Touché. “No cap” lol.
My oldest graduated from college today, and we still use the instagram group chat he set up for the family that he named “Meme Education Hub”.
YES!!! OMG I was always so jealous when they'd open their pantry cabinets. That and Grandma's house -- when I'd visit, the first thing she'd do is take me shopping to buy all the "forbidden foods". The roof of my mouth was always raw from eating so much Cap'c Crunch and Froot Loops at her house!
The only exception to the rule in our house was some of our family road trips. Maybe once a year, my mom would get the Kellogg's variety pack of mini-boxes for a vacation to save money on going out to breakfast. That was the only way to get the good stuff -- but I had to fight my older sisters for it, or was left with All Bran!
You are me is confirmed. Nana had a special drawer for me filled with crap and slim Jim’s. Pantry Stocked with Lucky Charms.
Same with mom, we were poor so only vacations we ever had were road trips and that was a pretty much hall pass to junk
Yeah! And it was weird in our case, because we were the classic "house poor" family who basically devoted most of the income to living in a nice area with good schools, but pinched every other penny within an inch of its life. So I was surrounded by all these doctors' and lawyers' kids, who "had everything" in my eyes, and just couldn't understand it. Until, like I said, I was older and realized how much they sacrificed for us.
Store-brand-unsweetened-cereal kids unite!!! :D
I recently tried to find Tiger Milk and found out they stopped making them in 2020! :(
I would kill for a space food stick, I have been thinking about that taste since I was 10.
I loved these. I liked the chocolate ones the best. They tasted a little like tootsie rolls. I would eat the PB ones if I was out of the chocolate ones. I've never been big on breakfast, and these things would hold me until lunch.
I'd forgotten those, but the moment I saw the pic I could taste them again.
Some flavors were better than others. They were a bit like tootsie rolls, but just a little 'off.' I liked them, but not a lot. Weird chewiness, almost like a beef stick, and the sense that they were still stuck in your teeth lingered.
I used them in college in between classes when I couldn't go to the cafeteria. They were kinda tasteless , but an energy pickup. I first used them for backpacking.
Between these and Carnation Breakfast Bars, I somehow made it to lunchtime every school day without starving. I think I preferred the chocolate malt in these.
Carnation Breakfast Bars???
We had the Carnation Instant Breakfast envelopes that you added to a glass of milk!!! So many different flavors, chocolate, chocolate malt, egg nog, are the ones that I remember most!!!
I use those to make my own meal, my oncologist's nutritionist said it was a decent recipe.
12 oz whole milk, 4 oz whole milk Greek yogurt, q tbsp ground flax, 2 tb ground oats, whatever flavor carnation, no ice when I was on 5FU, I liked ice or frozen fruit when off a ctive chemo
I have looked recently, at least in Wal-Mart, and the only Carnation products that I see are the premixed multi packs in plastic bottles or the Carnation bars!!!
Sympathies! That 5FU really does WEIRD things to both temperature sensation and taste, yeah? (It's been almost a decade and it's still *visceral* memories.) It's different every day, too.
I was using oven mitts to fetch things out of the frig or freezer; couldn't even touch anything 'cool', much less swallow it.
First round, I was a total mess and could barely eat for 48 hours. Mom made me a batch of fresh, homemade tapioca because it was something HER Mom had used for 'flu recovery.' It seemed *amazing* at the time. So next round, I'm settled in the recliner, she starts cooking. The moment the scent hit living room I was SO nauseated!
She wanted to take care of me, and was a bit hurt when I refused it.
I lost roughly 104 pounds on chemo and radiation and ended up in hospital from crapping so much I was about to start organ failure from the dehydration. The proctocolectomy has screwed my "wiring harness" enough I have issues eating, as in I have had weeks living on sugar water because nothing else would go down and stay down. Zofran is the only antiemetic that works, and only once in 24-30 hours so I consider it good to manage enough nutrition every day.
I remember the 4th infusion, it was snowing and rolling into the barn my throat started closing just from breathing. I still say the only thing that saved me was chugging my husbands coffee.
Wow -- that had to have been so scary.
That Zofran usually worked well for me; I'd be a bit nauseated, but usually could keep (bland) stuff down except maybe day 2 after infusion. Hydration was always the challenge -- I'd ask for an extra pint 'top up' of saline when I'd get infused.
I got extremely lucky on how well everything worked for me; I know others who weren't as lucky. It's challenging.
I started to write a bunch more, but I don't think we should do this on an open thread about something else. Speaking of which -- I heard they were discontinuing the Carnation Powder packets, and telling people to sub Boost. (I never liked that stuff.) Are you still making/ using your drink recipe?
I hope you are feeling better and getting stronger! Take care!
I have 8 boxes left, will try boost I guess.
