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!

Some of my personal favorite oatmeal combos:

• A teaspoon of honey, a few drizzles of heavy cream, and a fresh peace sliced up on top.
• Brown sugar and berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, whatever.
• Vanilla yogurt and sliced almonds with honey.
• Wheat germ with mashed banana and a few chocolate chips.
• Some chai tea or chai spices right in the bowl with cream, sugar, and raisins.

Any other great combos out there? Share ‘em here!

But isn’t there a more convenient alternative to carry in your purse or backpack for easy access during less-than-stimulating class? Mornings are hectic as it is – picking out a cute and semi-clean outfit, making sure you grab the right books, and checking the mirror for any potential embarrassments – who has time to grab a coffee?

Luckily, a few capitalistic masterminds have exploited our caffeine addiction. No, I’m not talking about those fools over at Starbucks; that’s old news. Enter the world of caffeinated munchies. Red Bulls and Power Bars have nothing on these chemically-enhanced, caffeine-infused snacks.

We’ve all seen the caffeine gums, but, Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore.

Today’s caffeine fiends can choose from lollipops, chocolates, cookies, jellybeans and more. Here’s a rundown of the best indulgences to get you wired without suffering the evil burnt tongue:

BuzzStrong’s Coffee Cookies

Guaranteed to satisfy your inner-cookie monster, these babies are made with Brazilian coffee, Tahitian vanilla, and Swiss dark and white chocolate chips. All natural and carrying 70 calories per cookie, four cookies are equivalent to a one-cup coffee buzz. A 7 0unce, 12-cookie box will only cost you $4.99, which is the eqivalent to a single Starbucks run.

Crackheads

A far better alternative to inviting in the local crackhead off the street (these guys smell better and provide a much better buzz), Crackheads are a great caffeinated snack. White and dark chocolate covered espresso beans? Yum! Each 1.3-ounce box has around 30 beans, for a grand total of 120 mg of caffeine. That will get you through that 8am lecture, fo sho.

Sport Beans

Boasting yummy flavors like lemon-lime, cherry, orange, berry blue, watermelon and fruit punch, these caffeine-free beans packs 25 grams of carbohydrates as well as electrolytes and vitamins B and C. If you truly want to step it up, a second line of “Extreme” Sports Beans carry 50 mg of caffeine a pack. For about a dollar a bag and 100 calories, these small one-ounce bags pack a powerful punch, which far outweighs the chemically after-taste.

Buzz Bites Chocolate Energy Chews

Satisfy your chocolate craving and grab an energy boost to boot. Each chocolate contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee (100 mg!). At $3.99 for an eight-piece tin, this is the clear choice of self-confessed choco/caffeine-aholics.

Jolt Energy Gum

A spin off of Jolt Cola, you can choose between spearmint and peppermint. Toss two pieces in your mouth to feel the equivalent of an energy drink. This also happens to be super cheap ($2.49 for a 12 pack) and you’ll be able to find it in almost any convenience store.

Night Light Caffeinated Chai Mints

Not for caffeine junkies, but a good choice for those seeking a slight bump during midterms…or after a particularly long weekend. Caffeinated chai mints are only lightly caffeinated (1.5 mg per mint) and promise to ‘add a slight hint of alertness to your chai induced peace.’ Bonus: These mints come in super-cute brushed metal tins with the option to go online and design your own!

Javapops

Lollipops aren’t just for the little tykes anymore! These adult-only pops come in 5 java-brew flavors: French Vanilla, Chocolate Almond, Irish Crème, Cappuccino, and Chocolate Raspberry. A pack of ten oversized lolli’s (with 60 mg of caffeine in each one) will set you back $9.99.

Penguin Caffeinated Peppermints


Three of these bad boys are the equivalent to a high sugar, high calorie Coke. Allegedly ‘the original caffeinated mint’, they’re sugar free and their caffeine infused offerings include peppermint, cinnamon and chocolate. For an all-natural buzz, try the Kola or Citrus varieties, both with guarana and ginseng. A $2.99 tin contains 25 mints.

