I'm so tired. As such, snacks are definitely the order of the day.

Here are some of my favorite snacks to eat when there has been too much life and house and other stuff happening, and all you want to do is sit down on the couch with a trashy novel and a glass of wine. And snacks. There will be snacks.

- Stovetop popcorn, buttered, salted, and minimally seasoned with some paprika and mustard powder on occasion. We should probably break out the nutritional yeast one of these days. A simple caramel corn with nuts and sesame seeds is excellent for a sweet version.

- Pretzel sticks dipped in a mix of half sour cream/labneh/greek yogurt and half prepared horseradish, with a good grind of pepper. Use more or less horseradish depending on your spice preferences. Related: switch out the horseradish for the spicy mustard of your choice. Or just dip your pretzels in cashew cheese if you happen to have the tail end of a batch on hand.

- Cold leftovers out of the fridge. This one is all me; if John eats leftovers, they have to be hot. I am way more likely to eat a piece of cold pizza or some cold pasta fagioli right out of the fridge.

- Quesadillas. This one can cross the line from snack to meal, depending on whether we have beans and rice hanging around. The basic formula is refried beans, cheddar, a light sprinkle of cumin and oregano, and some chopped scallion if there happens to be any in the crisper. Rice bulks it up substantially. Various other veg (such as bell pepper or jalapeno) can make an appearance too. I like to do a streamlined one with mozzarella and red pepper flake. I will also make them with cream cheese on occasion. Quesadillas are cooked in the toaster oven, aligned carefully so they can't bend through the wire rack.

- Raw veg. Carrots, broccoli florets, grape tomatoes, bell pepper, etc. I will dip these in hummus if there is any, but I am actually not especially into hummus, so more often than not there's no dip. I used to use commercial caesar dressing that we'd get with our delivery pizza & caesar salad combo, but we have since stopped ordering from that pizza place. So. Plain veg it usually is.

- On a related note, fruit. Bowls of berries can vanish with astonishing rapidity. Sliced apples or stone fruit are a pretty frequent dessert here.

- Cheesy toast. Decent bread, spicy or dijon mustard, optional chopped veg, cheese of choice (mozzarella or other white cheeses preferred), all layered up and stuck in the toaster oven to brown. This one is also good for lunch.

- I will also totally do an abbreviated ploughman's lunch-type plate with bread or crackers, sliced cheese, mustard, and various pickles. Apples work here too.

- Cream cheese or labneh-related snacks are some of my favorites. First of all, BAGELS BAGELS BAGELS. A good bagel with cream cheese is such a satisfying creation. Crackers with labneh or cottage cheese and some chopped herbs and veg work well too.

- A batch of scones is an excellent plan. Sweet scones are good, but I find that a neutral scone is more versatile. You can make a batch and eat them for the next few days, with your choice of jam, peanut butter, or cheese.

I think the house stuff is actually done this time. Hopefully I will regain some energy and get going in the kitchen again soon.

What snacks do you like to eat when you are too tired to make much of anything?