We all know this scenario way too well: It’s 11:00 at night, you have an exam and a lab tomorrow, you have been studying since 3:00 in the afternoon, and the only break you have had was for a quick 7:00 pm dinner from Starbucks. You are deprived of sleep, energy and food. We have all been there — I was there last night. I know exactly what you need. More importantly, I know what you want; a study snack.
As an advantageous snacker and a STEM major, I find myself in this predicament more often than I want. I used to think it was a problem, until I discovered I had the power to create my favorite snack; homemade Olive Oil and Garlic Popcorn. Now you can intentionally procrastinate studying, a project or homework solely for the purpose of making this delicious study snack.
First things first, you are going to need a few ingredients. And when I mean a few, I really do mean only a few. This is the perfect snack for lazy folk like myself.
I adapted this super simple recipe from your average homemade microwave popcorn process. Adding garlic powder and salt to your popcorn is a game changer!
Olive Oil and Garlic Popcorn
Ingredients
Instructions
Mix the popcorn kernels, olive oil, and garlic powder in a bowl
Put oil coated kernels in brown lunch bag
Fold bag over twice
Microwave for 2:25 or wait until there is five seconds between each popcorn POP
Top with a generous amount of garlic salt and enjoy
Spoon Tip: Add nutritional yeast or parmesan to give it a little more of a twist 😉
The Cost
A realistic college study snack cannot be fully appreciated without mentioning the cheap convenience of the ingredients.
According to Walmart:
– popcorn kernels: $4.98
– olive oil: $4.38
– garlic powder: $3.48
– garlic salt: $0.98
– brown bags: $1.96
This totals to $15.78 for ingredients that will last you weeks! That is pretty impressive and much more affordable than six bags of the microwaveable Skinny Pop which costs $4.48. Delicious and cheap? That is a win-win for this college student.
So now as you are sitting alone in your dorm, apartment or study room procrastinating on that assignment that is due at 11:59 pm, I urge you to POP out of your chair and go and make this snack. You won’t regret it.
With that said, deductive reasoning has allowed us to conclude that if you eat more popcorn, you will then study more, which will ultimately give you a better GPA. Therefore if you want better grades and a better future, it just makes sense to immediately run to the nearest grocery store and then to the kitchen to try this recipe. This olive oil and garlic popcorn will be the reason you hate to love studying! Do not wait a second longer to try it (seriously, you procrastinator, not a second longer).