You know that you should eat a filling breakfast before you head to class in the morning, but as a busy college student, you may often have little time to prepare something. The solution is to make breakfast ahead of time. The following ideas are varied enough to suit all tastes, dietary restrictions, and budgets.
1. Overnight Oats
There’s a good reason why overnight oats are a big trend: they’re easy to prepare and they’re delicious. Just mix the ingredients together and keep them in the fridge overnight. All overnight oat recipes use rolled oats, yogurt, and milk, but the rest of the ingredients are up to you. Plus, you can use dairy milk and plain yogurt or plant-based options like almond milk.
Some great combinations to try include:
- Cherry and almond
- Peanut butter and chocolate chips
- Strawberry and chia
- Toasted almond and honey
Consider making a batch at the beginning of the week, trying a different recipe each time.
2. Smoothies
If you prefer something light for breakfast, a smoothie could be ideal. Whip up enough for the whole week and store it in freezer-safe mason jars — just make sure you leave enough space at the top of the glass, as the smoothie will expand when it freezes. Experiment with various ideas, trying different types of milk and combinations of fruit. You can also add spinach, protein powder, and chia for more nutritional benefits.
3. Oatmeal Bites
For another light breakfast, prepare some tasty oatmeal bites. Combine two part rolled oats, two parts shredded coconut, one part peanut butter, one part flaxseed, and one part chocolate chips. Add some sweetness with honey and flavour with vanilla extract. Keep the mixture in the fridge for half an hour, then remove it and roll the oats into balls. When you store the oatmeal bites in an airtight container in the fridge, they’ll last up to one week.
4. Breakfast Burritos
Alternatively, you may prefer a hearty meal in the morning. In this case, a breakfast burrito could be just what you need. Sauté the ingredients you want, such as onion, sweet peppers, egg, breakfast sausage, and ham, and then place them in the middle of a large tortilla. You may also like to sprinkle some cheese on top before you fold up the burritos. Bake the burritos in the oven for around 20 minutes. Once they’ve cooled down, wrap them in foil and seal them in freezer bags. To eat, you just need to remove the foil and microwave them for around one minute.
5. Hash Brown Egg Nests
Eggs are a classic choice for breakfast, but most recipes require you to prepare the eggs in the moment. An exception is hash brown egg nests.
All you need to do to create this breakfast is apply some non-stick spray to a muffin pan and then make a nest of shredded hash browns in each mold. Bake the nests for around 15 minutes, then remove them from the oven and add an egg to each. You can crack the egg directly into the nest or scramble the egg first — whichever you prefer.
Finally, add your choice of topping: bacon, cheddar cheese, and parsley are all great options. Put the nests back in the oven and bake your hash browns until the egg has set (about 15 minutes). Let the nests cool before you remove them from the muffin pan and store them in the fridge. They taste best eaten chilled with avocado on the side.
Living on campus makes it even harder to eat a decent breakfast because you lack a kitchen to prepare meals in advance. The solution is to find a room for rent. Edmonton students who live at 1TEN on Whyte receive a suite with a kitchen equipped with a fridge, cooktop, and microwave. Apply now for your affordable, all-inclusive student rental.
