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The dining hall, at first a place of beauty and magic, slowly loses the shiny appeal it once had. Week after week of tasteless, questionable food can leave a person discouraged. However, with a little creativity and resourcefulness, anyone can turn a meal swipe into a tasty meal. Here's 9 of our favorite dining hall hacks to switch up the usual meal.
1. Avocado Toast
A true classic, all you need to do is mash up some avocado, choose your desired add-ins (mine is olive oil, salt, and pepper), and pick your toppings (can't pass up arugula and a runny egg). Voila, breakfast is served and IG ready.
2. Floats
An unlimited soda machine is a hard temptation to pass up. So why not make it a real treat? Hit up the soft serve ice cream and experiment with some fun flavor combinations. Go with a classic like root beer and vanilla or venture outside your comfort zone and try orange soda and vanilla soft serve.
3. Burrito Bowl
It may not be able to compete with Chipotle, but it is free with your meal plan. All you need is to lay down your base of whatever rice, beans, and meat you want. Then head over to the salad/sandwich bar for lettuce, cheese, tomato/salsa, guac, sour cream, hot sauce, and whatever other fixings your heart desires.
4. Deviled Eggs
Hard boiled eggs are a guarantee at the salad bar, so snack on these little guys in a different way. If you scoop out the egg yolks and mix them with mayo, mustard, relish, and salt and pepper, all you need is a picnic blanket and spot on the quad!
5. Mocha Latte
Rather than dish out the $4 for a mocha to get you through your block of classes, why not mix the hot chocolate machine and coffee in the dining hall for a free and easy alternative?
6. Peanut Sauce
Sauce is so key to making tasty food. Chicken can be so bland and boring, especially after eating it for weeks at the dining hall. Make this scrumptious peanut sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, and a little bit of hot sauce.
7. Pizza Bagel
If a regular ol' slice of pizza isn't cutting it, a pizza bagel is an easy sub. Grab a bagel, find some marinara sauce to smother it in, followed by a cheese of your choice. Finally, and arguably the most important, is the toppings: mushrooms, onions, peppers, meat, the options are truly endless.
8. Chicken N Waffles
On brunch days when you can't chose between the classic sweet or savory options, have the best of both worlds by pairing your waffles with chicken! Don't forget to add the syrup.
9. Parfait
A quick and healthy fix, the breakfast parfait only consists of three ingredients: yogurt, granola, and fruit. You can mix up the yogurt flavors or fruit that you add in based off of what's available or cater it to your tastes.