Okay, now that you’re going back to school, it’s time to focus on the most important thing for having a good school day: breakfast.

No, seriously. Breakfast is delicious. I know a lot of college students skip breakfast to save time in the morning (I myself was often guilty of this), but why skip the most awesome meal of the day?

With this easy recipe, you can make 10 banana muffins at once–that’ll get you through 10 days, no muss, no fuss. Plus, you can eat ‘em on the go! And, hey, at least they have bananas.

And if you don’t eat breakfast, you’ll be starving later (low blood sugar, sugar) and quite possibly wolf down everything in sight. Not cute.

So munch away, my collegey friends. Remember, you can’t spell “breakfast” without “eat” (I mean…if you take out some letters in between…whatever, it’s muffins!!). Read More »

While you may be tempted to fill that dormroom mini fridge with beer and only beer, there are going to be times in college (like breakfast) when Miller Lite just won’t suffice. So, you may want to stock that fridge with other necessities to get you through the day. You don’t have much room in that shoebox they call a fridge so you must choose your items wisely.

Below is my list of the five MUST HAVES that got me through those hungry, fun and crazy college days. And don’t worry; there is still plenty of room for the beer.

1. Ramen noodles. While not the best food for your figure (sodium overload and absolutely no nutritional value), it’s great on a budget (you can get something like 10 boxes for $1.99). Throw in some veggies and you can have a quick and cheap stir-fry.

2. Salsa. This condiment spices up casseroles, nachos (which are a PERFECT drunk time/late night snack) and even omelets and eggs.

3. Velveeta. Great for sandwiches, mac & cheese (an essential college meal) and melting into a bowl for dipping animal crackers (You think I’m nuts, but just TRY it!).

4. Brita. I never thought this was necessary until I got to college and realized that natural tap water is filled with some seriously nasty gunk. Nothin’ that’ll kill ya or anything, but still, not the best stuff to put into your body (as I’m currently slugging back a vodka/seltzer – ha!). You can get an easy maintenance one at Target, Walmart and other similar stores.

5. Red Bull. Everyone has those nights where they need to pump up and rally. Red Bull, otherwise known as speed in a can, will do the trick. Chug one of these guys for a night at the library, or a night on the town; it will get you through and leave you feeling fantastic.

Those are my five little must-haves. What are yours?

I like to have some kind of baked good in the morning along with my cup of coffee, and honestly, there is nothing better than a scone to serve that purpose. Muffins are nice, but they’re too sweet (and often they are also the size of a man’s head). Biscotti go fabulously with coffee, but inevitably disintegrate into crumbs whenever I attempt to eat them.

But scones… aahhh. They’re just so close to perfect. Also, you can freeze them and just pop one out whenever you want to eat it—beautiful!

So I was rooting around for a great scone recipe this weekend, and I unearthed this monster on the mother of all recipe sites, the (aptly named) All Recipes. I will announce this publicly: I will never search for another scone recipe again. These are SO AMAZING!

To make a flawless recipe even better, they are also customizable. Yeah, that’s right. The recipe lists raisins as an optional ingredient, so if you don’t want raisin scones, you can basically throw whatever you do want right in the batter and mix it up.

I made cranberry-walnut scones, but the possibilities are endless. Chocolate-chip scones? Okay! Orange-lemon scones? Yes! Irish coffee scones? Well… I’m not quite that ambitious, but go for it and let me know how it turns out. Read More »

Poor breakfast is probably the most forgotten meal of the day. In your daily mad-morning-dash to school, work, or play, it is easy to forget to eat something before you leave the house. Now for someone with a packed schedule, a mere bowl of cereal or a single granola bar will not tide you over until lunchtime. Luckily, I have found the perfect 15 minute morning meal that will keep you satisfied longer.

This bacon, egg, and cheese muffin may seem like a standard breakfast item, but tastier than a McDonald’s meal with half the calories!

Now on with the deliciousness!

Here are the ingredients for one muffin:
2 eggs
2 sliced Canadian bacon
2 slices processed American cheese (I recommend Kraft)
1 English muffin, split and toasted
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened Read More »

Looks like Ms. Spears has taken her pap bf (with the narly chin hair) back. It’s so cute! They both love hats!

I’d like to see someone try this and come out unscathed.

The more men that look like Zach Braff, the better chance I have of falling in love.

If your man is suddenly eating lots of watermelon, it’s probably not because he thinks its tasty.

A faster way to eat fast food.