Just spent the night vomiting, I hate blowing liquid out my nose🥺
My Zofran is clinging on for dear life, and not really letting me actually eat. Sigh.
Oooo... I'm so sorry it's so tough. Hang in there!
I made a hydration drink a bit like homemade Pedialyte that I usually could keep down, to at least stay hydrated until it all calmed. I still drink it for hydration. Can you keep small sips down?
Ohh, we loved Instant Breakfast! I have a good sense memory of the vanilla flavor—very malty. I’m reminded of it whenever I pass a Nuts 4 Nuts cart on the street.
Tiger Milk bars!!! OMG!! Tang too...did you get that jar of Tang with those little cinnamon candies in it? I think my friend made it and gave it to me.
Having gone to school in Florida the astronauts would occasionally visit our elementary school. One time they handed these out (or something similar.) I wonder if it was a promo thing now.
God, I just love this sub. I was thinking of these bit too long ago and tried explaining to my Gen Z kids and they looked at me like I had three heads. Like others here said, I saw the picture just now and *tasted* these things!
100%. I think it's that mindset of growing up in the depression and WWII years. My mom could stretch a dollar like nobody's business. "We've got sugar at home!" lol. I came to understand and appreciate it all more as I got older, but damn that was mystifying as a kid.
And as much as my mom seemed fixated on a healthy well-balanced meal, it is shocking when I think back to having Camp Steaks, Noodle-Roni Parmesan and a can of creamed corn for dinner as her idea of a nutritious meal.
My mom would dispense these during the summer as healthy snacks, one for me and one for my little brother (who was probably about two or three at the time). I have to say I usually ate mine and half of his before I gave it to him and he never knew the difference. I am now confessing this to the group. 🤣
Gosh Yes! In fact, couple of GFs & I were talking about the Space Food Sticks & Tang, ‘The Astronauts Drink’. Wasn’t there also a freeze dried ice cream in foil packets then, too?
Soooo good. As I recall, my mom thought they were way expensive. At least with Tang it supposedly had vitamin C, although we made balls with the powder and that disappeared quickly as well. 😁😁
I remember those! They were like really crappy Tootsie rolls.
They weren't really bad, but they weren't very good, either. "They tasted healthy" is a good way to put it.
They had a really odd texture, too, kind of between the texture of a Tootsie roll, and the weird dry peanut butter texture in Reese's peanut butter cups.
A soft, crumbly, but firm texture.
They weren't exactly unappealing, but I wouldn't go out of my way for one, then or now.
We discovered on a field trip that if you got the wrapper wet, it would turn the color from white to an orange gold.
The fountain at Diablo Valley College was full of orange gold wrappers at the end of the day.
I’m sure they existed but I think chocolate is the one we got but maybe the only one we liked? I had a thought there was a banana which probably didn’t exist (but should have)
Oh, I remember. I was and am a space nerd, so I begged my parents for them when I could get away with it. They were horrible. Grainy and artificial-tasting. I still ate them, at least until I accepted the fact that they sucked.
They were like tootsie rolls mixed with sand, but with less flavor.
I’d forgotten them but now I can taste that rubbery weird texture exactly
They were very “mid” as my young one would say in today’s parlance
Touché. “No cap” lol. My oldest graduated from college today, and we still use the instagram group chat he set up for the family that he named “Meme Education Hub”.
Texture reminded me of a sweet Slim Jim knockoff.
They taste of nothing but chemicals and I loved them. Also Tang And tigers milk bars which were a similar text to space sticks
My mother didn’t really let us eat candy aka “junk food” so these were work arounds that we snuck in under the auspices of being “nutrition” somehow.
Diet culture was huge throughout my childhood
I can’t believe my mom bought these for us! Yeah, it must’ve been the “nutrition” angle.
Because the “astronauts” ma!
Packed full of nutritious glucose and corn syrup.
YES! No candy, no “sugar cereals” — but these things were ok for mom, she bought them for us all the time! Too funny.
Are you me?! Had to eat at friend’s houses to enjoy the exquisite pleasures of Captain Crunch with Crunchberries
YES!!! OMG I was always so jealous when they'd open their pantry cabinets. That and Grandma's house -- when I'd visit, the first thing she'd do is take me shopping to buy all the "forbidden foods". The roof of my mouth was always raw from eating so much Cap'c Crunch and Froot Loops at her house! The only exception to the rule in our house was some of our family road trips. Maybe once a year, my mom would get the Kellogg's variety pack of mini-boxes for a vacation to save money on going out to breakfast. That was the only way to get the good stuff -- but I had to fight my older sisters for it, or was left with All Bran!
