December 14

Best Study Snacks

By Carina Lin

It’s finals season! If you’re lacking motivation, first, welcome to the club, and second, you’re in luck: here are some of The Howler’s favorite foods to power through those study sessions. You got this, we believe in you.

Frozen Grapes

You’re seriously missing out if you haven’t tried them. Sweet, refreshing and quick to make, frozen grapes are bite-sized popsicles made from your favorite type of grape (I personally recommend seedless green grapes that are crisp and sweet, perfect as they are or frozen). Plus, there’s no mess, so eat them to your heart’s (or stomach’s) content over your beautiful notes without any guilt or fear. Wash, dry and destem those bad boys before sticking them in the freezer for a couple hours and they’ll be a grape addition to any other snacks you had in mind (sorry, I just had to).

Dried Apples

If you’ve sensed a pattern here, yes, we want you to taste the fruits of your labor. Apple rings are a real treat when freeze dried (light and crispy) or dehydrated (soft and chewy) and can be made from all sorts of apple varieties. Pick some up at Trader Joe’s or bake your own. For the latter, we recommend adding a dash of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and brown sugar to spice things up before putting them in the oven (a dried, tried and true blend to put a little bit of the holiday spirit into your studies). No matter how you slice it, these dried apples will help you get to the core of your study material.

Trail Mix & Granola

Be a trail (mix) blazer with your own homemade snack concoction. You can go healthy and traditional with nuts, seeds and dried fruits with a little bit of salt or toss in your favorite seasoning mix for a twist. If you do experiment with the flavors, ingredients and ratios, be sure to make and sample a small batch first (and trust me when I say don’t put in Froot Loops). For those with a sweet tooth, granola is the way to go.

Popcorn

‘Ear me out (corn-y jokes and all)—sweet, salty or simple and plain, popcorn is a versatile snack with a lot of room for personalization. There’s the traditional kettle corn, cheddar and butter from ready-made packs, or you can opt for the more unusual, homemade garlic-herb, curry or chocolate peanut butter drizzle. It’s light and bite-sized, too, perfect for snacking. So grab a bowl, kick back and enjoy the show (and by show I mean that 50-video marathon of Khan Academy videos you were planning on binge-watching).

Tea Eggs & Ramen Eggs

Here’s the tea: while these eggs take longer to prepare since they’re marinated, they’re well worth the wait. For both, you start off by preparing the sauce and making soft boiled eggs. While tea eggs are simmered in black tea, soy sauce and spices, allowing the eggs to soak up their signature savory taste and cook in it, ramen eggs are peeled, soft-boiled eggs marinated in a mixture of dashi (kelp and bonito fish stock), mirin (a Japanese sweet rice wine) and soy sauce for 24 hours or more (longer if you want more flavor). They’re egg-xactly the protein boost you need to get through those chapter readings and practice problems.