Food for Thought: How to Spice Up Your Chartwells Diet

Campus food here at Trinity tends to have a negative stigma attached to it, and you may feel as if you have exhausted all of the options at Mather, the Bistro or the Cave.  The trick is to just get creative! Here are some fun options you may want to consider before ordering that tempting pepperoni pie from Campus Pizza for dinner. 
 

1. Salad Dressing–Often, Trinity students get sick of the salad bars at Mather or the Bistro, but really what they are sick of is the salad dressing. Both Mather and the Bistro have a great selection of ingredients for salads, but sometimes all you need is a good dressing to appreciate the salads at both eateries.  Instead of settling for the limited and repetitive dressing options found in Mather and the Bistro, buy your own dressing and bring the bottle to meals. I recommend Newman’s Own Light Caesar Dressing, which I personally bring to meals when I want a salad.
2. Fruit in your salad–At Mather, I often cut up Macintosh apples into cubes and sprinkle them on my salad.  Fruit is a great way to spice up a bland salad. Tip: The best apples for salads are usually found at the pizza bar. At the Bistro, I often make a salad and then buy a tub of grapes from the fridge section to put on the salad. Tip: Make sure you put the grapes on after you have sat down at your table. Otherwise, when the cashier weighs your salad to determine the price, you will have to pay for the weight of the grapes, as well as the grapes separately.
3. Milkshakes–This tip I actually learned at my high school, but it is perfectly applicable for Mather desserts.  Next time you are at Mather, fill up a cup with 2/3 soft serve ice cream.  Then fill the rest of the cup with milk and stir!  This concotion makes a refreshing dessert drink.  For major sweet tooths, you can spice it up with condiments like chocolate syrup or chocolate chips!
4. Grilled cheeses–Grab some cheese from the sandwich bar and some wheat bread (which can always be found in the cabinets under the panini machine) and make a grilled cheese on the panini machine! I recommend a combination of provolone, cheddar, and muenster.
5. Yogurt–If the yogurt in Mather seems to have run out (which happens often), and you are really craving some strawberry or vanilla Stonyfield, there is always a stash in the silver industrial refrigerator to the left of the toaster stations.  Whenever I have asked for some, the Mather employees just tell me to help myself, so they won’t have a problem if you want to get some for yourself!
6. Infusion–This may seem obvious to many of you Her Campus Trinity readers, but you would be surprised about how many people don’t know about Infusion!  When you enter the Bistro ordering area, the counter furthers to the left is an area that serves personazlied gourmet meals! Check it out—you will never be disappointed.  Be it steaks, quesadillas, breakfast sandwiches, eggplant parm, or a pub platter, it’s hands down the best food served on campus.
7. Cheddar Cheese & Breaded Chicken–If you are “challenged” when it comes to creating the perfect wrap at the Cave or the Bistro, either toast it with cheddar cheese, or add breaded chicken.  No matter what other ingredients you add, your favorite sandwich will have a new kick!  (I add both to every sandwich…go big or go home, in my opinion.)
8. Nachos–At lunch, buy your favorite variety of Tostitos from the Cave, and then for dinner bring your chips of choice over to the Bistro.  Here, they sell Brie cheese (in the same cooler where you find shaker salads).  Use the microwave to melt the Brie over the chips, and voila! Tasty nachos!  Tip: Once you have mastered the basic nachos, add condiments from the salad bar.  Also try it with salsa – sold at the Cave!

So head to Mather, the Cave, or the Bistro TODAY and try something new! Leave a comment if you have any other tips for the Chartwells cafeteria trifecta!