This post provided by college nutritionist, author, and all around excellent source of healthful info, Melanie Jatsek.

If I were to tell you that eating certain foods in the right combination will make you more alert and focused, would you give them a try?  How about if I told you that some of your food choices are literally draining your brain power? Would you think twice before chowin’ down on them?

The bad news – it’s true!
The good news – you don’t have to completely overhaul your diet in order to get results.

Three factors influence what I like to call your “brain power”:  meal composition (the foods that make up your meal), meal size and meal frequency. Allow me to break it all down for you: Read More »

I basically live my life by the phrase “go big or go home.” I’m an extremist in every way. I either love something or hate it, am obsessed or utterly disinterested. So after last week’s Rollerblading success during spring break, I returned to campus with the goal of exercising EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Now, for someone who hasn’t exercised consistently in four years, that’s quite the lofty goal. I would venture that it’s relatively impossible. But my intentions were good–I wanted to come out of this One Month Challenge with exercise as part of my daily routine, a regular part of my life, rather than a series of one-time attempts at athleticism.

Needless to say, I didn’t exercise every day this week. I exercised one day. So I’m going to throw my “go big or go home” philosophy out the window right now, because I’ve found that in exercise, sometimes it’s the little things that make a difference. Maybe this is just an elaborate attempt to prove to myself that I didn’t fail this week, but let’s just go with it for now.

Following the tips of fellow College Candy writer Jill, I set out this week to make a series of small changes to my lifestyle. I stretched every morning when I woke up and every night before I went to bed. I ate breakfast every morning, bypassing the Reese’s Puffs for fat-free yogurt, a bagel and veggie cream cheese, half a grapefruit, a banana, oatmeal. I took the stairs instead of the elevator at work. And I set a more reasonable goal: to attend a fitness class in our campus rec center. Read More »

People are talkin’. Could it be true?

Is Jesse James competing with Tiger Woods?

Ed Westwick has a diva moment.

Eat breakfast. Lose weight.

This is your brain on drugs.

Isla Fisher totally keeps Sacha in check.

I am a self-confessed hippie eater. No, I do not eat hippies (they tend to be too chewy). However, I do eat in the way that most hippies do—that is, staples of my diet include wheat germ, quinoa, and organics of all kinds, and, occasionally, I will even go out on a limb and try something like Kefir. Basically, I want my body to be as healthy as possible, so I’m going to put healthy things in it.

But I’m also a self-confessed foodie, and I want my food to taste GOOD. If it doesn’t, it’s out. So I have been searching high and low for months now in an effort to find the perfect pancake recipe—one with both taste and health benefits. Most pancakes aren’t bad for you, sure, but I wanted a recipe that really packed in the good stuff and had a flavor that couldn’t be beat.

Well, you guys, I’ve finally found it. All Recipes saves the day once again! This time, though, I modified the recipe to make it even yummier by adding extra flavor to these bad boys. As if that wasn’t good enough, you can also whip up all twelve of these pancakes in just about 15 minutes. It may not look it, but this recipe is SUPER easy.

Sunday mornings never tasted so good.

Read More »

Hanukkah is coming!

Unfortunately, I’m not Jewish and don’t celebrate the holiday, but just because I can’t indulge in 8 days of presents doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy everyone’s favorite Hanukkah treat: the potato latke.

According to Jewish tradition, latkes (or potato pancakes) are cooked to symbolize the miracle of the Maccabees’ oil burning for 8 nights when there was only enough for one. Too bad most latke recipes do the opposite, using enough oil for 8 nights for one greasy (yet totally delicious) side dish.

Well not anymore. Behold the sweet potato pancake. It’s moist, it’s tasty, and it’s not drenched in oil. Yes, it’s a Hanukkah miracle of its own. One that anyone – from Jews to those of us who really just like delicious food – can enjoy. Read More »

Do you loooove breakfast, so much so that you often eat it again for lunch, and dinner? You could pull off the thrice-daily cereal routine -and yes, I’ve been a culprit – but as great as three servings of Frosted Flakes tastes, I’ve got a dish for you that is as wholesome as a hot breakfast, delicious as a quick lunch, and hearty as a home-cooked dinner. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it’s ethnic to boot.

It’s shakshouka!

