After being on a meal plan for three years, I have come to accept that sometimes I can enter the largest dining hall, which seems be an eatery with as many food options as a hungry girl could hope for, and yet I will not want anything at my finger tips.Talk about frustrating! Over the years, I have come up with a few dining hall hacks, which have made my meal choices easier. Here are some food choices that will always be available for you, regardless of what the specials are:
1. Burrito Bowl:
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All day you have been craving Chipotle, but all you have is a dining hall date with some friends from your floor. Solution: You meander over to the rice cooker, scoop some rice into a bowl, and then head over to the salad bar. Load that rice with red kidney beans, chickpeas, and/or black beans, and cover the beans with shredded cheese, sliced tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. Lastly, locate the hot sauces and drown your homemade burrito bowl in fiery goodness.
2. Steamed broccoli:
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When the salad bar is becoming a little repetitive, take a bowl and fill it to the brim with just broccoli. Then head over to the tea station, pour a little bit of hot water into the bowl, grab the salt shaker on your table and toss some sodium on top of your beautiful, green pile of nutritiousness. Pop it in the microwave, cooking it for just a couple minutes until steamed.
3. Peanut Butter & Banana sandwich:
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When the sandwich line is just too long and you are dying to put something between two slices of bread, shuffle a few feet to the waffle-making station where you will find bagels, english muffins, and slices of bread. Toast both sides of your bread of choice, and spread peanut butter on one side. Grab a banana from the fruit stack, peel it, and slice it onto the peanut butter. For extra flavor, drizzle some honey or jam on top. Enjoy!
4. Yogurt parfait:
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Parfaits are perfect for the mornings when the omelette line is just too long and you cannot stomach the look of those very yellowy scrambled eggs. Solution: Head over to the cereal section and pick up a bowl. Color it with a couple of scoops of plain or strawberry nonfat yogurt, crunch in some granola, complete the concoction with a dab of honey, and then top it off with some slices of banana or other fruit available.
5. Brownie Sundae:
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When the d-hall has a chocolate lava cake, double chocolate chip cookies, or brownies, use this inventive and delicious piece of heaven to your advantage. Head over to the ice cream station with your dessert plate and squeeze out some creamy goodness. Finish off your masterpiece with yummy toppings, and then BAM…you will have an instant ice cream sundae!
6. Ice Cream Sandwich:
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When you are not sure what to have for dessert, this is always a viable option. Take two cookies—sugar, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, or m&m—and slide some of the ready-to-go soft serve ice cream between them. It’s an instant ice cream sandwich!
Good luck and enjoy!