Budget Binging: Breakfast in Your Dorm

Imagine, it’s six in the morning. Your class starts in less than an hour and you’re famished. Or maybe you’re an athlete, getting ready for an early morning run or practice, and you need to eat something before you head out. What do you do? You can’t go to the dining hall since it doesn’t open until seven. You could always stop by Dunkin Donuts, but you will be spending three or more times what you would be if you could just make yourself a nutritious breakfast right in your dorm room. Well, I’m here to tell you, you can! Here are a few recipes you can try to fill you up before you start your day, all only a few feet from where you sleep! Feel free to adjust the ingredients based on your tastes!

1. Sandwiches:

By sandwiches, I mean anything you can can put on bread, rice cakes, flatbread, etc. For breakfast, the protein of choice is usually eggs; but bacon, sausage, and any of your nut butters are also excellent.

All you need is:

• Eggs
• Bread, tortillas, or rice cakes
• Salt and Pepper

Optional:

• Cheese
• Bacon, ham, or sausage

Cook eggs for 3 minutes in the microwave for runny, and 5+ minutes for hard. Bacon cooks for at least 5 minutes. Another option is precooked bacon. In the microwave this is usually the best way to go, as it is uniformly cooked and the instructions to perfectly cooked bacon are right on the package!

2. Smoothies:

If you’ve got a blender, smoothies are ideal for any student on the go. Not only are they tasty, filling, and healthy, but you can literally add almost any fruit, herb, or vegetable to it. Thus, making it an incredibly economical breakfast option for those of us that buy a bunch of fruit and never eat it.

All you need is:

• Blender
• Frozen or fresh fruit/ leafy vegetables
• Low fat milk
• Yogurt
• Assorted herbs

(Tip: freeze your veg/fruit first; it will add thickness)

3. Energy Bars:
When people say energy bars, (or balls as the no-bake variety often becomes) it’s understandable if you start thinking about tasteless lumps of sticking oats meant for over-the-top healthy people. I completely get it; however, as anyone who’sever had one will probably tell you, this isn’t the case. In fact, most of them are delicious alternatives to candy or other junk foods and come with a little boost of energy to boot! They are great not only for a make-ahead breakfast, but for anytime you need a little pick-me-up!

All you need is:

• Oats
• Dried Cherries
• Chocolate Chips
• Nuts
• Peanut Butter
• Maple Syrup
• Bowl or Pan

These ingredients are optional; mix and match:

Keep in mind that you need a sticky base like peanut butter or maple syrup to hold the oats together. I recommend oats, chocolate chips, and peanut butter, and cherries, dried berries (like raisins, cranberries, dates, and figs are all good options) oats, almonds, and syrup.

4. Oatmeal:

Oatmeal is probably the easiest thing on the list. In its simplest form, all you need is a microwave; while those with a little bit more of a refined palate need a microwave and a mini fridge.

All you need is:

• Microwave Safe Bowl
• Instant Oatmeal
• Brown Sugar
• Water

Optional:

• Maple Syrup
• Butter
• Milk

5. Yogurt Parfaits:

Say that you don’t really want to make something first thing in the morning. Sure, cereal comes with minimal prep, but it’s probably not the best thing you can put in your body. When you’re up so early that you don’t have time to grab breakfast on campus, the last thing you should be putting in yourself is whatever they make most cereals out of, though there are more healthy and delicious options out there than there used to be. Instead, make-ahead yogurt parfaits are both nutritious and can be made up to almost a week in advance. You just have to open your fridge, grab, and go!

All you need is:

• Yogurt
• Fruit
• Rolled oats
• Cups

There you have it; don’t let an early morning schedule prevent you from eating breakfast. Remember, it’s the most important meal of the day!