By: Mishaa Khan 

Here are some quick breakfast recipes to sustain you throughout the day:

Overnight oats: Overnight oats are flexible and easy to make. Here are some guidelines:

• • Make a base the night before your snack: Mix a ⅓ cup of yoghurt, ½ cup of rolled oats, ⅔ cup of milk, and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. If you want, you can also add honey, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
  • Mix all of the ingredients together, place them in a container, and refrigerate them overnight.
  • In the morning, add your favorite toppings. This can include fruits, granola, vegetables, chocolate chips, nuts, spices, and so much more!

• Note: To make this vegan, you can omit the yoghurt.  

Egg and sausage taquitos: Place a piece of sausage, some scrambled eggs, and cheese on a piece of tortilla on a greased pan and wait for the cheese to melt. Once it has, roll the taquito up. You can also make these beforehand and freeze or refrigerate them, and microwave them before you head out to catch the bus.

Avocado toast with egg: Spread some avocado on a piece of toast and add a fresh fried or scrambled egg on top of it. This meal is really good for getting all your macronutrients in: healthy fats, protein, and carbs. If you prefer a vegan option, the egg can easily be taken out or replaced with scrambled tofu.

Omelette Waffle: If you have a waffle iron, you can beat a few eggs, add your favorite vegetables and some cheese, and make yourself a quick omelette without a pan. Just poor the mixture into the waffle iron and wait until your eggs have solidified.  

Smoothies: Smoothies are extremely fast to make and can be incredibly nutritious. You can blend these quickly in the morning, or the night before and take them on the go. You can mix and match your favorite flavours, but some of mine are:

• Peanut butter and chocolate: One banana, 1 cup of almond chocolate milk, and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.
• Berry Bliss: ½ cup of mixed blueberries, strawberries and raspberries with 1 cup of milk (or ⅔  cup of milk and a few tablespoons of yoghurt).
• Peach, Mango, and Banana: 1 cup of mangoes and peaches, 1 banana, 1 cup of yoghurt and a handful of ice.
• Cherry Vanilla: 1 cup of cherries, 1 cup of milk, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
• Green tea and almond: Brew 1 1/2 cups extra-strong green tea and wait for it to cool. Add a 1/3 cup almonds, 1/4 cup honey, and some cup ice.
• Tropical: Blend mangoes, guavas, passion fruit, peach, strawberries, and yoghurt in whatever combination that best suits your taste buds.
• Kale, Mango, and Spinach: Combine kale, mango, spinach, apple juice, orange juice, and pineapple with some ice.
• Avocado, Pineapple, and Banana: Combine 1 avocado, pineapple, and one banana with 1 cup of coconut water.
• Coffee Smoothie: Blend a cold cup of brewed coffee with a banana, cinnamon, almond milk, cocoa powder, and honey.

If you want to add any additional nutrients to your smoothies, you can always throw in chia seeds, turmeric powder, cinnamon, protein powder, or hemp hearts.

Smoothie Bowls: Have some extra time? You can use your smoothies to make smoothie bowls by pouring them into bowls and adding extra toppings in. Examples include granola, fruits, chia seeds, hemp hearts, coconut shavings, and more! Be creative.

French Toast: Beat one egg, one teaspoon of vanilla, ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon, and ¼ cup of milk in a shallow container. Dip four pieces of bread in the mixture and make sure each side is covered evenly. Cook the bread on a greased pan until it is brown on both sides.

For those busy mornings when there’s no time, here are some options on the Burnaby campus:

Mackenzie Cafe: Mackenzie Cafe offers an all-day breakfast menu which includes omelettes ($6.19 to $7.19), a variety of waffles (each priced at $6.19), a breakfast poutine ($5.49), breakfast sandwiches ($3-4 depending on your protein), and larger breakfast plates which will combine eggs, hash browns, toast, meat, and vegetables ($5.49-$7.89). There’s also a selection of coffee and breakfast pastries for you. If you haven’t been yet, you’ll find Mackenzie Cafe in the AQ.

Junction 65:  Junction 65, on the bottom floor of the AQ, has breakfast available until 11 a.m. everyday. They offer a breakfast sandwich, a breakfast burrito, a breakfast poutine, and a traditional breakfast plate. Meals range from $5-9, but you can upgrade and get a combo which includes the main breakfast item along with hashbrowns and tea/coffee.

Jugo Juice: Jugo Juice, near the education building in the AQ, offers a variety of healthy options such as smoothies, wraps, and fruits. Even though it is on the pricier side (with regular-sized smoothies starting from around $6 and wraps starting at $5) it is definitely worth it. If you have a SPC card, you can get a free regular Xtra benefit (such as ginger, whey protein…) with the purchase of any regular smoothie.  

Discovery Cafe: Discovery Cafe (on level 1000 of Discovery 1), is pretty far from most of campus but it is an ideal breakfast stop for FIC students. Their breakfast options are pretty similars to MacKenzie’s. They offer omelettes, toast, hashbrown, cage free eggs, breakfast sandwiches, and breakfast poutine. Their prices range from $1.39 for toast to $7.19 for a protein omelette. Unlike McKenzie, they offer breakfast only from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Dining Hall: The dining hall has an all-you-can-eat offer for only $6.49! Breakfast is available 8–10:30 a.m. You can commonly find pancakes, sausages, hash browns, boiled eggs, freshly fried eggs, yoghurt, granola, fruit, muffins, and a wide range of drinks. The only downside to this is that you cannot take any food out, and that it may not be the quickest option due to its location and any lineups you might face. (Of course, if you’re having a late breakfast, the dining hall still has a lunch all-you-can-eat option. The same rules apply except this is pricier for $9.99 and from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)