It’s past dining hall hours, you can’t drag yourself over to Late Nite, and the mere thought of ordering from Winger’s makes your stomach churn. You’re in need of a filling snack or meal to get you through a long night of studying, but the options are slim and you’re trying to keep it healthy, so what do you do? Put away the Easy Mac and open up your fridge! There are plenty of innovative recipes you can whip up in the comfort of your dorm room with minimal fuss.

The temptation of ordering foos or grabbing a Sparket pizza can be overwhelming, but you are likely to regret it later. By making your own food, you can be sure of what you put into your body while escaping the humdrum of campus eats. It’s about this time in the year when students begin to get bored with the food options available, but by adding a little variety to your day, your taste buds will thank you. The following recipes are especially great for those late nights that you will inevitably face with midterms right around the corner.

Many of the ingredients found in the recipes below can be picked up at the Sparket or 2nd Storey, but you can also hop on the convenient Wildcat Shuttle and purchase your groceries at Genuardi’s, the local supermarket in Wayne.

Sweet Eats

If you need to kick your sweet tooth at all costs …

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Squares

2 Tbsp. milk

3 Tbsp. cocoa

4 Tbsp. peanut butter

4 Tbsp. honey

Mix ingredients together and spread in a Tupperware container. If desired, top with extras like coconut, peanuts or chocolate chips. Freeze until hardened.

Chunky-Monkey Oatmeal

½ Cup plain oats

½ Cup milk

2 Tbsp. cocoa or flavored powdered coffee creamer

½ Mashed banana

1 Tbsp. peanut butter or almond or sunflower seed

butter

1 Packet Splenda

Mix all ingredients and microwave for two minutes. Try adding raisins or walnuts to your concoction for extra flavor.

Cake-in-a-Cup

A few simple ingredients will give you about eight servings of personal cakes! To start, you’ll need a microwaveable coffee mug and extra plastic baggies to hold your residual mix.

1 box cake mix, any flavor

1 3.5 oz package instant pudding

Mix cake mix and pudding mix. Separate into baggies in ½ cup portions, saving ½ cup for your first cake. In a coffee mug, combine ½ cup mix with:

1 Egg white

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. water

Mix ingredients and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Top with chocolate syrup or caramel.

Sweet and Salty

If you can’t make up your mind …

Mish Mash Trail Mix

Fat-free microwave kettle popcorn

½ Cup yogurt-covered raisins

1 Cup mini-pretzels

1 Cup Honey-Nut Cheerios or Teddy Grahams

Dash of cinnamon to taste

Mix all ingredients in a big Ziploc bag. Makes about four servings.

Savory Snacking

If you need brain food for those late nights of studying …

Asian Noodle Salad

½ package of Ramen Noodles

½ bag cabbage or broccoli slaw

Small handful of peanuts, slivered almonds, or sesame seeds

Dash of orange juice/vinegar/vegetable oil or your favorite light dressing

Spices to taste-try adding the Ramen flavoring packet to your “dressing”

Mix all dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix liquid ingredients. Pour “dressing” over salad and leave in the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes before eating. The longer the salad sits, the softer your noodles will be.

Cracker Mini-Pizzas

About 10 Kashi TLC Crackers, any flavor

½ Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

5 Tbsp. marinara sauce

Spread sauce on crackers and evenly distribute cheese on top. Microwave for 10-15 seconds or until cheese is melted.