Month: April 2016

While the cafeterias at Grove City College are great, they have limited hours, just like any cafeteria. When you’re hungry in your dorm room and need a little pick me up, it’s great to be able to whip up something quick right in your room. There are many delicious and easy recipes that only require a few ingredients and a microwave or refrigerator. Here are four awesome recipes!

1. Eggs in a Mug:

Ingredients: 2 eggs, 2 tbsp. milk, 2 tbsp. cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Crack eggs into mug
2. Add milk and stir until blended
3. Microwave on high for 1/2 -2 minutes
4. Top with cheese if desired

2. No-Bake Energy Bites:

Ingredients: 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips, 1/2 flax seed, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup honey

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl
2. Form balls using hands
3. Arrange them on a tray and refrigerate until firm

*Makes 24 servings

3. Rice Krispy Treat:

Ingredients: 1/2 tbsp. butter, 4 large marshmallows or 1/2 cup mini marshmallows, 1 cup Rice Krispies cereal

Directions:

1. Microwave butter on high until melted
2. Add marshmallows and microwave for 20 seconds
3. Stir in cereal until blended

4. Chocolate-Peanut Butter Granola Apple Bites:

Ingredients: 2 sliced apples, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup granola, 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Coat tops of apples with peanut butter and sprinkle with granola
2. Microwave chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds until melted
3. Drizzle slices with chocolate

Hungry for more? Check out these quick and easy dorm room friendly recipes.

Eating healthy is an extremely important part of living well. Being in college can often bring about negative eating habits, causing students to gain weight such as the “freshman fifteen.” Factors such as stress and lack of time or money to make or buy healthy foods can all add to these bad eating habits.

At Grove City College, however, eating healthy is definitely possible, particularly in the cafeterias. While unhealthy options like pizza and ice cream do exist, plenty of healthy foods exist, as well. It’s just a matter of making healthy eating a priority and intentionally seeking out foods that your body will thank you for consuming.

For one, salads are always a good choice. The salad bars in both Hicks and MAP cafeterias offer many options including different types of greens like mixed greens and spinach, as well as many vegetables, cheeses, beans and several dressing options including fat free ones. Simply adding balsamic and vinegar to a salad makes for a very healthy topper.

Whole wheat breads are another great option. Swapping them out for white bread is beneficial since whole grains generally contain more nutrients in them like fiber. Both cafeterias carry whole wheat as well as whole grain breads.

One of my favorite healthy combinations is rice cakes with peanut butter. This is a low calorie, nutritious option that offers protein and tastiness. Rice cakes can be found in the gluten-free sections of both cafeterias, and there are often different flavors such as Honey or Apply Cinnamon. Throw some banana slices on top and it’s even better.

Another healthy combination is hummus with vegetables. The different hummus options like garlic or red pepper add a nice flavor to raw veggies, making them more enjoyable to eat, while also remaining healthy. There are a plethora of veggie options like carrots, peppers, broccoli, celery and others.

Lastly, there are different milk options that make healthy eating easier. 1%, skim and even Almond and Soy Milk are all available. They have a lower fat content while still remaining tasty.

Healthy eating is not always easy, but making wise food decisions definitely pays off in the long run. Grove City provides the nutritious and delicious options to make that healthy eating possible, which is something I’m personally thankful for as I strive to live healthfully.

Grove City College is a beautiful campus. From the tall, stained glass windows of Harbison Chapel and the sleek brick and crawling ivy on Mary Anderson Pew to the ornate ironwork on Rainbow Bridge, the campus is filled with many aesthetically pleasing sites.

As someone with both an appreciation for beauty and a love of photography, I have enjoyed photographing the Grove City campus over my four years here. Taking pictures has always been fun for me, but it is especially fulfilling when the subject being captured is beautiful. The scenery at Grove City is unlike any other campus with its lush greenery and tall brick buildings with intricate detailing.

There are many places around campus that make for great shots. I’m particularly fond of taking outdoors, nature, and landscape scenes, so many of the photos I’ve taken around campus have fallen into these categories.

One of my favorite spots to snap photos is Rainbow Bridge and Wolf Creek. The flowing river and overarching bridge are beautiful in any season, but I especially love it in winter when it’s covered in snow and the creek partly freezes. The contrast of the dark water and the light snow is stunning and causes me to gaze in admiration every time I pass by.

I also love photographing Rockwell Hall of Science. The tall clock tower is a well known attribute of campus and is visible all the way down on lower campus. It is especially picturesque in the fall with the changing colors of the surrounding trees. The way the sun hits the glass windows at certain times of the day and the unique archway add to the pleasing view.

Harbison Chapel is another obvious beautiful building on campus. I love photographing its stained glass windows that brightly reflect the sunlight and its intricate structures. The sand colored brick and prominent steeple make it a stunning spectacle on campus. It is especially picture worthy as the sun sets in the backdrop. Lots of people enjoy stopping here for pictures because of its beauty.

There are plenty of other pretty places on campus that make for noteworthy photographs as well. Grove City has a great aesthetic appeal that makes walking around each day more enjoyable. It allows you to go out and appreciate the beauty of it and maybe even snap a few pictures along the way.