Aw Mom, we ALWAYS have bagels...

March 20, 2009 1:02 PM

MeetingFoodFilter: Help me find a healthy alternative to bagels and cream cheese for an upcoming meeting!

I'm a graduate student in a mid-sized lab (16 people) at a university in the Midwest. Every Tuesday morning we have our lab meeting, during which one lab member presents the progress he or she has made on their project since giving their last lab meeting. The tradition of the lab is for the person who is presenting to provide the food. Usually people just go out and buy two dozen assorted bagels and some cream cheese and call it a day. Two problems: A) this gets boring quickly, and B) it's not very healthy.

The last time I gave lab meeting, I mixed up some non-fat yogurt with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, walnuts, and pecans and sprinkled some cinnamon on the top. It went over relatively well, with only a little bit of the usual "different = bad" grumbling from the more hidebound members of the lab. I'm not opposed to making that again, but I thought I'd query the hivemind for other suggestions for a healthy snack type food to serve my lab mates while I shower them with data (really, it's more like a vigorous trickle...). I should mention that I have a decently long commute on public transportation, so portability is key. Also, we have a very basic food preparation area with plates, utensils, and a microwave, but that's it. As a graduate student, budget is a consideration. Falling back on bagels is definitely an option, but I'd really enjoy the opportunity to provide food that tastes good and is healthy to boot. Thanks for any suggestions!

posted by Osrinith to food & drink (20 comments total)

Fresh fruit is always pretty good. Throw in whole-grain bagels and you've got a pretty healthy breakfast.
posted by jquinby at 1:06 PM on March 20

Hummus, whole wheat pita, cut up veggies. Portable, yummy.
posted by 8dot3 at 1:14 PM on March 20

You're so considerate.

Maybe you could add granola and boiled eggs to the selection (separately, of course). Or jerky? I know I can't get by without some kind of meaty protein in the morning, even if it's made of soy.

I try to avoid too much bread, but if I were in your group, Tuesday would probably be the day I would go ahead and have bagels and cream cheese since I rarely "allow" myself to have it anymore. Maybe you could throw in some healthy additions--lox (if it's not too expensive), tomatoes, berries to top the cream cheese with, whole-grain bagels--so you're being healthier while still keeping bagels in the mix.
posted by luckyveronica at 1:14 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]

Rabbit food: whole peas, sticks of celery, carrots, & green beans, with hummus as a dip. (Won't likely appease the grumblers, though)!
posted by TruncatedTiller at 1:22 PM on March 20

I like clementines (they may still be available) for meetings. They're small, easy to peel, and healthy. Add a bowl with some nuts (like almonds or glazed walnuts) and you've got a party.
posted by pointless_incessant_barking at 1:24 PM on March 20

PS: If local taste allows, add cayenne to (some of) the hummus when you make it.
posted by TruncatedTiller at 1:24 PM on March 20

bran muffins? Find a yummy/healthy recipe for low-fat blueberry muffins or something. I like to modify banana bread with whole wheat and honey etc. to make it more healthy. Homemade is generally cheaper. Fresh fruit is awfully tasty, though.
Does this have to be breakfast type foods?
posted by purpletangerine at 1:24 PM on March 20

Hummus, whole wheat pita, cut up veggies. Portable, yummy.

This is what I was going to recommend.
posted by torquemaniac at 1:32 PM on March 20

How about banana or pumpkin bread? Eat Better America has some "healthified" (their word) recipes for these that have turned out really well when I've made them.

Hard-boiled eggs would also be easy to transport if you just pop them back in the cartons after making them.
posted by anderjen at 1:37 PM on March 20

Cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers, veggies (celery is nice), fruit (oranges and tangerines are nice, so are bananas).

Little peanut butter / cracker sandwiches can be awesome if you make them yourself with freshly-ground fancy peanut butter.

Bread and butter is underappreciated and surprisingly delicious. Especially if you get really good bread.

Biscuits! And soy sausage, or butter! So yummy, especially if you can pack them so they're still warm.
posted by amtho at 1:56 PM on March 20

I like the hummus idea, but if you want to stay with the breakfast food idea, what about something like instant oatmeal? You could buy the plain and then include the same yogurt mix-ins. Yes, you'd need bowls and hot water (but you have a microwave and I'm sure there's a coffee maker).

Fruit salad would be fun, if you want to go to all that trouble and better than just serving whole fresh fruit (nothing wrong with that, but it does seem like people would probably be more agreeable to eating fruit salad). Maybe that and something carby -- like the bran muffins or banana bread -- would be a good change.
posted by darksong at 2:01 PM on March 20

Good idea with the hummus and whole wheat pitas, 8dot3. I had been thinking along the lines of sweet, but I'm starting to salivate at the thought of fresh pita bread and roasted red pepper hummus. Also very easy to do some good veggies. Mmmmmmm...

I like the idea of bran muffins, but I'm only starting my sojourn into the wild world of cooking. Haven't even tried my hand at baking... but maybe I could find some locally. Thanks for the suggestion, purpletangerine.
posted by Osrinith at 2:02 PM on March 20

Bran muffins, my eye.... What, are you all octogenarians with bowel issues?

Give your labmates the carbs they need to get through yet another boring meeting -- just make them special and add fruit/fiber/protein. But do not attempt to substitute a ding and also dang clementine for a snack that gets them through yet another TPS report equivalent.

