Craving a late-night snack but want to keep it healthy? I got you! Sometimes, we don’t want to keep on going to the dining hall just to order late-night. Other times, all we want is something simple so that we can quickly make it. I have a few recipes I like to use to prepare for when I’m hungry. They’re easy, fast, and tasty. Here are a few ideas you could try without having to go grocery shopping!
1. Easy Yogurt Bites
All you need is a cup of any type of yogurt (I’m obsessed with Skyrs) and fruit. Bonus points if you have nonfat Greek yogurt at your disposal. Personally, my go-to mix is always strawberry yogurt with blueberries. Add a sweetener if your tastebuds like it. I prefer honey or maple syrup. This is the perfect time to bust out your ice cube trays/molds if, like me, you bought them before college thinking you were going to use them but never touched them. Mix all of your ingredients and place them in your ice cube trays! If you choose a larger fruit, just cut or mash it into smaller pieces. If you happen to have nut butter, now is the time to layer it lightly over your yogurt. And now you have a great alternative to ice cream!
2. Salad in a Jar
I love putting my mason jars to good use! Become BFFs with your campus’s salad bar and get to work. Grab some diced or baby tomatoes, cheese of your liking, shredded carrots, quinoa, and chickpeas. I also like the taste of olive oil in my salads, so I’d add some dressing to my jar. You should tweak your salad jars to your liking. The basic idea is that you need your grains,vegetables, and protein. And if you like having fruits in your salads, add them!
Put it all in your jar and shake it up! Now you have a great salad jar you can eat on the go or store in your refrigerator for later.
3. Fruit Wraps
Toast a piece of tortilla. While that’s cooking, scavenge for fruits and any sort of nut butter. This may be time-consuming, but I strongly recommend slicing your fruits. I find that for bananas, it’s better to make thin circular slices, and for apples and pears, it’s better to make thin and long slices. Layer your tortilla with a light spread of nut butter and honey if you like them extra sweet. Then, add your fruits! Fold them into the tortilla. You can eat these now or store them for when you get hungry later. It’s better to eat when they’re hot, so I like to microwave them for around 30 seconds if I stick them in the fridge for storage.
It is so tempting to just buy snacks from the vending machines, but it is incredibly important to take care of your body. The first step is eating healthier, and our cravings are usually the culprits. It’s nice to have soft-serve ice cream once in a while, but having it every night as your dessert is not the way to go. It’s also important that we don’t obsess over trying to eat healthy 24/7 since we are living on campus and most of us rely on dining hall food. Sometimes, it’s just not possible to make or eat healthy snacks. It may be helpful to substitute certain foods for healthier alternatives, like quinoa instead of white rice, and whole wheat bread for white flour bread.
I hope you’ll give these recipes a try! They’ll make your late-night study crams a lot yummier. Best of luck with your midterms!