Snack Chat

Indulge Yourself this Holiday Season with Rold Gold Dipped Pretzels

Having lived near Dallas for more than five years now, I've come to appreciate the wide variety of restaurants and cuisines available within easy driving distance. There is apparently a raging debate as to which U.S. city has the most restaurants per capita, but it's safe to say that Dallas is definitely in the running. However, even with all this variety, there are still several foods I miss from my childhood in New Jersey -- foods that either taste differently in different parts of the country, or that aren't quite as popular in Texas as they are in the Northeast. Specifically, I'm thinking of three of my favorites: pizza, bagels and pretzels.

I can't offer much optimism for people outside of the Northeast when it comes to finding the pizza and bagels I grew up with, but I'm pleased to say that Frito-Lay is doing its part to spread the pretzel love by offering several holiday flavors of Rold Gold pretzels:

• Classic Dipped Tiny Twists coated with milk chocolate
• Dark Dipped Bavarian Twists covered in dark chocolate
• Peppermint Dipped Snowflakes draped with peppermint-flavored white fudge
• White Dipped Honey Braided Twists wrapped in white chocolate

These four flavors -- some of which could previously be found only in the Northeast -- are now available in many parts of the contiguous U.S., and are rolling out in December to many additional locations. Want to see if they're available in your area? Check out our "Where to Buy" product locator on the Frito-Lay website.

I was lucky enough to get to try all four flavors earlier this year as part of a special taste test, and I am happy to report that they are all delicious. My favorite? Surprisingly, the White Dipped Honey Braided Twists. I had never previously enjoyed white chocolate as much as milk chocolate, but the combination of the white chocolate and honey wheat flavors make this a terrific treat.

Have you tried any of the new Rold Gold holiday flavors yet? What's your favorite?

- Michael

Gobble Up Thanksgiving Leftovers with Fritos Pie Remix

I love visiting family for Thanksgiving because it means I come home with a week's worth of leftovers. However, by the third day, I always get tired of eating the same plate and resort to different ways of preparing my leftovers. I've made giant sandwiches and wraps, tried different combinations over pasta and even made a pizza once using cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and turkey.

And this year, I know exactly what I'm doing with my leftovers thanks to Frito-Lay Executive Chef Stephen Kalil, who has created a new way to add variety to your traditional post-holiday feast with the latest Fritos Pie Remix -- Thanksgiving Leftovers Fritos Pie!

The best thing about the recipe is the endless possibilities. Have picky eaters in the house? Set out bowls of leftovers and let them build their favorite version. In the mood for savory? Add turkey and stuffing. Want something sweeter? Cranberry sauce and candied yams make for a sweet treat. Check out the video below and let us know in the comments how you'd make your perfect Thanksgiving Leftovers Fritos Pie!

- Joe

Frito-Lay Gets Physical for Heart Health

High blood pressure and cholesterol are two genetic traits that unfortunately run in my family. Being susceptible to both means I'm also at a greater risk of heart disease. To combat this, I do my best to make sure I exercise regularly and eat right. Mainly, I stay healthy by distance running (that's a photo of my girlfriend and me at a race this summer). I've been known to run close to 40 miles at a time just for the heck of it, and I even picked my new apartment because its proximity would allow me to run to work.

Since I put a priority on my heart health, it's nice to know that Frito-Lay does as well. Around here, it's not uncommon to see people walking the halls instead of using meeting rooms, coworkers utilizing the stairwells as walking paths during their breaks or groups of runners getting in their cardio on our outdoor trail. Because of this and more, Frito-Lay was recently named a Fit-Friendly Company and awarded "Gold-level" recognition by the American Heart Assocation (AHA).

Being a Fit-Friendly Company means Frito-Lay goes above and beyond when it comes to its employees' health. Below are some of the ways we achieved "Gold-level" recognition:

• Offering employees physical activity support by encouraging stretch breaks and giving access to a gym and other fitness resources such as a running trail, personal trainers, yoga instructors and other fitness classes.
• Providing healthy food options including fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and meals designated as heart healthy by the AHA.
• Organizing and promoting employee health programs and having a wellness promotion staff member available to employees for consultation.
• Creating incentive programs such as "60 workouts in 6 months," which rewarded employees for making exercise a regular part of their week. 

