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Healthy, fresh, simple and cheap: the perfect breakfast for people with little money and time
Photo:
Sebastian Maas / DER SPIEGEL
For many freshmen, switching to university is associated with a lot of stress.
They lose their social environment, have to find their way around a new city, get through the bureaucratic madness of the university, study for a ridiculous number of exams and run their own household on the side.
With little money and even less knowledge of cooking, toast and instant ramen in particular landed on my plate as stress food during this time.
Depending on how late I woke up.
In the USA this phenomenon is succinctly referred to as "Freshman 15".
"Freshmen" are the name of the first-year students there, 15 pounds (approx. Seven kilograms) are supposed to be put on in the first year of university because of the large amount of food you eat.
People are even more hateful in Australia, where they speak of the "First Year Fatties".
"It doesn't matter," one might think if one has followed the discussion about self-love over the past few years.
I think body positivity is a great thing.
But bad, unbalanced diet unfortunately disturbs concentration even with the most radical self-acceptance.
Feeling weak all the time because of a white bread diet is not a nice thing.
more on the subject
Nutritionist for top athletes gives tips: These foods maximize your performanceBy Ariel Hauptmeier
Nutrition guide: Forget low carb and low fat - this is how you eat rightBy Constanze Löffler
A healthy and balanced breakfast can help.
Whole foods - a generic term for unprocessed foods - not only make you feel full longer than ready-to-eat food, but studies have shown that it also increases the ability to learn and attention.
This does not automatically make you smarter, but at least the chances increase that you won't forget everything right away after a buffalo night shift.
Speaking of which I'm on the night shift: A simple wholefood recipe is “overnight oats” - a new German name for muesli that soaks overnight.
A cute idea: you go through it yourself and breakfast stays in the fridge.
In the washed-out jam jar, it can also be perfectly prepared for taking to the lecture hall.
Provided that you are allowed back in this semester.
Five recipes
Since the preparation is so easy, there are five recipe suggestions for the whole week.
No granulated sugar is used.
Instead, it is better to use natural sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup or agave syrup.
Nuts, seeds and fruits are particularly suitable as toppings.
Frozen fruit is great because it is cheap and usually does not contain any additional sugar.
It thaws gently in the refrigerator overnight.
What you need for one serving:
50 grams of oatmeal (fine, coarse or mixed)
100 milliliters of milk or plant-based drink
Sweetness at will
What does this cost?
The basic recipe around 25 cents, including the toppings, a maximum of 90 cents per serving
more on the subject
Cooking without coal: Sweet semolina casserole with apples - for 1.10 euros A column by Sebastian Maas
How long does it take?
Less than five minutes of work, then leave to stand in the refrigerator overnight
It's that easy to make overnight oats
Mix the oatmeal with the liquid.
Then add the toppings of your choice and leave everything in the refrigerator to wait overnight.
Lockable jars are best suited for this so that the surface does not dry out.
Monday: coconut chips and blueberries
The basic recipe, plus:
2-3 tbsp blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp desiccated coconut or 2 tbsp coconut chips
Tuesday: cocoa and hazelnut chips
The basic recipe plus:
1 teaspoon baking cocoa without sugar
2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
some honey
Wednesday: apple-cinnamon and dates
The basic recipe plus:
1/2 apple, chopped into small cubes
4-5 dried dates, cut into small pieces
some lemon juice to prevent the apple from browning
Thursday: banana and peanut butter
The basic recipe plus:
1/2 banana sliced
1 tbsp peanut butter (heaped)
Friday: stracciatella quark and cherries
The basic recipe plus:
1 tbsp low-fat quark
1 tbsp chopped dark chocolate
2-3 tbsp frozen cherries
Which combination do you prefer to eat? Which delicious dishes do you know that cost little money? Please send me a picture of it! Or share your photo on Instagram using the hashtag #KochenOhneKohle.
