JMU Students: Anything but lazy!

It is the final 2 weeks of school.  It is time for exams, projects, cramming, library-ing and everything in between.  Food is an extremely important aspect to finals week.  I can speak from experience that it is super easy and quick to just grab a Starbucks triple espresso and a number 3 from McDonald’s to satisfy my nutritional needs and more importantly to save time to study.  However, I hope to offer some healthier and just as fast alternatives to the typical Red Bull and McNuggets meal.

A recent article from the Daily Mail from the UK suggests that water is the key to exam success.  The article mentioned that water can help increase the “flow between brain cells” helping students better retain information.  It is extremely important to remember to drink water during times of stress and studying to avoid becoming dehydrated.  

Thanks to an article from Champlain College too much coffee or Red Bulls will cause fatigue, headaches which will really waste time for finals week.

A healthy snack for finals week is also extremely important.  I know many of you need something sweet to munch on while memorizing Spanish vocab or chemical equations.  Thanks to blog on Food Sense I found an extremely awesome recipe for Lazy Bars.  For the busy student, these are PERFECT. 

The trickiest part to these lazy bars are to find the ingredients at the store.  With the helpful employees at Martin’s, I was able to get every item on the list.  This snack is vegan, so they require no eggs or dairy.  I am not a vegan personally, but this is a very healthy alternative to a glazed doughnut or Milkshake.

Ingredients are:

1 cup, flour

1/2 cup, brown sugar

3 tablespoons, almond milk

1 teaspoon, cinnamon

5 tablespoons, Earth Balance butter

6 tablespoons, chocolate chips

3 tablespoons, crushed raw pecans

4 tablespoons, pumpkin butter

2 tablespoons, unsweetened shredded coconut

The best part about preparation for the Lazy Bars is you just have to use the microwave!  No oven required, which will help save time for you to get back to studying!

To make Lazy Bars, you need a large microwavable bowl.  You need to combine all the basic ingrediants: flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and the Earth Balance butter.  Mix the ingredients well all around the bowl to cover the bottom completely.  Microwave for 3 minutes.

After the 3 minutes, add in chocolate chips, pumpkin butter, pecans and coconut.  Microwave for another 6 minutes.  Then, just eat straight from the bowl!

I sat back down with all my books, highlighters and index cards, and dove right into the bowl.  I have declared that this is my new favorite dessert!  It is not too sweet or not sweet enough.  The coconut and pecans really make the dish!  And it was just too easy to make!

The recipe gives room for plenty of individuality.  I really like pecans, so I added a few extra to my recipe.  For many chocolate lovers, I’m sure you can add a few extra!  It is easy to double the ingredients for study parties as well!

Good luck to all studying!  Don’t forget your Nalgene of water!

- Kendall B.