With a majority of the University's class online, the new year looks a little bit different for everyone. Whether you’re studying from home or in Charlottesville, this upcoming school year has been bombarded with unfortunate challenges and circumstances. From technical Zoom issues to not being able to make your first or last year memorable, there are different challenges that everyone must face and overcome.
To make your online experience more pleasant and easier to survive, I have compiled two fast yet delicious snacks that allow you to treat yourself between Zoom classes or to just enjoy whenever you want during the day. Although these snacks can’t substitute for missed events, technical difficulties or a “normal” school year experience, they will, hopefully, be something you look forward to.
The first snack is fall-themed, which is perfect since fall is upon us and the days are finally getting chillier. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and I always look forward to making this delicious sweet snack — apple nachos. Following Delish’s recipe with a few alterations, I always make this snack to not only satisfy my sweet tooth, but to give me energy during a full day of classes.
Apple nachos
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
4 Granny Smith apples
1 cup white chocolate, melted
¾ cup caramel, warmed
1 cup pretzels, chopped
2 Heath bars, broken into pieces
Any other toppings of your choice
Instructions:
- Thinly slice your apples into wedges and arrange them on your plate.
- Drizzle half of your desired chocolate and caramel onto the apples.
- Top your concoction with pretzels and any toppings of your choice — remember to get creative and make it unique to what you like and dislike.
- Drizzle the remaining half of the chocolate and caramel on and enjoy!
This snack is totally customizable to your taste and you can easily add any toppings or drizzle of your choice. For example, the Granny Smith apples could be replaced with your apple of your choice and, instead of white chocolate, you could substitute in any type of chocolate you prefer — I sometimes use dark chocolate if I want the nachos to be less sweet. The Heath bars are also optional and can be opted out for your favorite toppings — I like to add chocolate chips sometimes too.
The snack is the perfect combination of tart, sweet, and salty, from the apples, drizzles and the pretzels, respectively. Apple nachos definitely gives a new special twist to your normal apples and nut butter.
Another snack idea is a salted peanut butter cup smoothie from PureWow — a digital media company focusing on women’s lifestyle content. This snack is perfect for those early morning classes as it is simple to whip up first thing in the morning. Plus, this is a snack you can easily and quietly consume during class if you whipped this up at the very last minute, which I am may have done multiple times these past two weeks.
Salted peanut butter cup smoothie
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Yields: 1 serving
Ingredients:
1 cup milk of your choice
½ frozen banana
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon peanut butter
½ cup ice
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Directions:
- Blend all ingredients, minus the salt, together until smooth — you may need to help the blending process by shaking your blender or using a spoon to help mix the ingredients together.
- Garnish with flaky sea salt
Although the name of the smoothie includes the word ‘salted,’ flaky sea salt is completely optional and doesn't need to be added to make the drink good. The creaminess, nuttiness and sweetness make for the perfect snack before, during or after class.
Similar to the first recipe, some of the ingredients can be substituted to make it customizable to your liking and taste. Instead of adding milk, I prefer using almond milk, and instead of adding peanut butter, I like to replace it with a nut butter I have on hand, such as almond butter. Instead of vanilla whey protein powder, I sometimes like to completely opt this out or replace it with a protein powder I have at home. Furthermore, the ice is optional since the frozen banana makes your smoothie perfectly cold, but I personally recommend it to make the smoothie frothier.
In the midst of completing online classes, I would highly recommend making these snacks to not only take a break, but to help keep you satisfied and energized. These snacks are simple, new and flavorful to make almost every day — not to mention they are easily customizable to your liking, making them even more delectable to your standard.
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