When you’re hunkering down to study for midterms or powering through the night to finish a paper, it’s easy to reach for a bag of potato chips or a bowl of ice cream. Before you know it, you’ve eaten more sugary, fatty treats than you were anticipating. But with these healthy snack recipes, all under 300 calories each, you can snack guilt-free during a study session. Healthy snacks not only keep you not only full and focused, but they can also ward off that unwanted freshman (or sophomore, or junior, or senior) 15.
1. Apple with Peanut Butter
Calories: 280
This combination of salty and sweet keeps you full during studying. Slice up an apple and slather the slices in two tablespoons of lightly salted peanut butter. “The carb protein keeps me full and gives me energy,” says Devon Williams, sophomore at Eckerd College.
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2. Smoked Salmon, Avocado and Cream Cheese
Calories: 240
This protein-packed snack roll will keep you full for hours. Use about two ounces of smoked salmon, spread one tablespoon of cream cheese over the slices, and garnish with a third of an avocado. Then, roll up the mixture into a makeshift, rice-less sushi roll.
3. Pita Pockets and Hummus
Calories: 230
Laura Maddox, Campus Correspondent at Appalachian State, recommends serving up about five mini pita pockets with about two tablespoons of hummus. “If you’re eating healthy hummus,” she says of snacking with the pita pockets, “It’s not bad at all.” Stick to just two tablespoons of hummus (or add a few more if you’re going easy on the pitas) to keep your calorie count snack-sized.
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4. Rice Cake with Provolone Cheese
Calories: 210
If you’re a fan of cheese and crackers, try out this snack next time you need some sustenance. Take two rice cakes with a piece of provolone cheese on each. If you want, you can pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and make it a melty snack.
5. Blueberries
Calories: 80 per cup
Blueberries have long been thought to improve brainpower, so chow down on a cup (or even two or three!) while your doing your homework. They are also high in fiber so they keep you fuller longer. Her Campus UNC Campus Correspondent Melissa Paniagua loves blueberries when she’s studying. Stock up on a carton on your next trip to the grocery store!
6. Ants on a Log
Calories: 250
There’s nothing quite like a throwback to this elementary school snack to ease the stress of a long day of work. This snack is super easy to make. Slice up about a cup’s worth of pieces of celery, fill them with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, and stick 2 tablespoons of raisins on top. And there you have it—ants on a log!
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7. Cooked Edamame
Calories: 250
Her Campus Contributing Writer and BU student Kelsey Mulvey recommends this cooked edamame recipe when you need a healthy treat. Take a half-cup of frozen, unshelled edamame, drizzle them in one teaspoon of olive oil and a quarter cup of Parmesan cheese. Add some salt and pepper to taste and cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Once they’re nice and warm, the snack is ready to eat. If you don’t have an oven, let the edamame thaw and then prepare the snack in the microwave.
8. Frozen Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts
Calories: 210
Frozen yogurt is a sweet and tasty treat that’s surprisingly low in fat. If you start off with half a cup of froyo, you can throw in some healthy additions like half a cup of frozen berries and two tablespoons of walnuts and get some additional protein and vitamins.
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9. Carrots and Hummus
Calories: 200
Not a huge vegetable fan? Adding some delicious hummus can make carrots even tastier. California Poly sophomore Christina Favuzzi says that carrots and hummus are one of her favorite snacks come school-time. Since four tablespoons of hummus and thirty baby carrots is only about 200 calories, you can fill up your plate with this tasty snack.
10. Cottage Cheese Surprise
Calories: 215
If you’re a cottage cheese fan, this recipe will make your creamy snack that much more delicious. Start with half a cup of low-fat cottage cheese and mix in half a cup of strawberries and one tablespoon of almond butter. It’ll add more protein to help you power through your study session, and even more deliciousness to your average bowl of cottage cheese.
Next time you need some brain food, try out one of these creative and healthy snacks. You’ll have the energy to hit those flash cards and type those essays for even longer.
Calorie counts for snacks provided by http://caloriecount.about.com/.