College. A time where we’re expected to make our own decisions with little to no help from our parents: what classes we take, where we live, what we do and what we choose to eat. It’s all up to us. So, of course, little freshman me went crazy with my first taste of freedom, and let’s just say I made less than great decisions—especially when it came to what I was eating. You guys, Freshman 15 is no joke. I went for the infamous late-night cookies instead of the fruit—heck, I would probably still go for them. The thing that I’ve come to realize is what I was craving was not necessarily cookies, but sweetness. So that’s when I started experimenting with my fruit just to give it that extra punch and variety.
1. Sweetness
My oh my where do I even start? My go-to item to satisfy my sweet tooth has got to be Nutella. My go-to fruit? Strawberries and apples. Now if Nutella is not your cup of tea, cookie butter is a perfect switch. I usually go for this during the holidays ’cause it just screams Santa’s Workshop to me. Now if you want something that may be out of the box, I’d definitely recommend Lechera, or condensed milk. I usually put a small amount—a little goes a long way, trust—on frozen bananas. It tastes just like a banana split, minus the guilt.
2. Bitterness
Now I get it, sweet add-ons may not be for everyone, so whenever I’m not craving something super sweet, then adding a little bit of lemon to most summer fruits never fails. My personal favorites are mangos, watermelon, jicama and cucumbers. I’m the kind of person that loves lemon so I always go a bit heavy-handed on it, but I definitely recommend adding a bit at a time.
#SpoonTip: If you want to take it a step further, adding salt or Tajín will make your taste buds sing.
3. Spiciness
Maybe, just maybe, you’re not craving anything sweet or bitter, or you just want to live on the wild side (if that’s the case kudos my friend, kudos). Nonetheless, adding a few drops of Tapatio or Valentina to fruits like oranges, cucumbers or jicama is a safe bet.
I get how, as college students, we’re more inclined to go for the chips or the candy whenever we want a snack. I also get that more often than not, we’d rather spend our money on other things, and fruit might not be high on the list. Or you might just consider wine a fruit (if so we need to be best friends). Nonetheless, adding any of these additions can make a nutritious fruit just a little more interesting and appetizing.