Making Healthy Snacks for Class

Good afternoon!

Have you ever been in that situation where you get hungry in the middle of class? I know I have, and usually I am not prepared which results in spending money at the school cafe. I am hoping to give you some ideas that will keep you prepared so you can save that extra dollar and eat healthy at the same time.

To begin with, here are some major benefits of preparing your own healthy snacks:

• Save money: Every student wants to save money, because living expenses are always increasing. If you prepare your own snacks then you get more for your dollar. 
• Nothing tastes better than your own prepared food: If you go to a fast food restaurant or have your food prepared by someone else, then they don't put as much effort or care into it. When you make your own snack, you get to enjoy it and it gives you that sense of accomplishment because you know it was made with care. 
• It's healthier: With a homemade snack you can use whichever ingredients that you want, and use much healthier alternatives. 
• You can share: With your own homemade snacks you can make more quantity for cheaper and share with your friends. I know from experience that the person with food in the class is everyone's hero! 

Many of you are going to think that it requires more effort and time which means waking up early. It doesn't sound too appealing. But here's the great thing about preparing your own healthy snacks, you can make them when you have time! This means you can make them the night before or even set aside a few hours on the weekend and prepare them for the whole week depending on the snacks expiry. 

Here are a few quick and healthy ideas: 

• Carrot sticks: I know it sounds very "elementary" but it takes a few minutes to prepare and it's very healthy. According to Calorie King 10 carrot sticks cut at 3 inches long is equivalent to approximately 29 calories. Plus, you can vary your serving sizes based on your hunger for the day. Carrots can be purchased in bags of 6+ for just over one dollar (Canadian). They contain dietary fibers as well as protein and calcium. 

• Healthy pizza bagels: They taste really good, and there is very little preparation time. Another benefit is that it can be made with ingredients that you have sitting around your house. The wonderful thing about pizza bagels is that they can be customized, which means you can make them as healthy as you choose. Once you prepare it, you can put it in the microwave for a minute or until the cheese melts. They can be eaten while listening to your professor lecture. The required ingredients are: Whole wheat bagels, nonfat mozzarella cheese, and pizza sauce. The rest is up to you! Also, as a side note for those of you that are lactose intolerant, you can substitute the mozzarella cheese for Lisanatti mozzarella style chunks original almond cheese. 

• Yogurt with nuts: I stumbled upon this idea on 10 Super Snacks you can make in under 5 minutes All you need is some yogurt, preferably non-fat and some of your favorite walnuts, and almonds. If you want to get even more in depth then you can add some of your favorite berries. This can be prepared in minutes and tastes excellent. It is also portable if you have a mini jar to keep it in. The overall costs are very cheap as you can buy yogurt in bulk and the nuts can be used in portions. 

• Your favorite fruit or vegetable cut up: A healthy snack choice can be as easy as taking your favorite fruit or vegetable and chopping it up. You can also mix and match different fruits and vegetables to make your snack even more healthy. They can be shared with friends as well. Some examples are: apples, bananas, green peppers, tomatoes, and many more. 

There are so many potential ideas that the list could be endless. I will leave you with the above ideas but remember anything can be a snack so be creative! Take your favorite healthy foods and mix them with others, you won't believe how good of ideas you will come up with. If you have any ideas that you like please feel free to share them in the comments section, we would all like to hear about them. Also, you can email us at healthystudentonabudget@gmail.com , we will do our best to respond in a timely manner! Thank you for your time and hope you enjoyed today's posting. Stay tuned for a new posting from Matt tomorrow!  

Enjoy the rest of your day, and try some of the above ideas out! 

-Kurtis