Students barely ever eat breakfast–-I feel like that’s a fact of life, but recently I’ve been really enjoying having something to eat in the morning. Getting that solid start to my day has helped me stay focused, especially since my schedule is so front-loaded in the mornings, so now I’m here to share my favorite easy breakfasts! All of these recipes require very minimal supplies to make, making them super accessible to college students who probably don’t have a blender or a set of pots and pans lying around their room. They’re also quick or make-ahead, which is perfect for people with early mornings!
Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are a viral trend for a reason: they’re super simple to make ahead, endlessly customizable, nutritionally rich, and of course delicious!
The ingredients you’ll need are:
- ½ cup Oats! Old-fashioned rolled oats work best for a creamier texture, but quick oats are cheaper and get the job done. Steel-cut oats are usable; I like them, they have a chewy texture and nutty flavor, but because require at least a day of soaking to be edible it makes them inconvenient for students.
- ½ cup Milk! I use non-fat, but you can use whole, 2%, oat, or whatever you’d like!
- Greek Yogurt! You only need a spoonful or two. I use Chobani with a little honey to sweeten it which adds some protein and creaminess to the oats.
- Toppings! This is the fun part, you’re essentially free to use anything you want, but I’d recommend a mix of fresh fruit, nuts, nut butter, and even granola.
- Optionally, 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds. This is a much less common ingredient, but if you can get them, they give the oats a pudding-like texture and add some great nutritional value!
So where at Denison can you get these? For the base, you can get oats, milk, and yogurt at the Granville market, which is just a 15-minute walk from campus and has pretty much anything you’d need for groceries. You can get peanut butter, honey, and select fruits from Slivy’s!
For toppings, you can either put them directly into the mix for easy serving, but depending on what you’re planning on making (or if you’re indecisive) you could save the toppings for the morning! My favorite storage method is just mixing the ingredients together as a single batch in a mason/preserve jar, but you can also use empty Tupperware containers to make a big batch to transfer to a bowl or mug later! You could also make it directly in a mug with a top or use cling wrap to seal it in the fridge. My favorite combinations are definitely Peanut Butter/Banana/Cinnamon and Biscoff/Almond/Raspberry!
Energy Bites
I love going to the gym with my friends, and we’ve become a little obsessed with the energy bites they sell at D-Fuse. Except they’re almost never in stock, so I decided to make my own.
The recipe I use calls for only 5 ingredients:
- 1 cup Old Fashioned Oats–This recipe doesn’t work with instant or steel-cut oats.
- ⅔ cup Peanut Butter
- ½ cup milled Flax Seed
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons of Honey–And you can substitute maple syrup if that’s more your speed!
You can get the stuff from the same places as before; Granville market has flax seed and chocolate chips! Just mix them together in a bowl, roll the mixture into 12 balls, and pop them into the fridge, and you’ve got an after-workout snack or an easy breakfast.
Baked Oat Mug Cakes
Love Banana bread but don’t have the baking pans to make it? Keep seeing baked oats on your Instagram and really want to try them? As long as you have a coffee mug, you can easily make a self-serve baked oat mug cake. There are a lot of different combinations depending on what the ingredients you have on hand are, but I wanted to stick with something with ingredients you’d be able to use in these other recipes. You’ll need:
- ½ cup Old Fashioned or Quick Oats
- ½ of a spotty medium or large banana
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅔ cup milk, use any kind you like
- 1 tbsp of honey
Top with fruit, chocolate, or anything else you want, and enjoy a healthier but still sweet and cakey breakfast/dessert!
Greek Yogurt Bowls
If you’re buying groceries for overnight oats, consider just getting a big container of greek yogurt. With some honey to sweeten and fresh fruits, nuts, etc from your overnight oat toppings, if you get bored of oats then you can easily make a yogurt bowl that’s probably healthier and better tasting than anything at the dining halls.
What’s great about all of these is that with only a few key ingredients, you’ve got a ton of interchangeable breakfast options you can make yourself. I always prefer my own cooking over swiping in for breakfast, so these low-effort assembly breakfasts are perfect for saving on declining and keeping you fueled for most of the day.