The first time I ate in my college dining hall was the first time I realized that putting on that Freshman 15 wasn’t due to just drinking more alcohol. How on earth can I avoid the temptation of returning to the dessert bar…three times?

Never in my life had tons of food been readily available to me and all paid for. The moment I saw the glimmer of that giant soft serve machine was the moment I knew I was doomed. But I’ve found the solution, people! By keeping some delicious (and healthy) snacks in my room constantly, it’s easier to avoid extras at every meal in the dining hall by reminding myself I can healthfully indulge in between meals. Worried about looking like a food hoarder? I’ve included some cute ways to display your morsels of goodness.

1. Hershey’s Kisses

If you haven’t had a Hershey’s Kiss in a while, let me tell you– they last WAY longer than you’d expect, especially if you let them melt in your mouth. At 25 calories each, you could have four or five before you hit the hay. Plus, they look really cute in a curvy apothecary jar, and I promise you’ll have friends stopping by juuust a little more often if the jar has easy access to visitors. Bonus points for buying the red and green foils during the holidays.

2. Energy Bars

I don’t know about you, but I’m a HUGE energy bar fan. I love trying new ones and have found a few winners for both taste and nutrition: Kashi TLC bars, Powerbar Pria bars (110 calories) and Luna Bars (usually around 180 calories– or try the Mini versions at 80 calories!). Read More »

Okay, now that you’re going back to school, it’s time to focus on the most important thing for having a good school day: breakfast.

No, seriously. Breakfast is delicious. I know a lot of college students skip breakfast to save time in the morning (I myself was often guilty of this), but why skip the most awesome meal of the day?

With this easy recipe, you can make 10 banana muffins at once–that’ll get you through 10 days, no muss, no fuss. Plus, you can eat ‘em on the go! And, hey, at least they have bananas.

And if you don’t eat breakfast, you’ll be starving later (low blood sugar, sugar) and quite possibly wolf down everything in sight. Not cute.

So munch away, my collegey friends. Remember, you can’t spell “breakfast” without “eat” (I mean…if you take out some letters in between…whatever, it’s muffins!!). Read More »

About two weeks ago, I decided that it would be an amazingly brilliant idea to try different energy drinks. I never hear the same thing said about an energy drink twice; it’s always a different response, and very few of them encompass the drink as a whole. So I decided to test stuff out on my own.

See? I didn’t die.

Still, once I found myself working my way down (or up) this list, I was getting a lot more negative side affects than positive. So use caution when drinking these guys, and for God’s sake, don’t drink them all in a two-week span like I did.

5. Mad Croc: I wasn’t crazy about this stuff, I’ll be honest. It tasted a lot like Red Bull and bubblegum ice cream combined (gross combo, I know). . If you’re looking for something to just keep you up, this is probably your product. I had a mild case of the shakes for about fifteen minutes, but no other noticeable side affects really showed up. Read More »

I am a major-league cheapskate, so I have always liked to stretch my dollars like they’re Gumby figurines. Now that the economy is sinking like an anchor, I have collected a few more tips to stretch them even further. And I’m happy to share.

1. Reuse plastic bags.

Does this seem like a no-brainer? I hope not, because for the longest time it just didn’t occur to me. You can reuse plastic grocery bags to carry your lunch (or various other sundries). You can also reuse plastic Ziploc bags—unless I’ve filled them with raw meat, I just rinse the bags with soapy water, run clean water over them, and let them dry. Ta-da! Ready to be used again.

2. Shop thrift.

You guys probably do this anyway, but try doing it exclusively for a month, just to see what happens. For clothes, shoes, and accessories only, pick up everything you need or want at thrift stores, secondhand shops, or consignment stores. You’d be amazed at some of the great stuff you can find. Last month I picked up a brand-new French Connection dress at a thrift shop for six bucks, no joke. Read More »

Let’s be realistic; with classes, homework, studying, hobbies, work, and that thing you like to call a social life, we college girls don’t have all that much time for sleep. As much as we’d like to say that 8 hours a sleep of night is ideal, most don’t get that. And after five hours of sleep, that coffee machine is your best friend.