Engobi Cinnamon Surge Energy Go Bites


Love Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists? Wish they would wake you up (instead of making you feel like a fattie)? Your prayers have been answered. These cinnamon sugar puffs contain 140 mg of caffeine in a pack and their taste alone blows the other caffeinated cravings out of the water. Well, that and the promise on the package: “To get wired. I mean really wired.”

The solution? The same delicious, chocolaty goodness in portable cookie form: BROWNIE BOMBS.

What You’ll Need:

10 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional: 2 oz. toffee or peanut butter morsels ( if you choose to add these, reduce your choco chip amount to 8 oz.)

What to do:

1. Melt butter and 8 oz. of chocolate in microwave safe bowl.

2. Stir together until blended into smooth, pudding-like consistency

3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar together

4. Stir into chocolate mixture until completely combined and smooth.

5. Slowly add flour, Vanilla, salt and Baking Powder, stirring continuously

6. Fold remaining chocolate chips or Peanut Butter or Toffee Morsels

7. Place bowl of mixture in freezer.

8. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

9. Cover a baking sheet with parchment liner

10. When the oven is pre-heated, remove your dough from the freezer.

11. Scoop spoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheet, allowing space for them to spread while baking.

12. Bake for 9-13 minutes

13. Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes.

MMMM! Pour yourself a glass of milk and revel in your domesticity, because you have just successfully kicked Betty Crocker’s ass!

Then, boy, have I got the dessert for you.

Seriously. It’s called Mint Chip Pie and the only downside (the ONLY downside) is how retardedly addictive it is.

So take ten minutes and make this delicious summer dessert. It’s about 5 servings, so invite some friends over…or don’t and have lots of leftovers. Your choice. I won’t tell.

And now, without further ado, I give you:

Mint Chip Pie

Go out and buy:

-1 crust (preferably chocolate graham cracker crust), 9 inches

-6 cups of mint chip ice cream

-1 ounce of dark chocolate

Here’s how you make it:

-Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes to soften it.

-In the meantime, melt the chocolate in the microwave and stir it until it’s nice and creamy.

-Now that the ice cream is soft, empty it into the crust and smooth it down so it’s evenly distributed.

-Drip the chocolate on the top of the ice cream, preferably abstractly (let’s not be Suzy Homemaker, yes?).

-Stick the whole thing in the freezer for at least 8 hours.

-Hooray! You have mint chip pie! Let it sit in room temperature for 15 minutes before you serve it, and then enjoyyyyy!

[Image courtesy of www.bettycrocker.com]

While it might seem appealing to grab a triple-shot mocha at Starbucks, that’s really not the best thing for our minds or our bodies to have (or, in many cases, our wallets). If you want a snack that scores high on both nutrition and taste, consider one of the following:

Pita with Hummus. You can buy your hummus at the store (roasted red pepper is my favorite kind), or make your own for cheap using a scaled-down version of a recipe like this one. Cut a slit in the side of your pita, shovel in a few spoonfuls of hummus, and you’re good to go.

Yogurt with Topping. It’s really easy to take a container of yogurt with you wherever you need to go, and yogurt has the added advantage of meshing well with almost any topping choice. Try tossing a few chocolate chips on top of caramel yogurt, fresh blueberries atop a carton of strawberry, or a spoonful of toasted nuts and honey on top of plain vanilla.

Trail Mix. Not just for campers, trail mix is a busy girl’s dream come true because it takes only seconds to put together and it’s easy to make a little or a lot. In a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container, try throwing together some combination of the following: nuts, craisins, chocolate chips, dried fruit, granola, oats, dry cereal, cinnamon, sunflower seeds, and pretzel pieces. Then toss it in your purse and gnaw on it throughout the afternoon. It sure makes those wasteland hours go by faster!

Got any other quick, healthy snacks the rest of the world needs to hear about?! Be our chef for the moment and let us know!