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3 Easy, Tasty, Vegan Breakfast Ideas – College Edition!

by | Sep 5, 2017 | Food + Recipes, Health + Fitness, Lifestyle | 0 comments

3 Easy, Tasty, Vegan Breakfast Ideas – College Edition!

Creating delicious and satisfying vegan food on a college budget and schedule is not as inaccessible as one may think. Today, I will be showing you how to create my top 3 tasty, healthy, and easy vegan breakfasts that I eat every single day as a college student. These recipes can, of course, be edited to taste and preference.

Trust me, I understand the struggle of waking up, sleepy-eyed and restless from a night of studying (or whatever else a college kid does!). Over the course of my first 2 years at university, I have come to understand the importance of breakfast, despite the rush I am in to get to my first class in the morning.

This is where the importance of food prep comes in—as with any person, especially those in college with tight schedules. Time is precious, and meal planning and food prepping can allow for those tasty, wholesome meals when you are in a pinch. This brings me to my first recipe: overnight oats.

1. Peanut Butter and Banana Creamy Overnight Oats

My creamy, decadent and filling overnight oats recipe is sure to get even the laziest of college vegans out of bed in the morning. With different textures and a balance of sweetness, I have found that I wake up craving these oats. This past summer I was interning in New York City, and had to wake up incredibly early to endure a long subway commute downtown. This was my breakfast, without fail, every morning, and I have continued to enjoy it as classes have returned to session and my junior year of college has begun.

The following recipe accounts for my entire school/work-week of oats, so about 5 servings.

Peanut Butter and Banana Creamy Overnight Oats Recipe

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 cups dry raw rolled oats (I use trader joe’s brand)
  • 4 tablespoons black chia seeds
  • 5 to 5.5 cups non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened almond or coconut), enough to cover oats and seeds completely

Directions:

  1. Combine the dry ingredients first, and then cover with the non-dairy milk.
  2. Store this in a large airtight mason jar for the week.
  3. Each day, fill your bowl with a few heaping spoonfuls of this mixture and add the following toppings:

Toppings:

  • A splash of nondairy milk
  • 1 tbs. crunchy, no salt peanut butter (or whichever type of nut butter you prefer, I like the Trader Joe’s natural peanut butters!)
  • A sprinkle of roasted cacao nibs
  • 1/2 sliced banana
  • A handful of strawberries or other berries
  • Coconut flakes
  • A drizzle of maple syrup (or sweetener) to taste

2. Sweet n’ Savory Topped Toast

Next, for days where I have a little more time or am feeling a little more creative, I enjoy having toast. Again, this can be edited to taste, but I enjoy the “best of both worlds” with sweet n’ salty toast.

IMG_1785.JPG

Left: Ezekiel bread topped with crunchy natural PB, sliced banana, and cinnamon. Right: Mashed avocado, sliced grape tomato, and “everything but the bagel” sesame seasoning from trader joe’s!

Sweet n’ Savory Topped Toast Recipe

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

  • Two slices of bread
  • Toppings (see below)

Directions:

  1. Start off with 2 Slices of bread. I prefer sprouted bread (my favorite is Ezekiel bread—sprouted 100% whole grain bread, packed with protein and good fibers! I store this bread in the freezer and defrost slices as I use them. This can be found at Trader Joe’s as well as health food stores and some grocers).
  2. Add toppings! Mix these up as you want, but I like one sweet slice and one savory.

Toppings:

Sweet Ideas

  • Peanut butter, sliced banana, cinnamon, pure maple syrup drizzle
  • Peanut butter, strawberries, chia seeds, cacao nibs
  • Almond butter, banana, coconut flakes

Savory Ideas

  • Mashed avocado, sliced tomato, “everything but the bagel” seasoning (can be found at Trader Joe’s, yum!)
  • Mashed avocado, cucumber, and baby spinach
  • Hummus, sliced tomato, sea salt and cracked pepper

Try them all!

3. My Holy-Grail Green Power Smoothie

Lastly, this is the best option for on-the-go breakfast eaters. Here is my holy grail green smoothie recipe. This idea is also great for the warmer weather, or for pre- and post-workout breakfasts. I also enjoy this as a mid-day meal or pick-me-up when I need some brain power for studying.

This is my tried-and-true green smoothie recipe that I can always count on for fulfilling my sweets cravings, packing in the protein and superfoods, and being absolutely delicious!

I use my magic bullet to blend this up as well as variations of fresh and frozen fruit depending on what I have laying around in my freezer. Any high-power blender or processor should do just fine!

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Holy-Grail Green Power Smoothie Recipe

Yield: 1 Serving

Ingredients:

  • Handful of raw baby spinach (about 1 cup worth)
  • 1 cup of nondairy milk (I use unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk, but soy or other would work as well); use more/less depending on desired thickness
  • 1 tablespoon black chia seeds
  • A handful of frozen mango chunks, about 1/2 mango
  • A handful of frozen sliced ripe banana, about 1 whole banana
  • 2 tablespoons protein powder (I use Trader Joe’s organic hemp protein in the vanilla flavor)
  • 1 teaspoon Maca powder (optional)

Directions:

  1. Start off by adding your baby spinach and nondairy milk to a blender and blend until all of the spinach is broken up and combined with the milk.
  2. Add in your frozen fruits and powders and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
  3. Add more nondairy milk if necessary to your desired thickness.
  4. Pop on a transportable lid (bless the magic bullet for all of its transportable attachments!) and enjoy!

Toppings:

  • A splash of nondairy milk
  • 1 tablespoons crunchy, unsalted peanut butter (or whichever type of nut butter you prefer, I like the Trader Joe’s natural peanut butters!)
  • A sprinkle of roasted cacao nibs
  • 1/2 sliced banana
  • A handful of strawberries or other berries
  • Coconut flakes
  • A drizzle of maple syrup (or sweetener) to taste

I hope these recipes are helpful or inspiring in some way! Be sure to let us know in the comments!

Morgan

 @vegfordays on Instagram


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