The hard work put in by the employees that run our Fitness Center also earned the company a 2011 Worksite Innovation award. The Fitness Center team developed and implemented innovative and effective programs both internally and externally, including a trip to a local high school to promote proper nutrition, physical activity and self-esteem to students. At the school, more than 400 students participated in a yoga class before they learned healthy eating tips and created dreamboards to help boost self-esteem and establish long and short-term goals. Internally, the Fitness Center offers services including on-site mammograms, flu shots and blood chemistry exams as well as other health and wellness programs that align with the AHA's Simple 7.

Does your company offer a health and wellness program? Do you do have tips or tricks you use to fit in exercise throughout the day?

- Joe

Celebrate National Peanut Butter Lovers' Month with Frito-Lay!

Did you know that November is National Peanut Butter Lovers' Month? That's right, a whole month dedicated to peanut butter -- the delectable and versatile spread that goes great on sandwiches and crackers, in cookies and pies, and as part of a variety of other tasty treats!

The Southern Peanut Growers organization started Peanut Butter Lovers Day on November 4, 1990, marking the anniversary of the first peanut butter patent applied for on that day in 1895. This single day has now turned into a month-long observance, and I'm happy to share some of the great Frito-Lay snacks and recipes to help you celebrate in style!

While we haven't yet perfected the peanut butter potato chip, Munchies Peanut Butter on Toast and Peanut Butter on Cheese crackers make a great afternoon snack. For our fans with more of a sweet tooth, you can also enjoy Grandma's Homestyle Peanut Butter, Homestyle Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunks and Peanut Butter Sandwich Crème cookies. Plus, check out these recipes featuring both peanut butter and Frito-Lay favorites:

• The Original Fiesta Bowl is a fun way to get your guests excited for gameday. This stadium-shaped creation (pictured at right) includes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Tostitos Scoops! and more.

• Mole Chicken Fritos PIe is a classic Fritos Pie Remix from Frito-Lay Executive Chef Stephen Kalil featuring chicken in a delicious sauce made from creamy peanut butter and unsweetened dark chocolate, over a bed of Fritos Original.

• Peanut Butter Parfait Dip combines chunky peanut butter, yogurt, granola cereal and fruit, and goes great with Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar pita chips.

• Bacon Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Cracker Jack Popcorn Frosting is ... well, the name says it all!

How will you be celebrating National Peanut Butter Lovers' Month?

- Michael

Hey America, What Are You Recycling Today?

In case you didn't know, today is the 13th annual America Recycles Day, part of the Keep America Beautiful program and the only nationally recognized day dedicated to educating and encouraging Americans to recycle. It fits that this "holiday" would stand out to me for two reasons: I'm an avid recycler at home (despite my fiancé's eye rolls as I pull apart packaging to separate plastic from recyclable material), and at Frito-Lay, we've prioritized "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" as a key strategy to support our commitment to environmental sustainability -- and we've been doing so for more than a decade!

You may have read here on Snack Chat about our accomplishments to reduce, reuse and recycle at Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, our parent company. We've blogged about how our frontline teams reuse the shipping cartons used to transport our snacks to retail outlets at least five times before the cardboard is recycled -- saving 120,000 tons of paperboard a year. At our more than 30 U.S. manufacturing plants, we've created "GreenTeams," groups of employees responsible for resource conservation and recycling programs at their site -- and boy are they passionate about the environment and making big strides to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Our biggest milestone to-date occurred just last month, when we unveiled our first "Near Net Zero" facility at our Casa Grande, Ariz., plant, where we set out on a mission to transform one of our existing manufacturing facilities into one that could run primarily on renewable energy sources and recycled water, while producing nearly zero waste (hence the term, “Near Net Zero”). Check out a quick video highlighting the achievements at our Casa Grande site.

As Americans celebrate America Recycles Day this year by attending one of the many events hosted around the country -- or just by walking a few extra feet to the recycling bin at lunch -- I'm sitting here at Frito-Lay headquarters, proud to work for a company that celebrates recycling year-round.

What are you doing to reduce, reuse and recycle?

- Kristin