oh, and you’ll be shocked at how many pounds of vegetables you can eat when you are higher than kite at a Snoop Dogg concert.

1. Nachos

The granddaddy of all munchies foods, it has to be a huge plate of nachos. As the story goes some Air Force wives in Texas went across the US/Mexican border for a day of shopping. It got late and they wanted a snack before they went home, but most of the restaurants were closed. They found one open with a cook named “Nacho” who made his signature dish; a plate of homemade tortilla chips, broiled with shredded Wisconsin cheese and some jalapeños on top. The Air Force wives took the recipe home to the base and soon nachos were as common as the French surrendering.

While nachos can be as complex and gourmet as you want to make them, when you’re stoned it is not the time for 15 layers, carne asada and guacamole. Take a bag of tortilla chips, dump them on a microwave safe plate, pour a bag of shredded cheese on top and microwave for about 90 seconds. You’ll stop the munchies dead in their tracks. Pro tip – Don’t let them cool down too much or the cheese will coagulate.