There’s literally no better breakfast food than oatmeal, and there are very few things that I feel this strongly about. Now, I’m not arguing that oatmeal is the best food on the face of the earth. But if you’re a university student who struggles with the burden of hating to cook for yourself and can’t find anything appetizing enough to eat in the morning, I can assure you that I’m right—oatmeal is the ultimate breakfast food.
As a university student, naturally, the budget for food is tight. But of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t eat luxuriously, or whatever the university student definition of “luxurious” is. In fact, we deserve to eat spectacularly while on a budget. Cooking for yourself can also seem daunting, especially thanks to social media, where people constantly share their recipes and “What I Eat in a Day” posts. Sometimes cooking can even come across as sort of competitive on the internet.
Being in third year university, I’ve really only been cooking for myself for a year and a half, but I feel like I’ve come a long way. The most important thing I’ve learned is that I need to eat meals that actually fill me up so I don’t constantly feel peckish and snack throughout the day.
Oatmeal is filling, easily adaptable, inexpensive, and literally easier to make than toast! The flavour combinations are endless, and oatmeal is a lot like tofu in that it adapts to the flavours that are added to it. I also find that when I have my oatmeal in the morning, I’m completely satisfied and full until the late afternoon.
The main reason that I can imagine why people don’t eat oatmeal every day is because they don’t realize the number of toppings that can and should be paired with oatmeal. The average person who isn’t an oatmeal enthusiast yet might think that the only good topping is brown sugar, or brown sugar and the occasional fruit. But really, the key to this life-changing meal is packing it with every possible topping. At the moment, the toppings in my rotation include blueberries, peanut butter, honey, banana, loads of cinnamon, and protein powder if I have it. Blueberries and bananas are just super inexpensive fruits that are easy to have around, which is why I like them.
Oatmeal is something that I can really enjoy for a reasonable price and has shown me that eating a healthy breakfast helps me get through the day. That last part sounds pretty cheesy, I know. But seriously, as a cheap university student who hates cooking, I’m grateful for oatmeal.
Cheers!