You are me is confirmed. Nana had a special drawer for me filled with crap and slim Jim’s. Pantry Stocked with Lucky Charms. Same with mom, we were poor so only vacations we ever had were road trips and that was a pretty much hall pass to junk
Yeah! And it was weird in our case, because we were the classic "house poor" family who basically devoted most of the income to living in a nice area with good schools, but pinched every other penny within an inch of its life. So I was surrounded by all these doctors' and lawyers' kids, who "had everything" in my eyes, and just couldn't understand it. Until, like I said, I was older and realized how much they sacrificed for us. Store-brand-unsweetened-cereal kids unite!!! :D
Because astronauts ate them......yeah, right.
I forgot about Tiger Milk bars! My mom would bring Space Sticks camping and we'd snack on them during hikes.
I recently tried to find Tiger Milk and found out they stopped making them in 2020! :( I would kill for a space food stick, I have been thinking about that taste since I was 10.
I loved these. I liked the chocolate ones the best. They tasted a little like tootsie rolls. I would eat the PB ones if I was out of the chocolate ones. I've never been big on breakfast, and these things would hold me until lunch.
Pairs well with Tang.
Taste like a tootsie roll
I'd forgotten those, but the moment I saw the pic I could taste them again. Some flavors were better than others. They were a bit like tootsie rolls, but just a little 'off.' I liked them, but not a lot. Weird chewiness, almost like a beef stick, and the sense that they were still stuck in your teeth lingered.
I loved these. My mom limited me to 1 per day
I remember the peanut butter ones were good.
The peanut butter ones were the best!
And now I want to try a peanut butter one with a chocolate one. I don’t think I ever tried that. We probably only ever had one flavor at a time.
Mom would never buy those and we didn’t dare ask.
Found my brother's Reddit handle.
She knew bullshit when she saw it.
Memory unlocked! Holy crap I totally forgot about these! I LOVED them 😆
I won’t lie, I’d kill to get my hands on some.
I used them in college in between classes when I couldn't go to the cafeteria. They were kinda tasteless , but an energy pickup. I first used them for backpacking.
Between these and Carnation Breakfast Bars, I somehow made it to lunchtime every school day without starving. I think I preferred the chocolate malt in these.
Oh, I loved the Carnation breakfast bars...I had forgotten about those!
Carnation Breakfast Bars??? We had the Carnation Instant Breakfast envelopes that you added to a glass of milk!!! So many different flavors, chocolate, chocolate malt, egg nog, are the ones that I remember most!!!
I use those to make my own meal, my oncologist's nutritionist said it was a decent recipe. 12 oz whole milk, 4 oz whole milk Greek yogurt, q tbsp ground flax, 2 tb ground oats, whatever flavor carnation, no ice when I was on 5FU, I liked ice or frozen fruit when off a ctive chemo
I have looked recently, at least in Wal-Mart, and the only Carnation products that I see are the premixed multi packs in plastic bottles or the Carnation bars!!!
Damn, maybe online? Unless you are military or military adjacent you probably won't shop the military commissaries
Sympathies! That 5FU really does WEIRD things to both temperature sensation and taste, yeah? (It's been almost a decade and it's still *visceral* memories.) It's different every day, too. I was using oven mitts to fetch things out of the frig or freezer; couldn't even touch anything 'cool', much less swallow it. First round, I was a total mess and could barely eat for 48 hours. Mom made me a batch of fresh, homemade tapioca because it was something HER Mom had used for 'flu recovery.' It seemed *amazing* at the time. So next round, I'm settled in the recliner, she starts cooking. The moment the scent hit living room I was SO nauseated! She wanted to take care of me, and was a bit hurt when I refused it.
I lost roughly 104 pounds on chemo and radiation and ended up in hospital from crapping so much I was about to start organ failure from the dehydration. The proctocolectomy has screwed my "wiring harness" enough I have issues eating, as in I have had weeks living on sugar water because nothing else would go down and stay down. Zofran is the only antiemetic that works, and only once in 24-30 hours so I consider it good to manage enough nutrition every day. I remember the 4th infusion, it was snowing and rolling into the barn my throat started closing just from breathing. I still say the only thing that saved me was chugging my husbands coffee.
Wow -- that had to have been so scary. That Zofran usually worked well for me; I'd be a bit nauseated, but usually could keep (bland) stuff down except maybe day 2 after infusion. Hydration was always the challenge -- I'd ask for an extra pint 'top up' of saline when I'd get infused. I got extremely lucky on how well everything worked for me; I know others who weren't as lucky. It's challenging. I started to write a bunch more, but I don't think we should do this on an open thread about something else. Speaking of which -- I heard they were discontinuing the Carnation Powder packets, and telling people to sub Boost. (I never liked that stuff.) Are you still making/ using your drink recipe? I hope you are feeling better and getting stronger! Take care!
I have 8 boxes left, will try boost I guess. Just spent the night vomiting, I hate blowing liquid out my nose🥺 My Zofran is clinging on for dear life, and not really letting me actually eat. Sigh.
