How to survive grad school: Part 2

PART 2: SNACKS

What it is

Food that's not technically a meal, but let's be honest, it usually replaces a meal.

How it will help you survive grad school

The thing about terrible things is that they're often improved by food. I've found that snacking is both a way to procrastinate homework and a way to get through it. Need a break? Walk out to the kitchen and grab something to eat. Even just opening random cabinets and the fridge helps delay work on an assignment. Need to motivate yourself? Small, bite-sized snacks can provide enough incentive to get through that next paragraph where you are required to overly explain your reasoning. Plus, snacking is a great way to stay awake when you don't want to down an energy drink, even when you're bored to tears.

Highlights
These are tried and true snacking favorites.

1. Popcorn

Anyone who has been my roommate since 2007 knows my deep love of popcorn. I loved using a roommate's air popper so much, she bought me one when I was moving out. This was one of the best presents I have ever been given.

If preparing popcorn with an air popper, you can either melt down butter (WARNING: using margarine or other fake butters end up weird with layers of oil when melted) or use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray. Melted butter is obviously the more delicious choice, but the I Can't Believe...spray is good when you're lazy or pretending to be healthy. I've found half a scoop full of kernels is a good snack portion and a full scoop is good for a meal. Basically, pour/spray on the butter while shaking a bowl or paper bag of popped popcorn. Then sprinkle in salt while still shaking. With practice, you can get the ratio right for your tastes.

If you're even lazier, you can just do microwave popcorn. My favorite? Pop Secret Homestyle. It doesn't have that weird 94% fat free taste or make you feel greasy. If you're trying not to eat popcorn for dinner, Orville Redenbacher's minibags are a pretty good portion.

2. Dried fruit

Also known as nature's crack, dried fruit is just as delicious as real fruit, but often sugarier and less juicy (leading to less mess). Trader Joe's is a great place to get everything from craisins to dried mango for pretty cheap. This is another way to pretend you're healthy while eating an entire bag of bite-sized deliciousness that's probably rotting your teeth anyway.

3. Gum

Yeah, I know it's not a snack, but sometimes you've got to stop snacking, and you need to distract your mouth from the fact that you're not shoving food in your face anymore. My personal favorite is Orbit peppermint flavor. It keeps its flavor for about 45 minutes and never gets hard, even when you've been chewing it for over an hour.

4. Trail Mix

Yet another way to pretend you're healthy. Even the kinds with dried fruit in them also come chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips. But what can I say, it hits the sweet and savory spot. WARNING: probably contains delicious, delicious peanuts.

5. Tortilla Chips and Salsa

I've talk about this before (in fact, I've talked about snacking before), this is how important tortilla chips are to me. Long story short, Santita's are cheap ($2!) and delicious, but I'm willing to branch out if another chip is on sale. And I usually play salsa by ear, although Tostito's salsa is a pretty solid choice.

6. Other crackers/chips

Crackers are a way to pretend you're not eating chips, but really, you're just eating less greasy chips. Personal favorites include Goldfish, Wheat Thins, Ritz, and pretzels. Say you still want crazy chip flavors but don't want to stoop to Flamin' Hot Cheetos, then go with SunChips. That way you can both think you're healthy and that you're saving the environment by buying one of those recyclable bags (which, BTW, are effectively loud if you need to startle yourself awake). Might I recommend Garden Salsa?

7. Candy

Sometimes you just need to get through finals. Sometimes a bag of chocolate chips or a package of Starbursts are a way to do it. No need to apologize.

What are your favorite snacks? Did I leave any classics out?

Deliciousness in the form of Pumpkin

I made a loaf of pumpkin bread last week. Not only was the combination of pumpkin and chocolate chips absolutely delicious, but it left the apartment smelling all homey and spicy. Here's the recipe from The Essential Mormon Cookbook:

Pumpkin Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Add pumpkin and mix; set aside. In another bowl sift dry ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamy mixture. Beat until blended. Add chocolate chips and pecans, if desired. Grease one loaf pan or four mini loaves. Pour batter into pans. For one loaf, back at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. For mini loaves, bake at 350 degrees F for about 35 to 40 minutes. Makes one loaf or four mini loaves.

New Vending Machine Favorite

Whilst wandering campus in search of food before my evening class yesterday, I happened upon a new addition to the campus vending machines: Easy Mac.

I always thought this was a nasty idea--what with the no milk and all--but regular Kraft Mac & Cheese tastes fake anyway, and Easy Mac (shockingly) tastes exactly the same. It only takes a few minutes to make and it has that same gross/good taste of the original. All you need is water and a microwave.

Easy Mac, the most ridiculous/useful snack/meal ever.

Like the corners of mind

Today as I was walking on campus I encountered a smell that took me back to high school.

In high school, I never ate the actual meals they offered in the cafeteria, but went to the student store which was run by students (in a certain class, I think). It was always overcrowded and busy, but it offered cheap a la carte food that I could afford on my $10 a week lunch allowance from my dad. By my senior year, the store actually had a roped line, but those years before, I honed my shoving-through-crowds skills so I could, not so much cut, but strategically get to the front faster. It was lunch-Darwinism, if you will.

The specific smell: pizza sticks and fresh baked cookies. It's an odd combination that's almost gross, but also comforting in a junk food sort of way. Pizza sticks are essentially a thinner and stretched out version of hot pockets. Also cheaper, and I bought them a least every other day with a bottle of chocolate milk. And those cookies, I cannot for the life of me remember the name of them, but they were never baked all the way through, making them that much more delicious. Although, for some reason, I had some sort of dietary conscience that prevented me from buying those cookies on a regular basis. Also, I was sort of broke and couldn't afford the sleeves of 3 for a dollar.

Anyway, the smell just made me want to get a pizza stick and a bottle of chocolate milk even though that was also kind of gross.

Almost feeling guilty about snacking, but not really

"I'm not hungry, but I feel like eating." My old roommate used to say that all the time. And that's exactly how I feel right now. I freaking voracious today.

Some choice snackage from today:

Wheat Thins, which I think are justifiably pretty healthy. You've got some fiber in there and it has the word "wheat" in the title. Also, I don't eat that many of them unlike some other crackers I know.

My box does not have Rachael Ray on it, although it is family size.

Tortilla Chips and Salsa are irresistible.


I usually don't buy them because I will eat them until they're gone. I usually buy Santita's brand because it's cheap. Also I buy the white corn because it's more delicious.

In terms of salsa, Tostito's "chunky" line of salsa is delicious. And since I'm a spice-wuss, I usually get mild. It's delicious and tastes like I'm getting real vegetable nutrients.


Last, but most delicious of all: Chips Ahoy!


This cookie was one of the many reasons I loved my Grandma: a constant supply of Chips Ahoy cookies (in addition to some home baked, of course). These are almost as addictive as Famous Amos, except they're bigger so you feel like you've eaten more**.


Anyway, this is just to say, I ate a lot of each of these today. And it was delicious.


*Ritz, I could eat you by the sleeve.
**Not exactly cookie vitamins.