As a commuter finding time to pack food can be a pain. I barely have time to make myself breakfast some days, let alone preparing snacks to bring to school. Because of this I usually just stick to bringing granola bars and other prepackaged snacks. However, I decided to venture out and find healthier and tastier food options that are also student-budget friendly. These 5 super easy recipes all have ingredients that you can find in your cupboard or buy yourself for a low cost.
1. Honey Protein Bites
- 3 cups of crushed granola
- 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
- â…” cup of peanut or almond butter
- â…“ cup of honey
- 1 cup of chocolate chips
Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl until it becomes sticky. Using your hands, turn mixture into small balls and place on a pan. Put in the fridge for at least an hour so they fully stick together. Enjoy!
Tip: If the mixture isn’t sticking, add more nut butter! To make this vegan, you can use agave or maple syrup instead of honey!
You can find the original recipe for the honey protein bites here.
2. Yogurt Parfait
- 1 cup of vanilla yogurt
- 1 cup of granola
- ½ cup of raspberries, blueberries
Scoop yogurt into a cup to create an even layer. Add granola on top and add fruit. Repeat the layers until you reach the top of the cup. Enjoy!
Tip: Use different types of fruit and granola to customize your taste, use fruits that are in season to keep cost low. To make this vegan, you can use coconut yogurt!
3. Bean Salad
- 2 cans of mixed beans
- ½ of a cucumber
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 2 stalks of celery
- Olive oil (to taste)
- Balsamic or apple cider vinegar (to taste)
- 1tsp. Salt
- 1tsp. Oregano
Open cans of beans and rinse. Slice the cucumber, tomatoes and celery into small chunks. Put all the ingredients into a bowl. Pour in the olive oil, vinegar, salt and oregano and mix with a large spoon. Enjoy!
We made our bean salad as a modified version of this recipe, found here.Â
4. Peanut Butter + Banana Toast
- 1 slice of bread
- ½ of a ripe banana
- 1tbsp. of peanut or almond butter
Spread the nut butter evenly all over the slice of bread. Slice the banana and place on top. Enjoy!
Tip: For extra sweetness you can drizzle honey on top!
5. Banana “Nice Cream”
- 1-3 ripe frozen bananas
- Handful of chocolate chips
Freeze bananas the night before. Place into a blender and blend! Put in a bowl and top with chocolate chips.
Tip: Make sure the bananas you freeze are very ripe so they taste better. The riper the banana, the sweeter! If the bananas are difficult to blend, pour in a little bit of almond milk so it blends easier.
Cost of Ingredients for all 5 recipes:
- 4 bananas – $1.29 (doubles for the toast and “nice” cream!)
- 2 roma tomatoes – $1.21
- Stock of celery – $2.49
- 1 cucumber – $0.99
- Raspberries – $2.44
- Blackberries – $1.88
- Almond butter – $13.99 (use peanut butter as a cheaper substitute!)
- Granola – $2.99 (doubles for yogurt parfait and protein bites)
- Chocolate chips – $2.99
- Coconut flakes – $2.49
- Honey – $8.99 (honey never expires! Use it for your tea or peanut butter + banana toast)
Don’t forget, Ryerson students get a 10% off discount at Metro on Gould St. Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays. This is the perfect opportunity to get cheaper groceries to make these snacks or other food.
Tag us in your pictures if you try any of these snacks! We’d love to see your creations or how you customize them! @RUStudentLife