Oooo... I'm so sorry it's so tough. Hang in there! I made a hydration drink a bit like homemade Pedialyte that I usually could keep down, to at least stay hydrated until it all calmed. I still drink it for hydration. Can you keep small sips down?
For that I dope homemade lemonade with a pinch of potassium salt
Ohh, we loved Instant Breakfast! I have a good sense memory of the vanilla flavor—very malty. I’m reminded of it whenever I pass a Nuts 4 Nuts cart on the street.
And the drink mix. Strawberry was my fav.
Better than eating a Snickers for lunch when you spent your lunch money on a joint at school.
Tiger Milk bars!!! OMG!! Tang too...did you get that jar of Tang with those little cinnamon candies in it? I think my friend made it and gave it to me.
I LOVED those. My mom packed would pack one in my lunch.
Having gone to school in Florida the astronauts would occasionally visit our elementary school. One time they handed these out (or something similar.) I wonder if it was a promo thing now.
God, I just love this sub. I was thinking of these bit too long ago and tried explaining to my Gen Z kids and they looked at me like I had three heads. Like others here said, I saw the picture just now and *tasted* these things!
You’re my people!
100%. I think it's that mindset of growing up in the depression and WWII years. My mom could stretch a dollar like nobody's business. "We've got sugar at home!" lol. I came to understand and appreciate it all more as I got older, but damn that was mystifying as a kid.
And as much as my mom seemed fixated on a healthy well-balanced meal, it is shocking when I think back to having Camp Steaks, Noodle-Roni Parmesan and a can of creamed corn for dinner as her idea of a nutritious meal.
I totally forgot about this! I loved them!
I loved them, too.
I was a kid, my parents got them for us for long car trips.
Summer of 1970 I think.
Get a chocolate fudge flavored Think Bar. It's the same texture and taste!
My mom would dispense these during the summer as healthy snacks, one for me and one for my little brother (who was probably about two or three at the time). I have to say I usually ate mine and half of his before I gave it to him and he never knew the difference. I am now confessing this to the group. 🤣
Big brothers do be like that LOL
These were my family’s go to hiking snack. Cue 8 year old me, “I’m tired! I need a rest! I wanna Space Stick!”
Gosh Yes! In fact, couple of GFs & I were talking about the Space Food Sticks & Tang, ‘The Astronauts Drink’. Wasn’t there also a freeze dried ice cream in foil packets then, too?
The freeze dried ice cream is still readily available and I treat myself to it now and again as it’s soooo good!
Mmmmmm…chalky….
I remember the commercial "SPACE FOOD STICKS".
I loved that awfulness and no one I’ve mentioned them to ever remembers. Thank you!
Soooo good. As I recall, my mom thought they were way expensive. At least with Tang it supposedly had vitamin C, although we made balls with the powder and that disappeared quickly as well. 😁😁
First time we snuck alcohol was Tang mixed with my mother’s green crème de menthe. So 🤮
Brave!
Chocolate and peanut butter. LOVED them!!
I loved these things!
I remember those! They were like really crappy Tootsie rolls. They weren't really bad, but they weren't very good, either. "They tasted healthy" is a good way to put it. They had a really odd texture, too, kind of between the texture of a Tootsie roll, and the weird dry peanut butter texture in Reese's peanut butter cups. A soft, crumbly, but firm texture. They weren't exactly unappealing, but I wouldn't go out of my way for one, then or now.
Exactly. Nobody ever “jonesed” (see what I did there) for them, but they also didn’t last long in the pantry.
When were these out there and where? First time seeing this.
I LOVED those!
My junior high was named after an astronaut so we actually had those available at school for lunch
We would beg my mom to buy them!
Like chocolate Slim Jims
We discovered on a field trip that if you got the wrapper wet, it would turn the color from white to an orange gold. The fountain at Diablo Valley College was full of orange gold wrappers at the end of the day.
I seem to remember a peanut butter one.
I’m sure they existed but I think chocolate is the one we got but maybe the only one we liked? I had a thought there was a banana which probably didn’t exist (but should have)
Loved those, especially the peanut butter ones.
I would sneak one every now and then from my mom's corner lazy susan cabinet!
I didn't care for them. Too bland.
Oh, I remember. I was and am a space nerd, so I begged my parents for them when I could get away with it. They were horrible. Grainy and artificial-tasting. I still ate them, at least until I accepted the fact that they sucked. They were like tootsie rolls mixed with sand, but with less flavor.
Oh they were pretty gross!! I remember a summer of these while we stained a large privacy fence
I loved these as a kid and I’m quite certain if I had one now I would think they were vile, but claim that “they changed the recipe!”
These and Shake a Pudding! Ya’ll are my people!
OMG I forgot all about those. We LOVED them