Because this comes as a shock to….nobody.

Alternative breakfast ideas (that aren’t 8 gillion calories)

Talk about sibling rivalry….

During my vegetarian kick this winter, I was determined to get enough protein and, ironically, fat in my diet. Cheese was good, milk was fine, and I cannot say enough about my obsession with avocado, but what I needed was something of the nut variety to add a little to my meals. Peanut butter was the obvious choice.

It’s cheap and easy. It’s pre-made. It’s delicious. But I can’t eat the Jifs or the Skippys. They’re too sweet, no matter how choosy my mom is. In actuality, because my mom is diabetic, she was the one who considered them too sweet, and so, by default, I went natural.

Initially I was a little repulsed, because the peanut oil settles on top of the mashed-up peanuts themselves and it requires stirring, but I soon got over this. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not (quite) that lazy. The good news is, if you are that lazy, you can buy pre-mixed natural peanut butter; I just prefer the Smuckers glass jars of it. Essentially, I go through about a jar of this stuff every ten days, and I think you get the idea of how much I love it. Before you judge me for eating it out of the far with a spoon, I am going to share with you the amazing and different ways to enjoy your PB au Natural: Read More »

So, I wouldn’t necessarily advocate this, but if you want to eat a cookie for breakfast, this is totally the cookie to go for. It has a serving of healthy (flour), a serving of delicious (chocolate), and a serving of WAKE UP (instant coffee). Really, to be honest, there’s nothing better.

Here’s what you need: ¼ c brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of soft unsalted butter, 1 egg yolk, ¼ teaspoon of vanilla, just under ½ c flour, 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder (woo-hoo!), ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder, a sprinkle of salt, 1 tablespoon of milk, and 2-3 tablespoons of chopped chocolate. Chopped chocolate—not chocolate chips, so don’t even think about trying to substitute. The real deal makes all the difference.

This makes six nice-sized cookies, by the way.

First, warm your oven to 350. Then use an electric mixer (or do it by hand if you must, but a mixer is better for this recipe) to combine the sugar and butter until it’s creamy. Read More »

Rice Krispie treats turn me on. They’re easy, they’re delicious, and you can get away with calling them “breakfast”…

If you’re like me, and enjoy sugar first thing, try this recipe out for a morning snacker. Any excuse to eat dessert for breakfast is a good excuse to me, and thanks to Snap, Crackle and Pop…8:30 AM is going to taste just a little bit sweeter.

DIRECTIONS: Read More »

I love granola so much that it nearly borders on an unhealthy obsession. I buy my favorite kind, Bear Naked, by the bagful (the best flavor is peanut butter), and I normally go through an entire huge bag every week. This is certainly delicious, but at almost $5 a pop it’s pretty expensive, too.

Before you get so attached to Bear Naked that you also find yourself whittling away your life savings on it, let me turn you on to something even better: making your own granola.

Is that even possible? Yes, yes, it is, and it’s sooooo worth it.

This is a good starter recipe, but unfortunately it makes 30 servings and uses a full cup of vegetable oil. Luckily, I’ve done the work for you and am here to offer this scaled-down, simpler (yet still every bit as good) recipe:

You’ll need one cup of oats, two tablespoons of wheat germ (this is optional, but it adds great health value), three tablespoons of your favorite chopped nuts (I like walnuts and almonds), two tablespoons of flaked and unsweetened coconut, and a quarter of a teaspoon of cinnamon. You’ll also need a few wet ingredients: about one and a half tablespoons of brown sugar, one tablespoon of honey, and no more than two teaspoons of maple syrup or vegetable oil. Read More »

There is nothing I love more than a scone in the morning. Sometimes I’ll sit at my table and devour one while sipping a cup of tea, just to feel intensely proper and English.

The problem with most scones that you can purchase at Starbucks is that they’re absolutely packed with calories and fat–just one scone can run at least 400 calories. When you make your own, they taste just as good but they’re a lot healthier because you actually know what you’re putting in them.

I’ve tried a LOT of scone recipes over the years, but I’ve never, ever found one as good as the following. I imagine it’s pretty versatile, so if you don’t like craisins or almonds you can probably sub in raisins or dried apricots or chocolate chips or whatever else you like. It makes 14 scones, so you can either share with friends or freeze the extras and take one out whenever you need a quick, scrumptious, and pretty healthy breakfast.

Without further ado, here is what you need and how to make the best scones in the world: Read More »