Ever have those late at night cravings but don’t want to binge on chips or Oreos every time? Let’s be real, we all do it sometimes, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but if you’re up for a change, here are five easy but healthy snacks for your dorm:
1. Nut butter and bananas on rice cakes or toast
This recipe requires three ingredients: nut butter (like peanut or almond), bananas, and a base of either rice cakes or whole wheat toast. It’s also extremely easy to prepare. First, slice the banana. Then, spread the nut butter on the base. Last, place the sliced banana on top.
This snack is also extremely versatile and portable. You can top off the nut butter and banana rice cakes with cinnamon, flax seeds, coconut flakes, cashews, etc. for a fun twist! You could also substitute bananas with other fruits such as strawberries or apples. Try almond butter with honey and bananas – you won’t be disappointed.
2. Personalized Trail Mix
Everyone loves trail mix, right? Instead of buying prepackaged trail mix, buy a couple staple ingredients you can mix and match for when you’re on the go. Trail mix is also extremely easy to store and a great, convenient snack.
Ideas for ingredients include nuts such as almonds, pecans, cashews, or walnuts, dried fruit such as raisins or apricots, chocolate chips, coconut chips, banana chips, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, granola, pretzel sticks, and my personal favorite, chocolate covered coffee beans.
3. Overnight Oats
This is an extremely popular option for breakfast but can also make the perfect pick-me-up snack. A basic recipe includes 1/3 cup of rolled or old fashioned oats, 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk (I prefer non-dairy like almond milk), 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, fruits of your choice (blueberries and sliced bananas are a personal favorite combo), a pinch of cinnamon, and 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl or portable mug and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning, you can top it off with some granola or nuts. There are hundreds of variations of this recipe, so don’t be afraid to experiment and get creative with it.
4. Olive Oil and Rosemary Popcorn
Got a microwave and feeling fancy? Make some plain popcorn and drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a blend of dried rosemary and sea salt on top.
5. Cracker Sandwiches with Veggies and Hummus
Make mini tea sandwiches out of crackers, hummus, and veggies. Chop your choice of veggies, like carrots, cucumbers, or tomatoes, into small cubes or slices and spread hummus on two crackers. Place veggies on one of the hummus covered crackers, and then top it off with the other cracker.
Another option is to use cucumber slices as the “bread” and spread hummus in between the two cucumbers (or an alternative veggie of your choice). Add a side of tortilla chips for a nice crunch.
Happy snacking!