Native to North Africa and the Middle East, shakshouka is a breakfast often served straight out of the skillet, with a side of pita bread in which to stuff the piping hot concoction. However, I am a celiac, which means I’m gluten-intolerant (can’t eat anything containing wheat, barley, or rye).  I’m also a distance runner, and I’m constantly looking for more protein to stay full and rebuild muscle. Hence, the following recipe, which reflects my own spin on the ethnic favorite. The chickpeas and black beans offer lean, healthy proteins and the rice, a staple in the celiac diet, allows this classic breakfast to transition easily to lunch or dinner.

Yeah, it might be hard to pronounce, but this stuff is easy to make.
See for yourself!  Read More »

Though it’s getting a bit chillier these days, it’s still Fall, pumpkin-flavored anything is still awesome, and there’s basically nothing better than waking up and making yourself pancakes on a blustery morning, afternoon, or night.

Ok, so maybe having some hottie do it for you would be nice, but you’ll forget all about that once you bite into these badboys.

This recipe is slightly complicated, but it’s nothing a relatively cheap trip the neighborhood grocery store and 30 minutes in the kitchen won’t fix.

And, like that thick trainer at my gym always says, “no pain, no gain.” I’m pretty sure he’s talking about a 45-minute run on the treadmill, but I just think it means all that cooking will be worth it when you’re filled with 2 lbs of pumpkin pancake bliss. Read More »

Remember those nasty instant-oatmeal packages you would toss in the microwave on those mornings when you were all hungover but starving? Yeah, forget them. This isn’t that. This is waaaaay, way better.

Oatmeal is the perfect breakfast to warm you on a cold winter morning, or to keep you full and alive in a long, boring lecture until lunch. It’s tasty, healthy and super versatile, meaning it’s pretty much the perfect college meal.

So how do you make it well? It’s simple.

First, you need to get yourself some rolled oats. Not the quick-cooking kind – the regular kind. The only other staples you’ll need are milk (any kind, even soy is OK) and salt. And we all have that stuff lying around, right? Once you’ve got that down, then you can lay out your own personal oatmeal sundae bar: nuts, dried fruit, cream, sugar, honey, fresh berries, yogurt, chocolate chips, etc.

So here’s how you make your oatmeal:

1. In a small saucepan, put 1 cup of milk (or 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup milk) and a sprinkle of salt. Set the saucepan on medium-high heat.
2. When the milk starts to bubble up and simmer, pour in 1/2 cup rolled oats. Reduce the heat to low.
3. Cook at a simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring every so often so the oatmeal doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
4. When the oatmeal is the consistency you like, scoop it out and serve it! Read More »

I learned more my first week at college than I did in my entire life. And I don’t mean academically. I mean socially, financially, emotionally and drunk-ly. Some things took longer to figure out than others (that I should visit the ATM before I get to the bar, to avoid extra fees and my tendency to tipsily make it rain) and other things took mere minutes (don’t eat dining hall hot dogs).

But there are 5 things that every freshman should figure out their very first week on campus. Consider this College Life 101: Intro To The Best 4 Years of Your Life.

The go-to hangover breakfast spot: For those mornings when a Gatorade and toast just won’t do the trick, you need to find the most happening breakfast place near campus. This is not only important for the mornings when you need to take things to-go (back to your bed where you can lie in the dark while watching Daisy of Love marathons), but also for the social aspect of morning-after breakfast. Because everyone knows, after the party it’s the after party…and after that and the hotel lobby… it’s IHOP.

So, on those mornings when your inner monologue sounds like “Hahalalala definitely still drunk and my hair and makeup still look great!” you’ll know where you and your girls can go to re-cap last night’s madness while chowing on carby goodness and watching people walk in wearing their clothes from the night before. Read More »

[College prepares you for a lot of things - like binge drinking competitions - but one thing it does not teach you is how to cook. At least how to cook things that require more than 30 seconds in the microwave.

But cooking your own meals means healthier eating, more money in your bank account, and the gratification that comes from making something with your hands. Everyone here at CollegeCandy loves to cook, so we're going to bring you our favorite (and easy) recipes every Sunday. Because it's a lazy day and you've got nothing better to than cook, right? Right.]

Frittata’s are a personal favorite because they’re insanely fast (10 minutes tops), super-easy (if you can stir, you’re set), can take pretty much whatever you have hanging around the fridge (baking soda - not recommended) and makes it look like you have actual cooking skill. Bonus points for giving it a fancy sounding name!

I am kinda infatuated (OK, not kinda…) with this frittata because it is a totally healthy, totally acceptable way to eat pizza in the morning. And who doesn’t love pizza in the morning? These ingredients make my favorite version, but you could substitute just about any leftovers or canned goods you have. Read More »