As college students, we’re all a little pressed for time. Some of us are working hard on schoolwork, some of us are dedicated to internships, and some of us have jobs that pay our bills. And then, of course, there are those students that somehow take on all of that at once (props to you). Some mornings you may find yourself starving – your stomach grumpy, growling at you mid-lecture to beg for food. But why?
In the hectic morning rush of showering, getting dressed, readying your classwork, and actually leaving for class, you forgot to eat breakfast.Â
Statistics have shown that some odd 59% of high schoolers don’t eat breakfast, so we can only imagine what the percentage of college students that don’t eat breakfast is. Other studies have also shown that there is a direct correlation between eating breakfast and GPA, including this one by University of Kentucky student Ashley Smith.
Of course, some of us may prefer bacon and eggs over strawberries and granola, but that’s where this article comes into play. College is already a diverse place, even more so when we consider dietary differences. Some students are hardcore vegans, some are healthy vegetarians, and some are completely reasonable omnivores. Whatever category you may or may not fall into, here are six quick breakfast choices for those very three categories…
[pagebreak]
Perhaps the most in-depth recipe we’re going to list, here’s a killer pumpkin spice granola bar recipe. When autumn rolls around, we can’t help but empty wallets full of cash on Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, so why not transfer some of that love over to the food category?Â
Ingredients:
- 2 cups certified gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup certified gluten-free oat flour
- 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree (canned will also work)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (honey, coconut nectar or agave would also work)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds
- 1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup sliced almond
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350Âş F
- Grease an 8″ x 8″ glass baking pan very well – or line it with foil, leaving some overhang on two of the sides so you can easily pull it out of the pan to make cutting even easier
- In a large mixing bowl, add all of your ingredients
- Mash up very well until it is all well combined
- Press the mixture firmly and evenly into your pan
- Sprinkle a bit more coconut, chopped nuts and some cinnamon on top
- Place the pan into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes; don’t worry if the bars seem a bit soft, they will firm up as they cool
- After it has completely cooled, either lift the entire thing out of the pan and cut into bars or squares, or cut while it is in the pan
- These can be stored individually in the fridge or freezer
[pagebreak]
Not so much a full course breakfast as much as an on-the-go drink, but this smoothie from Green Girl at Care2.com is sure to keep you on your feet all day!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 capful of vanilla
- A squirt of agave syrup
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 teaspoons of powdered greens
- 3 tablespoons whey powder
- Half an avocado
Directions:
- That’s what we love about smoothies
- All you have to do is mix everything together in a blender and turn it on!
[pagebreak]
Every now and then (sometimes after a hard night of partying)Â we need a little pickmeup…and sometimes that pickmeup happens to be breakfast from McDonald’s. However, not every college student can afford McDonald’s (let’s be honest, a lot of our spare change goes to parking or that bag of chips between classes). This is a healthier, homemade version of the McDonald’s classic Egg McMuffin…
Ingredients:
- English muffins
- 1 slice of Canadian bacon
- 1 egg
- Shredded American cheese to your liking (but really, you don’t need much)
- 1 tablespoon of butter
Directions:
- Toast the English muffin(s)
- Heat a small skillet over a low flameÂ
- Melt butter in skillet
- Mix eggs and cheese, scramble well
- Lightly brown the Canadian bacon
- Remove from skillet, add eggs
- Cook eggs well
When it’s all done, place the bacon on the bottom half of the English muffin and top it with the eggs and other muffin half. Boom, knockoff McMuffin –Â but healthier.
[pagebreak]
Our next quick-and-relatively-healthy breakfast is the “Chicken & Pepper Omelette”!
Ingredients:
- 2 – 3 eggs per person
- 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/4 shredded chicken
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- Monterey Jack cheese, to your liking
Directions:
- Cook and shred chicken the night before
- Set small skillet over low heat while preparing ingredients
- Mix eggs well in separate bowl
- Melt butter in skillet
- Pour eggs into pan
- After a minute or so, use a small spatula to lift the “edge” of the egg mixture while tilting the pan to allow liquid egg mixture to flow under cooked eggs; over the next 1-2 minutes, repeat until no more liquid egg mixture remains
- Sprinkle chicken, green peppers, garlic, and cheese over half of the egg mixture
- Use the spatula to gently fold the empty side of the omelette over the covered half
- Cook for another minute or two before sliding it onto a plate to eat
[pagebreak]
Quinoa, a grain-like crop grown for its edible seeds, is a popular dish for vegans everywhere. This next dish is a warm berry bowl from a cookbook by Dr. John La Puma.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic 1% low fat milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup organic quinoa
- 2 cups fresh organic blackberries
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup chopped, toasted pecans
- 4 teaspoons organic agave nectar
Directions:
- Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan
- Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low
- Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed
- Turn off heat, let stand covered 5 minutes
- Stir in blackberries and cinnamon, transfer to four bowls and top with pecans
- While the quinoa cooks, roast the pecans at 350F for 5 to 6 minutes
- Drizzle 1 teaspoon agave nectar over each serving
[pagebreak]
Let’s be honest, regardless of dietary choice who doesn’t love French toast? Normal French toast is made with eggs, but someone – somewhere –Â found a brilliant way to make vegan French toast. Worth a shot, no?
Ingredients:
- 6 thick slices of stale whole wheat bread
- 1 cup of unsweetened soymilk
- 3 tablespoons of garbanzo (or chickpea) flour
- 1 tablespoons of  cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup
- A couple dashes of cinnamon
Directions:
- Combine soy milk, garbanzo flour, cornstarch, maple syrup and cinnamon in a pie tin (or cake pan, or some other shallow dish) with a whisk
- Preheat a non-stick skillet to medium heat
- Lightly spray the skillet with cooking spray
- Quickly dip and coat both sides of the bread and fry two pieces at a time, cooking for about 2 minutes on each side over medium heat
- Keep cooked french toast in a warm oven while finishing off the rest of the batch in the skillet
Â
Â
Â
Â