Sadly, this is not a picture of the snack mix. My roommate ate it before I could snap a photo. No joke.

Thanksgiving to New Year’s (and the few days after when you’re lying around attempting to kick the hangover) is pretty much the universal stuff-your-face time period. It’s suddenly acceptable to drink gallons of Starbucks holiday drinks and eat desserts like there’s no tomorrow.

It isn’t the healthiest thing, but we’ll worry about that tomorrow when our ambitious “go to the gym at least 5 times a week” resolution kicks in.

Or we won’t, because there are some things in life that are more important than your flat abs, and this snack is one of them. Seriously, this stuff is the reason I go to the gym. Not to burn off the calories from eating bowls full of it, mind you, but to work up an appetite so I can eat more of it.

My grandma has been making this snack mix for years and it never fails to make it into my belly. It’s just the perfect combination of salty and sweet resulting in a savory, dessert snack mix combo. It’s super easy to make, looks great in a bowl on the table and will be the hit of any party you may be throwing. It also happens to go swimmingly with long study sessions, a few back-to-back episodes of 30 Rock, or when you’re barefoot and standing over the counter late-night.

Or, you know, whenever.

The good news? You can adjust the ingredients to make it your own. You can use dark chocolate to make it a bit healthier, or mix all three for a fun (and delicious) tie-dye batch.

Ingredients:
10 oz. pretzels
1 can (14 0z.) cashews
5 cups corn Chex
5 cups Cheerios
2-12 oz. packages of white chocolate chips
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Recipe:
1)    Mix pretzels, cashews, corn Chex and Cheerios in a large bowl. Set aside.
2)    Melt the white chocolate and vegetable oil in the microwave (2 minutes).
3)    Add chocolate mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until covered.
4)    Spread out on wax paper and let cool (it will dry into one big block).
5)    Break into pieces and eat away!!

Warning: Do not sit in front of the bowl, I repeat: DO. NOT.  It is extremely addicting and you will eat the entire thing. Instead grab handfuls as you pass through the room to control consumption.

But, surprisingly, sometimes what we think is horrible for our health can have some benefits.  However, just like anything, these things should probably be done in moderation anyway.  Most benefits are demolished when you overdose on the activity (except sex…I maintain that you cannot overdose on that).

Stress – Yes, stress can be helpful (short of pulling out your hair because you haven’t started that art project that’s due in two hours).  Stress can benefit the immune system, preparing the body to withstand things like surgery and infections, and also pushes us to be most effective at the tasks at hand. Bring on the triple-bypass surgery, because I’ve had enough stress to boost my immune system to super human levels.

Caffeine – There are tons of benefits of drinking caffeine! Increased reaction speed and alertness, decreased evidence of liver damage, weight loss, lower occurrence of diabetes, and increased sex drives in females (it’s only been proven in rats, but I’m gonna make the jump).  Grab a cup of coffee from the cafeteria and enjoy the buzz.

Oversleeping – Sleeping too much is really bad for you.  However, how many college students do you know who are getting too much sleep?  Usually, we oversleep because we’ve been running on 3 hours of sleep for five days (finalsss) or because we’ve been killing ourselves with club meetings, classes, work, and assignments during the day.  Sometimes your body just needs some time to catch up and recover.  In fact, while you sleep your mind and body are putting things in order – repairing muscles, organizing memories and new pieces of information gained during the day.  Give yourself a chance to catch up to…yourself.  Sleep in!

Lack of Sleep – If you sleep too much, you’re screwed.  If you don’t sleep enough, you’re equally screwed.  WTF!  But there are still some good things associated with a less-than-satisfying sleep schedule.  Just consider how much extra time you’ll have to play/work with!  You can also get that awesome trippy feeling without the hassle of finding and paying for drugs.  Aside from that…there really isn’t much good that comes from not sleeping.

Alcohol – Although studies are scattered and the opposition is strong, there is some evidence that alcohol does a body good (I always knew it).  In fact, drinking one or two drinks three to four nights a week can decrease your risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and dementia.  Most of these studies were conducted on an older test group (read: 60′s and 70′s), but I say why not get a head start?  This IS your health we’re talking about.

