Hello guys, gals, and non-binary pals who may be reading this! Welcome to my first blog post. Today we are going to be discussing one of my favorite lunch/dinner time topics: Val Hacks! What is a Val Hack you may be wondering? Well, Val is the nickname for our main dining hall on campus, short for Valentine, and Val Hacks are a way to spruce up the food options that are being served and make them a bit more exciting. They are a great way to make breakfasts, lunches, and dinners a little extra special. Today we are going to be talking about my top 5 Val Hacks that my friends and I absolutely love!
5. The Classic Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich
Are you craving a childhood classic? Well, I have just the hack for you! Val always has a sandwich bar set up starting at lunchtime and ending at dinner time. If you’re hungry and craving something sweet and peanut-buttery, this recipe is perfect for you! I like to start by grabbing two slices of bread from the sandwich bar and putting them in the toaster. Then I use Val’s peanut butter grinder to get out about two tablespoons of freshly ground peanut butter. Next, while the bread is toasting, I cut up a banana from the fruit table into slices. Afterward, I spread the peanut butter on the bread, top with banana slices, and then if I want it extra sweet, I’ll drizzle some honey from the tea section near the drinks on top of the banana slices. And just like that, you have a sweet childhood favorite food!
4. The Do-It-Yourself Pesto Pasta
If you’re anything like me, after a long, tough day, the only thing you want to eat is a giant bowl of pasta covered in a flavorful delicious sauce. If this is the case, Val has you covered! Val always has a pasta bar at dinner; however, they switch out the different sauces every day. If you are in the mood for pesto pasta, all you have to do is get pasta from the pasta bar and then head over to the dressings and sauces station! They always have both vegan and regular pesto available. I like to take a heaping tablespoon of the pesto and absolutely drench my pasta with it. Then, I will head over to the salad bar and top it with some parmesan cheese.
3. The Fruity Oatmeal Bowl
One of my favorite breakfast foods is oatmeal. When I’m at home, I will eat oatmeal just about every day for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, I will admit that I am not a fan of just plain oatmeal. So if you want to spruce up your oats to make them extra tasty, there are a bunch of ways you can do that at Val! My favorite is to mix some of the oatmeal with a few packets of cinnamon which can be found at the tea station. Next, I like to slice up a banana, and then, I add a bit of fruit from the yogurt bar to my oats. I like to mix everything together, and then, add a little bit of milk.
2. The Extra-Fancy Hot Chocolate
My favorite winter tradition from back home was making hot chocolate with my Dad every single time it snowed. Now, I’m from Albuquerque, New Mexico, so the times it snowed were few and far between, but whenever it did happen, it was truly magical! To re-create this tradition, I love to go to Val and use the coffee machines to make a cup of hot chocolate! I then add peppermint chunks from the sprinkles bar next to the soft-serve machines and mix it up! Then, I go over to the waffle station and add some whipped cream to my hot chocolate! Sometimes I like to finish it off with cinnamon from the waffle station, or I add more peppermint!
1. The Val Milkshake
Now, this last one is easily mine and my friends’ favorite Val Hack! In order to make a milkshake you need to fill a cup with soft-serve ice cream, and then, fill it up with whole milk until it just barely covers the ice cream. Next, depending on what flavor of milkshake you want, you can add chocolate syrup from the waffle station, caramel syrup, or vanilla syrup. Then, you mix all of it together with a fork to create a sweet, creamy milkshake. If you want to add any mix-ins, you can find all sorts of toppings, from crushed up Oreos to peppermint to crushed M&Ms at the ice cream toppings bar. And there you have it!