Saturday, December 24, 2011

Snacks All Semester

The semester is over!  Hooray! 

Please take time to rest and relax.  While you're on break, you can start preparing for next semester.  High quality snacks are a great way to fuel your brain, stabilize your mood, and sustain your energy during long days.  Get ahead of the game and gather up a supply of emergency snacks before the semester starts. 

I made 40 yummy snacks this morning.  It took me about 20 minutes and cost about $15.00 (compare this to the $50 that I would spend buying 40 granola bars at the UNH Law cafeteria). 

For a winning combination of nutritional qualities (fiber, antioxidants, complex carbs, protein, and deliciousness), textures (crunchy, chewy), and flavors (sweet, savory, tart, bitter) I used these ingredients:

  • Bite sized shredded wheat cereal (I like plain, but you might prefer cinnamon or frosted)
  • Dried cranberries
  • Dried dates (I like these because there is no added sugar)
  • Dark chocolate (good for your heart and your soul)
  • Whole almonds (found in the baking aisle)
  • Snack size zip-lock bags


I cut up the chocolate bars into small pieces.


Next, I just put a little bit of each food into a bag. I ended up with 40 bags.  You might end up with more or less, depending on how much of each food you put in each bag.  I had lots of chocolate left over, which I put in the freezer for later.  OK, I ate some too.  And, full disclosure, I origionally bought four bars of chocolate, but you'll notice that only three of them are in the photo.  What happened to the other bar?  It mysteriously disappeared during finals week. 


Store these in your freezer.  This will keep the nuts fresh chocolate from melting, and the fruit from getting sticky.  You can take out one each day, or take out 5 at the beginning of each week to keep in your book bag, purse, car, or locker.   

A nice thing about these little bags is that you can add enough food for a satisfying, healthy snack, and won't find yourself mindlessly eating a whole bag of Doritos becuase you didn't have anything better within reach.   

You might also consider adding to each snack bag.....
  • A multivitamin
  • A vitamin C supplement (lozenge, tablet, or Emergen-C pack)
  • A fish oil capsule
  • Dried apple chips
  • A green tea bag
  • Multigrain crackers
  • A package of string cheese (keep your baggies in the fridge)
  • Whole grain pretzels

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