"Breakfast," "busy," and "budget" are three Bs that never coexisted for me until I figured out a grocery list and a routine that worked for me. As a 20-something with a desk job in a big city, I far too easily succumb to the habit of not making homemade breakfast a priority and instead buying too many pricey coffees and prepackaged breakfasts on my way into the office. But I've learned that as soon as you break the habit, you realize how doable it really is to have a filling breakfast at home — you just have to plan the right way.
For me, that means nailing down a grocery list and making prep a priority over the weekend. Armed with the following budget-friendly staples, I manage to make it through the work week with homemade breakfasts that fill me up and barely make a dent in my wallet — besides the Friday morning mochas, because treating yourself tastes even better when you've earned it.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Anna Monette Roberts
Eggs are always in my fridge — no exceptions. But I don't resort to making scrambled eggs or fried eggs in the morning because, as little time as that takes, sometimes there's just not enough. I've found that the easiest way to guarantee I eat a healthy and filling breakfast on weekday mornings is to prep a week's worth of egg muffins on a Sunday evening. A muffin tin creates the perfect individual portions, and all I have to do in the mornings is grab two from the fridge and heat them in the microwave for one minute. If I don't, I inevitably buy an overpriced breakfast sandwich or bagel to satiate my intense hunger before 9 a.m. Below are a few recipes to get you started, but you can swap any of the ingredients for your favorite veggies, meats, or cheeses.
Stocking up on apples is my favorite way to make sure I'm eating enough fruit, and starting my day with one makes me feel significantly more energized. Did you know apples can give you as much energy as coffee? I also love that apples stay fresh longer than fresh berries: if you don't finish your apples one week, they'll still be good the next.
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3Crunchy Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
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Pairing sliced apples with almond butter or peanut butter — aka protein — makes them more filling. I like to pack an apple and a couple tablespoons of nut butter in my bag to have as a desk-side breakfast or late-morning snack. Having peanut butter on hand also means I can spread it on toast with honey or make peanut butter banana oatmeal.
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4Quick-Cook Steel-Cut Oats
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Speaking of oatmeal, it's another breakfast staple on my grocery list. Oatmeal is by no means the most exciting breakfast, but it's one of the cheapest and most filling. For a step above the microwaveable packets, I opt for quick-cook steel-cut oats ($2 at Trader Joe's). These stove-top oats cook in about eight minutes, and the container lasts for weeks in my pantry.
Because oatmeal has a bland flavor and mushy texture, it needs a little help from the toppings department. I like to keep dried figs, dried cranberries, toasted almonds, and granola in my pantry because they last a long time and are always there when I need to sprinkle some extras on a bowl of plain oatmeal.
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Butter — specifically Trader Joe's Cultured Salted Butter ($3) — is the only butter I absolutely have to have in my fridge. On mornings when I have time to do more than heat up an egg muffin, I make cheesy scrambled eggs with butter and spread the butter on crunchy toast.
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7Coffee
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Coffee is my life line — if my day doesn't start with a hot cup (or three), bad things happen. I like picking up locally made batches in San Francisco from places like Sightglass, Philz, or Four Barrel, but I also love the cheaper store brands from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (don't forget: both stores have in-store grinders for whole bean coffee). Buying the coffee is step one to ensuring I brew it myself at home, but the other essential for me is setting up the coffee maker the night before so all I have to do is press the "on" button when I'm still half asleep in the morning.
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8Instant Coffee For DIY Iced Lattes
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To switch things up on occasion, I also love to make my own iced coffees (because those $4 iced coffees really add up). The secret to making quick iced coffee without making homemade cold brew is to combine instant coffee with cream — I like Califia Farms's almond milk products — a touch of sweetener, and ice in a to-go cup. You could also simply store extra coffee from the coffee pot in the fridge for the next day.
On those mornings when I actually do have a few minutes to spare, I love sizzling up a couple pieces of bacon . . . and then scrambling eggs in the bacon fat. My favorite bacon, hands down, is Trader Joe's Uncured Dry-Rubbed Sliced Bacon. It's less than $5, and it's the best store-bought bacon I've ever had. Plus, unlike many other brands of bacon, this one is free of sodium nitrate and nitrite. Not only do I keep it as a breakfast staple, but I also love that I can use it throughout the week in dinners like pasta carbonara.
Thanks to its mild flavor and crazy-quick cooking time, spinach is the ideal vegetable to include in your morning routine to sneak in some extra nutrition. While I'm heating up a skillet for eggs, I like to toss in a handful of spinach first and sauté it to add to a quick omelet with parmesan or cheddar.
