Getting to the dining hall for breakfast is tough. If yours isn’t exactly top-tier, or if you’re too dead to roll out of bed more than 15 minutes before class starts, I feel you. Making the trip to the cafeteria just isn’t going to happen before 10 am.
But after constant spending on food, fun, and alcohol, funds can get pretty low, and you’ll find yourself in the world of the Broke College Kid. With its notoriously high prices, Whole Foods isn’t the BCK’s top choice for breakfast staples.
But if you’re a WF loyalist, you don’t need to switch supermarkets – you just need to up your grocery game. I made an entire week’s worth of unique breakfasts, using entirely WF ingredients, for under $10.
Photo by Hailey Maher
Key to success: make the bulk section your bitch. You can get a ton of grains, nuts, granolas, and other breakfast necessities for just cents, instead of paying big money for the prepackaged kind. This grocery list, made of mostly bulk items, came in at $9.78 total:
- 0.32 lb quick oats – $0.54
- 0.16 lb premium short brown rice – $0.29
- 0.065 lb Hit the Trail trail mix – $0.58
- 0.065 lb unsweetened dried banana chips – $0.26
- 0.035 lb curry roasted cashews – $0.63
- 0.065 lb low-fat blueberry banana granola – $0.35
- 0.065 lb maple almond granola – $0.24
- 19g container Korintje ground cinnamon – $1.99
- 2 bananas – $0.42
- 1 peach – $0.50
- 1/2 dozen large eggs – $2.99
- WF brand organic nonfat yogurt – $0.99
Ready to spend less than $1.40 a day on breakfast? Try out these recipes:
Monday: Brown rice pudding
Photo by Hailey Maher
So good, it could be breakfast or dessert. Cook your brown rice (here’s how), then combine with water (or milk, if you have it) in a saucepan. Throw in a dash of cinnamon, mash in half a banana, and heat to thicken.
Tuesday: Trail mix oatmeal
Photo by Hailey Maher
The fiber in oatmeal will keep you full all morning, but if you’re doing something extra-strenuous, make this trail mix version to bulk up your bowl. Use half a cup of quick oats for your base. Mix with trail mix and any sweetener you have on hand, and top with banana chips for extra crunch.
Wednesday: Mug cake
Photo by Hailey Maher
You’re halfway through the week, so treat yourself with cake for breakfast. Combine half a cup of quick oats with half a mashed banana, an egg white, and cinnamon, and mix up in a mug. Microwave on 30-second intervals until fully cooked.
#SpoonTip: Top with anything you have on hand; we recommend PB, AB, or Nutella for a molten mug cake.
Thursday: Scrambled eggs
Photo by Chelsea Barbee
You’re almost to Friday, so power through the rest of the week with a protein-packed egg breakfast. You can scramble (even in the microwave), or make them poached, sunny-side-up, or into an omelet with whatever’s in your fridge. You have five eggs to work with, so get creative.
Friday: Chai overnight oats
Photo by Hailey Maher
Make your Fri-yay even better with an extra 15 minutes of sleep, courtesy of this make-ahead meal. Combine half a cup of quick oats with water (or milk, whatever you got) in an airtight container with half a mashed banana, curried cashews, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and any sweetener you have. Shake to combine and put in the fridge overnight. Enjoy effortless bliss in the am.
Saturday: Baked peaches
Photo by Hailey Maher
With all your free time on Saturday morning, make yourself a bougie breakfast. Preheat an oven to 350°F, slice a peach in half, and bake until soft (15-ish minutes). Top with granola and cinnamon, and drizzle with honey if you want something extra sweet.
#SpoonTip: Bring this dish from breakfast to dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the warm peach.
Sunday: Yogurt parfait
Photo by Hailey Maher
Get Sunday brunch flavor without spending tons of $$$ at a pricey restaurant. Empty the vanilla yogurt into a bowl and top with cinnamon and granola – bonus points for extras like berries or honey.
Classes might be tough, but keeping it cheap at Whole Foods is a no-brainer. If you’re looking for more options to switch it up, scope out your bulk section for swaps you can easily make to these recipes (i.e. muesli for oats or chocolate cherry trail mix for plain) – without breaking the $10 barrier. Whole Foods, hacked – you’re welcome.