It's that time of year again. School is well in session and its jolly entourage of midterms, papers, and late-nighters are upon us. I can tell because it is 4:40 a.m., and, after finally finishing my programming project, I still have to write this article. Well, when it's this late, it's early. Birds start to chirp outside, the sun is thinking of rising, and thoughts easily turn to none other than ... breakfast. (Oh, and sleep, too. But that's not nearly as tasty.)
In all honesty, how many of us busy, overworked, underslept Jumbos actually eat breakfast? My guess is not enough. I know I used to skip breakfast due to the universal excuse of not having enough time.
Yet health advisors, nutritionists, and our parents alike have trumpeted the benefits of breakfast time and time again. And somewhere deep inside, we know they're right.
We know that breakfast has been shown to improve concentration, processing speed, memory, and mood. This makes sense considering that food provides energy and that breakfast is the first chance for your body to obtain energy-producing glucose and valuable nutrients after a 14-hour abstinence from noshing (assuming you ate dinner at 7 p.m. and woke up at 9 a.m.).
Think of how peckish you get during the day even after five hours. Now imagine your body running on nothing but air for thrice as long. We definitely need that third meal.
But of course, there's always the conception that calorie-laden breakfast is diet-incompatible. Yet reason tells us that skipping breakfast, on average, actually makes you gain more weight. It makes your body hungrier later in the day and therefore you are tempted to overeat. Your body (and your brain) clearly deserve some morning nutritional intake.
Enough about the benefits of breakfast ... how about eating it? Before this article becomes one giant guilt trip, let us direct our attention to entirely delicious ways we can mollify that rampant shoulder angel.
One way to stave off hunger in less than five minutes in your own dorm room is to treat yourself to a daily D.I.Y. smoothie. Smoothies are simple, are made from fruit and yogurt, and are the perfect combination of nutrition, taste, and portability. You can sip one on the way to class. Therefore I highly recommend purchasing a blender if you don't already own one of these marvelous devices. You can get a dependable one for around $20, and you will never have to spend $3.50 on an overpriced Odwalla again. Besides, Strawberry C monster cannot not hold a candle to these savory eats.
Strawberry nectarine smoothieCooking time: 3 minutes and 49 secondsMakes 1 serving*2 nectarines*4 large strawberries*1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt*1 tablespoon honey*6 ice cubes (optional - winters can get chilly enough as it is...)
And the great thing about these directions is that they're only six words long. Put everything in the blender. Blend.
Some tips: Buy frozen strawberries and nectarines and stash them in your fridge. You can leave out the ice that way, and the strawberries will last much longer than a week. They will also be conveniently peeled/pitted/hulled so no extra labor needs to go into that. Definitely experiment with your own favorite fruits. Blueberries, bananas, raspberries, peaches, pineapple, and orange juice are all fair game.
Next up, my second favorite breakfast recipe of all time. You'll need a bit more time to make this but it is still fairly easy. I highly recommend it for a Sunday brunch gathering to celebrate surviving the school week.
Cinnamon French toastCooking time: 20 minutesMakes 1 loaf of bread*eggs*1 teaspoon salt*1 cup milk*1 loaf white or whole grain bread*1 tablespoon ground cinnamon*butter or healthier oil*maple syrup or other syrup for garnish
Directions:1) Beat the eggs and the salt together until frothy. (Salt helps egg froth.) Stir in milk and ground cinnamon.2) Grease the skillet with butter (or healthier oil) and heat on medium-low heat.3) Dip a bread slice into the egg mixture; let it absorb the mixture on both sides.4) Gently lay the slice in the skillet. Flip after one side has browned (about one minute). Be careful to avoid burning!5) Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the whole loaf is gone. Enjoy with an extra sprinkling of cinnamon sugar, a pat of butter, and a drizzle of syrup, or entirely naked. It's equally good.
