It’s late, you’ve had a long day of classes, and the only dining hall open is JJ’s Place. While JJ’s is notorious for its selection of comfort foods, like burgers, fries, and wings, there are still plenty of great options that are filling and healthy. Next time you find yourself going down those stairs to our late night dining hall, use these tips to help you make your meal choices.
1. Ask the grill for plain grilled chicken; slice it and put it on top of your salad. The cooks usually keep a few extra hot pieces on hand, so most of the time it is ready right away without a wait. To spice it up, use the barbeque sauce or buffalo sauce from the condiment station.
2. One word: omelets. If you are like me, most of the time you forget that JJ’s does breakfast all day every day. Load up on veggies in your eggs, or get the Huevos Rancheros. You can’t go wrong with the omelets. For an extra bonus, ask for a dollop of guacamole on the side – avocados are really good for you.
3. If you thought breakfast stopped at omelets, JJ’s always has pancakes! You can get a serving of fruit, because depending on the day, sometimes JJ’s has blueberries, strawberries, and or bananas to go in your pancakes. One of my favorites is a banana chocolate chip combination to satisfy my sweet tooth. Add some whipped from next to the hot chocolate station to kick it up another notch. Okay, this may not be the healthiest option, but it is a nice change from another cheeseburger!
4. Speaking of cheeseburgers, these have an undeserved reputation – red meat is actually good for you because it contains iron. In other words, it doesn’t hurt to eat a burger every once in a while! However, the worst part is the processed cheese on top and the side of French fries. Nix the American cheese and ask for no fries, because let’s be honest, it’s easier to not eat them if they aren’t there! Nix the cheese and ask for spinach, tomato, feta, and onion instead for a garden burger, or replace it with guacamole for another tasty option. For a rodeo burger, use barbeque sauce as a topping.