Ah folks. It’s that time of the year: the start of the New Year where everyone makes the ultimate, repetitive decision of losing weight and eating healthier. Say one day you go to Leutner and get a salad, the next minute you’re waiting for a fried chicken wrap at Denny’s. Lucky for you, I am willing to spread my knowledge and experience with y’all. Consider it a blessing. Now, if you would like to get your health kick back into gear, follow me on a magical journey through the aisles of Constantino’s Market, a convenience store that's not much in the way of convenience because of it’s overpriced food, but can still be a good source of nutrition.
Seedless Grapes and Raspberries
Let’s start with some fruit, nature’s sweetest treat. One bag of seedless grapes and a box of Driscoll’s raspberries cost me $6.75 and tasted as good as a Hershey’s chocolate bar.
Mt. Olive Kosher Dill Pickles
Another object of nature that I enjoy are pickles. Pretty little pickles. A jar of Mt. Olive Kosher Dill Spears costs $2.99 and is very versatile, you can put them in a burger from L3 or eat them straight up.
Black Bean Hummus and Blue Corn Chips
What meal would be complete without a little Mediterranean diversity? A container of Eat Well Embrace Life’s Black Bean Hummus set me back $3.99, but was worth every penny because guess what? It’s gluten free, has no GMOs, and is only 45 calories per serving. What. A. Product. No one likes to eat hummus by itself (if you do, you have earned my highest regard), so I like to pair it with Tostitos Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips for $3.99.
Skinny Pop Popcorn
While you’re already standing in the chips aisle, might as well grab a bag of Skinny Pop Popcorn for $3.49in any flavor. I prefer the white cheddar or jalapeño, but there a ton of flavors, so I’m going to let you pick.
Campbell's Soup Cans
With all this cold Cleveland weather, there are days you just want to cuddle up with your significant other in a warm, fuzzy blanket, with your favorite TV show and a nice bowl of hot soup. Well, if you’re like me, then you have no significant other and no time to watch TV so you just have the settle for the soup. Luckily, Constantino’s sells Campbell’s Tomato Soup and Old Fashioned Vegetable soup for $1.99 each. It won’t replace the love of another person, but maybe it’ll fill you with all those warm, fuzzy feelings.
Jell-O
Don’t you dare think I forgot about my favorite meal of the day: dessert. Yes, I just called it a meal. It’s so good that it deserves separate distinction. No one should just call it the part after dinner because as far as I’m concerned, dessert can be eaten at any time of the day. Practically all desserts have calories and sugar, but look what I found. Sugar free Jell-O that only has 10 calories. You could eat three packs and still only have 30 calories go into your body, and it costs $2.00 and there are a variety of flavors, but I recommend the lemon-lime and orange flavored ones.
There you have it Spartans (do we even call each other that?), a total of $28.59 spent on an abundance of healthy snacks at Constantino’s Market. Hopefully you’ll have the same premium American shopping experience that I had there and will share all the knowledge you obtain whilst walking through the fluorescent-lighted aisles of THE most exclusive market in all of Cleveland (not really, but sometimes we like to be fancy).