What I am about to say may be considered a little bit controversial… heretic even! I don’t like breakfast food. Never have done.
There are aspects of breakfast that I like – such as bacon or chocolate croissants – I’m not a monster. It’s just over all… I am not a fan. I don’t particularly like cereal, unless its covered in chocolate and sugar… and then can you really call it breakfast – isn’t it then called desert for breakfast. I love a BLT for breakfast, but often have to order it off the lunch menu, in fact I love everything on the lunch menu for breakfast. It has become a permanent frustration for me, especially when I am off travelling. Standard breakfast meals that you get in hostels, just don’t interest me, so more often than not – I skip breakfast.
It’s an easy thing to do! You sleep in late or get up too early for the hostel breakfast so just decide to skip it all together. Maybe you have a strict budget and are cutting costs by only eating two meals a day. I’m no health professional so I am not going to give you reasons on why you shouldn’t do that, especially as I do it from time to time. What I will say is that I know from experience that I have a lot more energy and focus for a full day of travel activities if I have breakfast first…. I just wish I could find something more interesting than toast or muesli to eat on a budget.
So often the budget breakfast options are jam packed full of sugar and fat and other delicious, yet unhealthy things. Things that mean that half an hour later I am hungry again because my body has burnt through the high concentrate of energy way too quickly.
What has made things harder is that over here in the southern hemisphere it has gotten cold… and all of my favourite “breakfast” foods aren’t that appetising on a chilly morning. Finding a delicious, cheap, warm, easy (because let’s face it – who has the mental space to cook a feast first thing in the morning) and healthy budget breakfast food has become a little bit of a mission for me.
My top 5 Winter Budget Breakfast Feasts for Backpacker’s
Avocado on toast
This is a permanent favourite of mine and so easy to make and then scoff down. Best thing is that if you are travelling on your own you can stretch out an avocado for 3-4 days if you need to. The other great thing is you can add to it to make it more substantial if you are up early and know that lunch is a long way away – just add bacon, or if you are vegetarian (or on a tight budget, always worth going vego to save some money) try adding tomato.
Ingredients for 1 serve:
- ¼ avocado
- ½ lime or lemon
- 1 piece of toast
- Salt and pepper to season
Method:
In a bowl or on the side of your plate (if you want to save on washing up) smash the avocado with the back of your fork. Squeeze in lemon/lime juice and salt and pepper, continue to smoosh. Place on top of toast – scoff face.
Steak sandwich
My trip to Portugal was a revelation on breakfast food – this simple and delicious recipe has changed the way I view breakfast, check out this post for a full recipe on all of the amazing things you can do with a Portuguese steak sandwich. For the more simple and still very delicious version you just need to purchase some rump steak – the only tricky part is that more often than not in countries outside of Portugal, Spain and France the rump you can buy is quite thick. Take a knife and slice it horizontally to cut the steak into two 1cm thick slices. One rump steak gives you enough for two breakfasts! The only other trick you need to know about this meal is that it is all about the bread – make sure your bread or roll is fresh with a crispy crust – you know the type I am talking about, the type that makes your mouth water. I like to have wholemeal or grain bread as I find white bread sits badly in my tummy – but that is up to you.
Ingredients for 1 serve:
- 1cm thick slice of rump steak
- 1 bread roll or fresh bread
- Salt and pepper to season
Method:
Season your steak before cooking in a hot pan for only a minute on each side – as it is really thin it shouldn’t take very long at all. Place on bread, you can add mustard or sauce if you are so inclined. Put it in your gob.
Bake bean baked eggs
The trick to this meal is to use a coffee cup or some other small porcelain container that is oven/microwave proof. I like to also cook up some toast with this one and make soldiers for dunking into the egg and beans, but if you are being super-duper healthy…. Maybe leave the toast out as there is already some carbs and sugar in the baked beans. I also find this budget breakfast is great in colder climates, it warms me right down to my toes and keeps me toasty until lunchtime. When I was skiing in Austria this was my go to breakfast for energy and warmth.
Ingredients for 1 serve:
- 1 small can of baked beans or a ¼ of a large can
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to season
- Optional – toast for dipping soldiers
Method:
Pre-heat your oven on a medium heat or about 160. Put the baked beans in the bottom of your mug/teacup/small bowl. Place in the oven for about 2 minutes. Pull out and crack the egg over the top of the beans, season with salt and pepper. Place back in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove with gloves, sit down and prepare to dip soldiers into gooey yumminess!
Baked apples
Now before you shake your head and say “Helen, that is clearly a desert food, not a budget breakfast food” – hear me out. We like fruit for breakfast right? We like yogurt for breakfast? But buying a large assortment of fruit for a nice fruit salad for breakfast can be a little out of my backpackers budget. So I pick just one fruit to have with yogurt… then the weather changed and the thought of eating cold fruit with cold yogurt while my toes are freezing just doesn’t appeal. So this is my alternative. This recipe takes a little longer with cooking time… time that I use to get dressed, make my bed, plan the day’s activity etc.
BACKPACKER TIP: A lot of hostels have little honey sachets for breakfasts, squirrel away a few so that you don’t have to buy a jar of honey.
Ingredients for 1 serve:
- 1 large green or red apple – your choice
- 1 tbs of honey
- Yogurt
Method:
Cut the apple in half and use a spoon to scoop out the core and seeds. Place a dollop of honey in the middle. Place in a hot oven of about 180 for 20 minutes or until the flesh is soft. Serve with a huge dollop of yogurt! So good you could inhale it.
Breakfast pizza
I love some left over pizza for breakfast – in fact any left overs are a great dinner food in my mind. However, no matter how much I plead with my body, surviving off pizza isn’t a healthy way to live. Though I hope there are some scientist working away on a pizza that is both delicious in all of its cheese carby goodness and jam packed with vitamins and fibre and other healthy things… If not, get someone on it please! This simple recipe reminds me of pizza but is still healthy.
Ingredients for 1 serve:
- Ricotta cheese
- Basil
- Cherry tomatoes
- Toast
Method:
Spread the ricotta over the warm toast, cut up the basil and sprinkle over the ricotta, slice up the tomatoes and add on top. You can add a drizzle of olive oil if you have some handy, but it’s not essential. Now you can stuff your belly with pizza for your backpacker budget breakfast.
Do you have a healthy budget breakfast idea that you can share? Comment below 🙂