Late-Night Snacking - So you think that bag of Doritos you’re scarfing at 2am is bad for you, right?  Well, it is, but it’s because you’re eating Doritos, not because you’re eating at 2am.  As long as you control portions, watch what you’re eating (perhaps put down the bag of chips and eat that apple instead…), it doesn’t matter when you eat. In fact, you should be eating every 3-4 hours to keep your blood sugar at the optimum level.  That means if you’re staying up late studying or whatnot (emphasis on the whatnot), you should probably eat a little something if dinner is becoming a distant memory.  Yay 2am snacking!

1. My Dropbox – Does your friend have all the good pictures from last night on her camera? Did she just buy the new Britney album that you want but are too embarrassed to purchase? We all know how annoying it is to transfer files via email – that stuff takes forever – and now you don’t have to. My Dropbox is a program you and your friends download. Wanna share some pics with eachother? Just drag em into your box (that’s what she said) and – voila! – any friends who are linked up with you now have the files too. It’s technology at its finest.

2. Healthy Mac & Cheese? 18 grams of fiber in one serving, and it’s GOOD. My late night munching self is in LOVE with this idea.

3. Eco Friendly organization. We all know we are supposed to hold on to every exam all semester long, along with our bank statements, our shopping reciepts, and a plethora of other junk that just ends up splattered all over our desks, and floors, and cars… and the list goes on. So check out these great, eco friendly ways to divide up your important documents and tuck them away in a neat, safe place. I don’t really love these, but my roommates love seeing the kitchen table, so I guess that’s good enough.

4. Laura Mercier ‘Almond Coconut Milk’ Hand Crème - It fits in your purse, makes your hands baby soft, and makes you think you are sipping pina coladas on spring break instead of cramming for your econ final.

5. Frustration Free Packaging. How many times do you spend 25 mintues trying to open up your new phone/Bluetooth/Barbie Doll and you just end up with a missing tooth, a bloody lip and the urge to scream and stomp on the product? Whoever designed that hard plastic packaging should work for national security. But, thankfully, Amazon.com is ready to do away with “Wrap Rage”; they are introducing a line of “frustration free packaging,” in recyclable cardboard boxes. Perfect for those of us with a need for instant gratification. Easy to open AND eco-friendly? Now that I L-O-V-E.

Unfortunately, your favorite pizza/ burrito/ burger/ neighborhood CVS closed 30 minutes ago and you are left to fend for yourself. Right. Because you could barely get your key in the front door, let alone boil water for some mac and cheese. (Mmmmm mac and cheeeeeese.)

Even a frozen pizza is much too difficult to figure out right now. Turn on an oven? To 350? Then wait 30 minutes? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!

Lucky for you, the food industry has been busy creating products for people on the go, which also happen to work quite well for people who are too-drunk-to-function. Yes, that would be you. Just stock up on any and all of these little guys and you are good to go when the Beer Pong tourny is over and you can’t remember your name (or how you made it home with one shoe and a missing bra…):

Uncrustables:

Because making a peanut and butter jelly sandwich requires you to find bread, find peanut butter, find jelly, and then use a sharp object. Uncrustables simply requires you to open your freezer. Done and done. Peanut butter and jelly bliss.

Peanut Butter Slices:

If frozen PB&J isn’t your thang, maybe a slice of peanut butter is better. Easy to slap between two pieces of bread? Absolutely. Gross? Totally. Not quite as gross when you are drunk and just need something to soak up all that Jaeger? Yes please!

Mac and Cheese Crackers:

Back in my day we had to pour water into a bowl with noodles and microwave it for 2 minutes if we wanted some late night Mac and Cheese. Oh the horror! Not anymore, people. Now if you are craving a cheesy post-bar delicacy, all you need to do is open a box. These crackers taste just like the real thing without all that pesky work. No measuring. No cooking. No waiting.

Bagelfuls:

Just like its cousin, the PB&J sandwich, the bagel and cream cheese is just really hard to master after hours of deblitating debauchery. Ever tried to cut a bagel sober? Yeah, hard enough. Thank you, Kraft! You took the work right out of this so drunk kids everywhere could carb up without fear of losing any fingers.

Cereal and Milk Bars:

Because we all love a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch after the bar, but can’t quite get the milk into the bowl/not all over the floor. Thankfully, General Mills fixed that problem by putting milk and cereal together into one delicious late night bar.

Now if only we could get some pre-packaged Vodka Tonics.