Try these Dutch Apple Cheese muffins. Cheese (protein), apples, and cinnamony goodness -- I eat them ALL THE TIME and never ever get tired of them. Neither do my friends, so I make them when they come visit. Last time 2 of us put away 9 of them. (For your own safety, do not invite us to your meeting.) And yet I have gained no weight even after a year of making them about every week. These muffins are HEALTHY, I tell you. (Or "healthful", if you're That Person.)

The recipe was the grand prize winner in the Cooks Country magazine muffin contest. You will be lauded, given a ticker-tape parade and receive keys to the city -- or, at the very least, you will have upped the ante for lab snacks forever.

...And if you become addicted, as have I, you will start mixing up your dry ingredients in 3 batches or so at a time, and putting them in ziploc bags so all you have to do is dump them, add the wet ingredients and peel the apples.

p.s. -- wrap the muffin tin with foil and it's easy to transport. Or pack them into a sturdy plastic container. Whatever floats your clementine-haulin' boat.
posted by mdiskin at 2:06 PM on March 20 [5 favorites]

I agree with you, mdiskin, those muffins seem like they would be fantastic. I'm a little afraid to jump into the deep end of the baking pool for the first time right before my lab presentation. I'm definitely keeping the link to that recipe for future reference, though!
posted by Osrinith at 2:20 PM on March 20

At a former lab we had the person who was presenting the next week bring the food for the current week. That means that you don't have to get your data ducks in a row as well as provide nourishment. We always joked that it also made people bring good food so they wouldn't get raked over the coals the next week.

As jquimby suggested, I like the idea of fresh fruit. Where I got my PhD, there were food trucks on the street including ones with great tasty and cheap fruit salads. People definitely enjoyed them when I brought them to things like committee meetings. Try to get more exciting fruit than usual: mangoes, kiwis, papaya, etc.

An alternative, but probably less healthy and less cost conscious, is to have a cereal party. Get some supermarket brand cereal and a couple of gallons of milk.

Baked oatmeal? Quiche?

If you weren't doing this in the morning, and didn't want to be too healthy, I'd have a bunch of other suggestions. We have a biweekly "happy hour" for people who do similar research in our building and have a $50 food budget which we've used in a bunch of ways ranging from the usual chips and dips to mozzarella/basil/tomatoes, bread and cheese, pastries, someone made spanakopita, hummus and pita, cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, and I'm thinking about doing krispie treats made with a bunch of different kinds of cereals. I'm also considering a big pot of chili on a heated stir plate.
posted by sciencegeek at 2:22 PM on March 20

Man I'd kill for bagels and cream cheese at my meetings - that's health food compared to the donuts and crap served at my meetings!

This might be too much work, but what about an oatmeal bar? You could make it at home and bring in a crock pot, and then serve it with lots of mix-ins: brown sugar, cinnamon, cut up fruit, raisins, etc. Oatmeal is healthy but it's still "comfort food."
posted by radioamy at 8:16 PM on March 20

If I was going to do this, I'd buy a pre-cut fresh fruit mix from the grocery store, and pair it with mini-muffins or mini-quiches. If I felt like cooking, I'd use this simple recipe:

Sausage Cheese Balls

Ingredients:
1 lb. sausage, cooked
10 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 cups Bisquick mix
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the sausage in a skillet until brown, breaking up into little pieces as it cooks. Drain the sausage, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix until thouroughly combined (use your clean hands for this). Roll the dough into small balls, about the size of a walnut. Place on a cookie sheet (spray with non-stick spray, just to make it easier). Bake at 350 for 12 - 15 minutes.

These can be eaten warm or cold, and freeze well.


Everytime I make these, I get lots of complements and no leftovers. If you google "Sausage Cheese Balls" you'll get some variations on this recipe, but I can't vouch for them so I didn't include them here.
posted by rakaidan at 11:22 PM on March 20

Ha, this thread is kinda funny to me, because not long ago, bagels were considered the answer to "healthy" office snacks, over donuts and pastries. ;) Oh how the times they change.

But yeah, hummus and veggies and pita chips = for the win. And if anyone complains, screw them. They're GRAD STUDENTS and youre giving them FREE FOOD. Complaining about free food is ANATHEMA to the graduate lifestyle. Just this morning, I ate my roommates 2 week old pizza that had been mummifying in the fridge.

...Which, now that I actually say it, does seem to be going a little too far...
posted by CTORourke at 12:18 AM on March 21

Sausage Cheese Balls, as rakaidan mentioned, are delish, but they're not particularly healthy.
posted by radioamy at 6:11 AM on March 21

Alton Brown did a homemade protein bar recipe on Good Eats.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/protein-bars-recipe/index.html

Ingredients get a bit pricey, but can be less if you skip the dried blueberries, etc. I go to a bulk food store for my ingredients.

---

Alternately, Baked Oatmeal bars. This is a crockpot recipe for it. http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/11/crockpot-baked-oatmeal-recipe.html

Cut it into squares. If you're super keen, you can set a timer and have it cook overnight at school (in the room, preferably) and then serve. They'll walk into the smell... and it's super easy.

I was away on a month long training program and only took a rice cooker and crockpot. I had the best dinner parties in my little dorm room.
posted by carolekorea at 8:08 AM on March 21