Her Campus Magazine: HEALTHY BREAKFAST IDEAS ON A BUDGET

When you think of the words “eating healthy,” what comes to mind? Is it a bowl of salad? Bland chicken? A bunch of vegetables? Flavorless meals that are not enjoyable? Typically, people choose not to eat healthy due to the fear of it tasting horribly or simply being boring. Others believe that it is way too expensive and most argue that they just don’t have the time to cook. But what if I were to tell you that you can have a balanced breakfast without spending large amounts of money AND only spend a maximum of 10 minutes preparing it? I am a college student myself and I definitely do not have money laying around, although I wish I did. However, I made a promise to myself that I would take care of my body, which is why I learned how to budget on eating nutritious meals. I am NOT a nutritionist, however, these are some of the healthy meals I like to eat. The most important meal of the day is breakfast. There is nothing better than starting your morning off with food that will give your body fuel. Here are a few breakfast recipes that are delicious and nutritious:

Avocado Toast

Tessa Pesicka / Her Campus

Ingredients:

– Half of an avocado

– Two slices of wheat or whole grain bread

– Lime/lemon wedge

– 4-6 Cherry tomatoes

– Salt and pepper to taste

– Chili flakes (optional)

How to:

1. Mash the halved avocado in a bowl.

2. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes to your liking.

3. Squeeze lime/lemon wedge all over the mashed avocados.

4. Mix together.

5. Cut cherry tomatoes in half.

6. Toast bread.

7. Once the bread is toasted, apply the avocado spread evenly. Top it off with some cherry tomatoes and enjoy!

A delicious avocado toast that will beat any restaurant because it is quick and affordable! You are getting your healthy fats and carbs in the morning along with micronutrients from the cherry tomatoes. Not to mention, it is light and healthy as well. I get my avocado, bread, and cherry tomatoes from Food 4 Less. The avocados are only 99 cents each, bread ranges from 1.99 to 3.99 and the tomatoes only cost me 2.50! It lasts through the week and is very cheap.

Oatmeal

Ingredients:

– Packaged raw oats or ½ cup of raw oats

– Half of a banana or ½ fruit of your choice

– ½ cup of almond milk

– 1 scoop of nut butter

– Dash of cinnamon (optional)

How to:

1. Pour dried oats into a bowl and then add milk.

2. Microwave for one minute. If not soft enough, add extra 20 seconds depending on your liking.

3. Add a scoop of any nut butter along with your choice of fruit.

4. Top off with cinnamon, mix, and enjoy!

Oatmeal can be very boring however when you add nutritious ingredients such as fruits, nut butter, and spice, it is flavorful and very filling. I get Quaker oatmeal from Food 4 Less and sometimes Ralph’s or Vons. It is no more than four dollars and it comes with several packets. Fruits are usually 2 for 5 dollars too!

Breakfast Tacos

Ingredients:

– Mini tortillas

– 2 eggs

– Salt, pepper, and onion powder (optional) to taste

– 2 slices of turkey bacon

– Sprinkled Low-pasteurized mozzarella cheese

– Olive oil spray (optional)

How to:

1. Cook turkey bacon on medium heat on a non-stick pan. Once it’s cooked, spray a bit of the olive oil spray and then pour beaten eggs into the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low.

2. Season the eggs. After, scramble together and sprinkle the cheese on top.

3. While the eggs are cooking, toast the mini tortillas. You can toast them on another pan or however you’d like. Personally, to save time and effort, I just throw them in the toaster. I know, weird, but it still tastes good!

4. Once the eggs are cooked and scrambled, gently lay them on the tortillas. You can also add your favorite hot sauce or eat them the way it is!

Again, I purchased all of the ingredients from Food 4 Less and Ralph’s. If I want to switch it up and know that I am going to the gym later, I start off my mornings with breakfast tacos. It leaves me full for hours and I get my protein, fats, and carbs as well. Oh, and I LOVE putting Louisiana hot sauce on it. Thank me later.

Greek Yogurt with Fruit and Granola

Ingredients:

– 1 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt

– ½ fruits of your choice

– Sprinkle of granola and chia seeds

– Honey/maple syrup

How to:

1. Scoop a cup of vanilla Greek yogurt into a bowl. It can be any brand, personally I use “Triple Zero Oikos” because it has 0% fat, high protein, and moderate carbs.

2. I then use fruit as toppings along with a dash of chia seeds and granola.

3. To bring it all together, I drizzle a tiny bit of sugar-free maple syrup all over the fruits and yogurt. I got mine at target for only two to three dollars.

I love eating this for breakfast and before I go to the gym. It is very fresh, tasty, and will actually fill you up with energy.