They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, though it is often the most skipped too. A lot of people are so rushed in the morning, that you inevitably end up having a quick slice of toast, or some sugary cereal eaten as fast as possible. But there are so many healthy breakfasts that are quick and easy, and can be made on a budget. Tasty too!
1) Porridge (oatmeal) with berries and honey. Porridge oats are very cheap – Tesco’s Everyday Value oats are 75p for a 1kg bag – and are healthy and nutritious. They are also cheap and filling, which is perfect for a busy day ahead. I like to prepare mine with milk and a pinch of cinnamon, then have some berries and honey on the top. I use the frozen berries you can get in the supermarket – they are cheap, last for ages in the freezer and as they thaw out in the porridge, create a bit of juice which just adds to the flavour.
All you need is:
- 40g porridge oats
- 220 mls milk
- pinch of cinnamon (optional)
- handful of berries
- teaspoon of honey
If you have time, make the porridge in a saucepan on the hob as it tastes so much better. If you prefer it made with water, feel free. Either way, hob is definitely best. Once your porridge starts to thicken, add the pinch of cinnamon. Then, once in a bowl, add the berries and honey to the top, stir in and then eat. Simple as that! Lovely and warming on a cold morning. Sometimes, I swap the honey for a big spoon of peanut butter instead, which is just as lovely.
2) A fruit smoothie. This is definitely a fast breakfast item, whizzed together in mere sections, and full of flavour. You can use any variety of fruit you like, but the banana makes the smoothie nice and thick. As with the porridge, I use frozen berries for these, purely because they are cheaper. You are processing them, so it doesn’t matter if they aren’t fresh for the smoothie. For this you will need:
- one banana, chopped
- large handful of berries
- 100mls of milk or orange juice
- handful of spinach (optional)
- teaspoon of honey (optional)
The last two are optional – if you have any spinach left over then add a handful of it into your smoothie. It’ll add a slight green tinge but it’ll also add some iron and other vitamins into the mix. Again, if you like things slightly sweeter, then a small amount of honey works really well with this. Another variation I love as a smoothie is just banana/peanut butter/milk – it’s like a milkshake!
3) Poached egg on toast. Eggs are a good source of protein and have lots of essential vitamins and minerals, so they are perfect to start the day off right. I’m personally not a big fan of fried eggs, so I’d always choose to poach an egg. You can do this simple by boiling some water, add a couple of drops of vinegar, swirl the water so there’s a centre, then drop the egg into it. The egg will only take a couple of minutes to cook through, so keep at eye on it. Whilst the egg is cooking, toast your bread to your liking, add butter to that if you want then pop the egg on top. Healthy start to the day and very cheap!
These are my favourite breakfasts on a budget, that are more than just a humble slice of toast. Healthy and on a budget too – what more could you want on a morning than that.
What’s your favourite breakfast recipe? Feel free to share in the comments!
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we have porridge every morning. I put the oats to soak, 4tablespoons of oats to a large mug of water. I use porringer, a double saucepan with water in the bottom. In the morning it goes on a low light stirred occasionally until it thickens. The soaked oats produce their own milk which they cook in.
OH has his with salt and a little milk, I have half a teaspoon of sugar on mine with milk. We usually have. Slice of toast as well.
The exception is Sunday, I make my own breakfast fruit a tin of value pineapple bits, mandarin oranges and a quarter of a packet of fruits of the forest. Half the pineapple and mandarins go in a container for the next weekend. We have a croissant each with apricot jam.
I’ve never tried porridge with salt – it seems like such a strange combination! Your fruit combination on a Sunday sounds delicious 🙂
We make porridge every day for our little son. We soak the porridge overnight in water with a spoon of almond butter and a spoon of coconut oil. In the morning, we add a splash of boiled water, then just heat the porridge. You don’t even need to add milk, as the porridge makes its own, so that also keeps it dirt cheap!
Even cheaper without milk 🙂 I like the idea of almond butter, may try that 🙂
A nice breakfast. Is oats layered in a glass with muller light and topped with with frozen berries. Leave in fridge overnight
That sounds delicious 🙂 will give this a go!
I’m not a big fan of oatmeal, but give me a fruit smoothie or an egg over easy on some toast and you’ve got a winner!
Keep it simple, keep it cheap, stay healthy
ADD
Exactly – simple is definitely best 🙂
I love having fruit smoothie in breakfast! But my favorite is still blue berry pancakes with fresh fruit syrup.
Blueberry pancakes with syrup sounds divine 🙂
Oatmeal is fast becoming our go-to breakfast. It’s cheap, quick, and easy. Sometimes we’ll portion it out and add different flavor combos (apple+cinnamon, banana+peanut butter), and take it to work as a snack. Smoothies are also big on our list, but one of our pricier breakfasts.
There are so many flavour combinations with oatmeal – love banana and peanut butter too 🙂