Easily one of the most celebrated weekends outside of football season is finally here at the University of Oregon: The Shasta Houseboats Trip. This annual Shasta trip brings uncomprehendable amounts of joy to many UO students. Shasta is well known for being a three to four day BANGER. Yes, it is literally a non-stop party. For those who have yet to go to this four day rager on the open waters of Lake Shasta, your daily consumption of food is extremely limited and you drink damn near your body weight in beer everyday. The menu, one that rivals a michelin star restaurant, consists of Costco chicken patties and burgers. That is what you eat and drink for almost four days straight. If you’re like any other sane human being, you reach a point where you get sick of eating a semi-cooked/cold burger and or chicken patty cooked by your drunk ass friend who thinks he is freakin’ Guy Fieri behind the grill. Now if you are into that, go for it my friend, that undercooked chicken burger is yours. I on the other hand need a variety of healthy foods to go with my lukewarm Rolling Rock from a day old tapped keg.
1. Peanut Butter
Number one on my list is peanut butter. It’s filling and perfect to have at any time of the day. I invite you to get the natural Jif peanut butter because it is the nectar of the gods. It takes a lot for peanut butter to go bad, making it the perfect shasta snack to bring. It might melt a little but trust me eating melted peanut butter when drunk…there’s nothing better. Mix it with some granola and boom you have a healthy and calorie packed meal that will sober you up or prepare your body for a day of hardcore partying.
Photo courtesy of thisweekfordinner.com
2. Granola
Speaking of granola, Bear Naked granola finds itself at number two on my list. Healthier and just as delicious as KIND granola, Bear Naked has a variety of amazing granola selections. It is affordable and also a perfect traveling size. Granola can be mixed with almost anything and also eaten straight out of the bag! Cheap, affordable and delicious (both sober and drunk).
Photo by Makaya Pratt
3. Almonds
Almonds find themselves at my number three spot on my top five list of foods to bring to Shasta. Almonds are cheap, easy to pack, filling and delicious. To add to their deliciousness, almonds are also nature’s hangover cure. Having a handful of almonds before passing out on your partially deflated air mattress will help you in the long run, trust me.
Photo by James Tedesco
4. Bananas
Bananas are full of potassium and natural sugars that you and I both know you won’t get enough of during this four day house-boating escapade. It pairs with peanut butter almost too well and having banana with granola makes for the perfect breakfast and snack at any point of your day.
Photo by James Tedesco
5. Perfect Foods Bar
Finally, rounding out our top five list is the Perfect Foods bar. This bar is delicious in every sense of the word. Yes, they are on the more expensive side, but they are what they preach. It is extremely healthy and full of essential carbs, fats and protein that you will no doubtedly be lacking during the four days on the lake.
Photo courtesy of Perfectbar.com
Yes, there are a lot of other healthy choices to choose from, but these are my top five choices. If I had any extra additions to make to this list it would be whole wheat low carb tortillas and Dave’s Killer Bread. Feel free to choose other healthy substitutes as well. Shasta is an incredible time, just be sure to stay safe and have the time of your life. Have a PBR or Tequila Sunrise on me, stay Shasty my friends.