But when our needs go beyond the capabilities of coffee, the next step up is energy drinks. We stock up on “emergency cans” for those long study (read: party) nights, but we all know the hazards of those high-caffeinated drinks, don’t we? I mean, reading on the side of the can that kids, older people, and pregnant women shouldn’t drink it should be warning enough. Read More »

I wish I could say that my sobriety hasn’t made any difference at all in my productivity-but that would be a lie. And it’s a lot harder to lie when I’m sober.

I can’t even believe how much I have been getting done since taking a break from drinking. From my music to my work to running an extra mile every day…I just have so much more energy. Of course this is for a lot of reasons. Alcohol drains your body, yes, but it also makes for poor sleeping patterns. Usually, after a night of drinking, I wake up at least twice in the night to get water since I’m so dehydrated from the alcohol. And, of course, it’s a lot harder to get things done in the morning when I’m just trying to focus on anything other than my hang over.

So yesterday was another testament to my ability to get crap done when I actually have both hands free because I’m not wasting one of them on clasping a beverage. I got a lot of work done in the morning. Then I went running and felt strong through the whole work out. I had practice with a guitarist, made an amazing bacon/pepperoni/jalapeno pizza. Then I worked through the night-on both writing and music-and didn’t lose my energy until around 4 am. It amazed me, to be honest. Read More »

You guys have probably noticed that my usual, semi-prompt weekly entry is a little late. Papers on top of thesis proposals on top of research is never fun. Still, despite all that, there’s a pretty important factor that has lead to my lack of writing;

I am f*cking exhausted.

Now, I’ve been able to handle six or seven hour nights before. I was great at it last semester, and the semester before that, and the semester before that…well, you get the point. Thing is, since I’ve started adjusting my diet, I have just been utterly exhausted. There’s also the fact that my patience for dieting is wearing thin, and I’ve admittedly been cheating, like with that handful of jelly beans I had just an hour or so ago. My weight isn’t going down, and I’m getting kind of upset about that. So I’ve been trying to distract myself.

The gym on campus was nowhere near as bad as I thought it was. I didn’t go alone this time; I dragged along one of my buddies and we hung out there for a good hour or something like that. No bike this time; I was on the treadmill for 25 minutes and the elliptical for 25 minutes. The treadmill was a nice warm-up for the elliptical, and while I was on it I realized something amazing. Read More »

Thanks to my dad making breakfast for me every morning until the day I left for college, I now feel incredibly weird and sick if I don’t eat it, like I’ve left my nose or my left leg at home.

But I know it’s not that way for everybody, and some of us struggle to find the time to even make breakfast. Is it worth it? Hell, yes! Eating a great, healthy breakfast will prevent mid-morning munchies and leave you feeling much more alert and energetic. Not a fan of oatmeal or cold cereal, though? No problem. Try these fab alternatives:

Breakfast Burrito: No, I’m not talking about that abomination they serve up at McDonald’s that’s stuffed with sausage, cheese, and trans fats. I’m talking about utter deliciousness. In a bowl, mix two tablespoons of peanut butter (crunchy or creamy, your choice) with one sliced banana, a generous dollop of honey, and a few walnuts or bits of crunchy granola. Spread the mix on a tortilla, pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds, and you have a tasty power breakfast to go.

Mighty Muffins: I’ve tasted a lot of muffins, and these are hands-down the best and healthiest I’ve ever tried. You’ll need one banana, 2/3 c of whole-wheat flour, ½ tsp baking soda, 3 tablespoons of shortening or butter, 1/3 c of sugar, one egg, 1 tablespoon of honey, ¼ tsp salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and ¼ c sour cream. Read More »

The recent invention of Red Bull has allowed many of us to experience nightlife like never before.

In the past, most of us fell into our beds on Friday night, the long week taking it’s toll on our brains and energy.

But these days, pour a little of that strange tasting liquid into a glass, and suddenly, we’re ready to run around campus in high heels, without a jacket, yelling loud hellos to whoever we happen to jump over.

If this week has been as long for you as it’s been for me (who gets sick twice in one month?!) take a shot of this before the clock strikes eleven tonight.

You should be rearing to go in no time.

Cherry Bomb

1 oz cherry vodka

3 oz Red Bull

1 splash grenadine syrup

Pour your vodka and Red Bull into a small glass. Add grenadine slowly so it sinks to the bottom for a cool layered effect.

Turn up some Journey, clink glasses, and get the night going! Read More »