July 14, 2016

Avocado-Mango Coconut Smoothie

A creamy avocado smoothie is a perfect refresher for either the beginning or middle of your day. It functions as a morning-pick me up or a post-workout drink. The mango and banana sweetens the smoothie a bit, while the taste of the almond-coconut milk matches the good fats from the avocado. I’ve been trying to manipulate avocados lately to find other ways to use them besides traditional guacamole, it’s amazing how many different ways you can use them! I hope you enjoy this version! (Make sure your avocado has ripened slightly, so you can taste all of that healthy fat!)

February 4, 2016

Grapefruit-Lime Energizer (Dining Hall)

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Packed with nutrients such as vitamin C, lycopene, and potassium, grapefruit is commonly overlooked for its potential source of vitamins because of its astringent bitter taste. Always stocked at the dining hall in large amounts, only a few college students will reach for this drink, while the rest of us will opt for the better-tasting orange or apple juice. It would be a shame to miss out on all the important nutrients simply because of its strong taste; to reduce the after-taste of grapefruit juice, I added a bit of honey and some water to dilute it.

February 3, 2016

Grilled Honey-Beet Sandwich (Dining Hall)

My main purpose with this food blog is to show people that food from the dining hall CAN look and taste good, if you’re game for a little experimentation! The sandwich I made today at the dining hall had beets in it- yes, I know, many of you may look away because ‘beets’ isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite word. Beets usually elicit an ‘ick’ factor from me, but I’ve found that with a little heat and some honey glaze, the beets can be amped up in flavor. When the beets hit the grill, they become slightly sweeter and their bland taste diminishes.

Working up from the beets, I chose the other ingredients because of their taste and the play of colors that forms on the plate: the beets stand out against the greens, and the croutons provide some added crunch for a different dimension of texture to this sandwich.

All I can say is that I think you should give these purple, nutrient-packed roots a chance!

February 2, 2016

Good Morning Blueberry-Pineapple Toast

Sometimes the best breakfasts are the ones that are light on your stomach and don’t leave you hanging in a food coma. One day I was rushing to class (*correction- everyday I’m running late to class) and I was trying to come up with a feasible and portable breakfast snack that gives me energy- not one that leaves me tired after I’ve finished eating. I craved something more than just a slice of plain bread covered in butter.

February 1, 2016

Melty Pita Pocket

What’s better than Totino’s Pizza Roles?

Sadly, the answer is nothing. I found myself craving these tiny bites of goodness, only to realize that they are actually quite unhealthy for me and that I should probably reduce my intake of them. To snap myself out of my craving, I decided to make a healthier, larger version (larger is always better, of course) of my favorite “pizza pockets” by reducing the amount of salt and increasing the number of veggies that goes into this recipe.