BREAKFAST

Delicious and Nutritious Breakfast Smoothie

If you’re not a morning person, then this is the perfect pick-me-up for you. With this quick and easy, delicious and nutritious breakfast smoothie, you’ll be ready to face the day! Simply blend a low-fat natural yoghurt, skimmed milk and granola with blueberries, raspberries and/or strawberries and sweeten with honey. What could be easier? And you’re guaranteed to get the nutrients you need.

Consuming your daily portions of fruit can be tricky but by blending a couple of servings into a smoothie, you’re almost halfway there! Including blueberries in your morning drink is also a great addition as they are a superfood. They’re low in calories and high in nutrients. Tip: buying frozen berries from the supermarket is a cheaper alternative. They also last much longer, are equally as healthy as fresh berries, and give you an instantly chilled smoothie to kick-start your day. Choosing a nice and nutty granola will provide you with ‘good’ fats and omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for heart health. Granola can be quite high in sugars so try to choose one with a lower sugar content. Nevertheless, granola is a great energy source and can even increase cognitive activity to help you smash those exams!

Megan Sylvester

Embellished Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Eggs are a great breakfast option, they’re filling, high in protein and antioxidants to help you feel satisfied and able to concentrate on those dreary mornings. The great thing about scrambled eggs is they’re so versatile- can add pretty much anything you fancy for flavour. My personal favourite is a few shredded broccoli stalks and some plum tomatoes. All you do is chuck the broccoli and tomatoes into a frying pan with a little oil, whisk up your eggs (season to your egg tastes) and add them too. Keep mixing them in the pan to scramble, pop your egg mixture on some toast and you’re good to go. I also sometimes add avocado to the toast if I’ve got a suitably ripe one lying around. Avocado is another great brain food as it works to boost circulation and get blood flowing through those all important brain cells. This dish is so quick and easy to make and will definitely keep going through that morning revision session until lunch.

Maia Thornton

LUNCH

Jacket Potatoes

This option may sound boring at first and it might not spring to mind as the obvious nutritious meal, but it is! Potatoes are balls of nutritional goodness. This is due to them being naturally fat-free, a great source of potassium and fibre, salt free, low in sugar and naturally free of saturated- fats. They are also cheap, just grab a bag at SainsburyÔÇÖs for ┬ú1 and thatÔÇÖll give you several meals.

My personal choice to add on top, after letting it get crispy in the oven (microwave before hand to decrease overall cooking time), is tuna and sweet corn. Eating any type of fish just once a week increases brain health! Ideal for revision moments when you feel like your brain is about to shut down. As a replacement for fatty mayo, try mixing the tuna and sweet corn (add some chopped up cucumber and chilli flakes if youÔÇÖre feeling extra adventurous), with a splash of olive oil and mix well. Add some mixed salad leaves and youÔÇÖve got yourself a great lunch or dinner, which will keep you satisfied, avoiding the revision hunger pangs and distractions!

Of course if youÔÇÖre not a fan of tuna, making a chilli with mince, beans and tomatoes also goes extremely well with this easy, cheap and yummy meal.

Isabella Nicolson

Pomegranate Rocket Salad

If youÔÇÖre looking for a quick, yet tasty light lunch then a pomegranate rocket salad is the perfect meal for you. Pomegranate is a great source of fibre and contains vitamins A, C, E, iron and other antioxidants. Along side the rocket, which is one of the most nutritious green-leafy vegetables of Mediterranean origin, it is ideal to add some feta cheese into the salad. The sweet flavor of pomegranate and the bold tangy flavor of feta cheese make up a beautiful combination of flavors in your mouth! To top off this dish you can add a few pieces of finely sliced red onion, which also contain plenty of vitamins and minerals, and sprinkle a handful of pine nuts. This is ideal to eat during the exam period because pine nuts suppress your appetite and contain nutrients that help boost your energy!

Albina Govic

DINNER

Sweet Potato Huevos Rancheros

A healthy spin on the classic Mexican ÔÇÿHuevos RancherosÔÇÖ Breakfast, this vibrant dish is built on solid sweet potato foundations; these are lower in starch than most carbohydrates, giving your body a slow release of energy during those long hours of coursework. Packed with vitamin C, they also count as one of your five-a-day, along with the fresh tomato salsa and avocado. The black beans and eggs provide a protein punch that makes this dish a solid all-rounder, and perfect for breakfast lunch or dinner.

Roast skinny sweet potato strips in vegetable oil for 30 to 40 minutes to make crisp, chewy fries before loading the top with warmed up tinned black beans, a simple salsa of finely chopped tomato and onion and some chunky wedges of avocado. Garnish this with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and sprinkles of chopped chilli and coriander before topping the whole lot off with a poached egg (or two, in true Mexican style).

Anna Highfield

Red onion, Sweet Potato and Feta Bake

A really simple all-in-one oven-baked dish, this is great for evenings when you donÔÇÖt want to stand around the stove for hours to keep an eye on your cooking. ItÔÇÖs low-GI to avoid mid-work carb crashes, full of fibre, deeply satisfying, and the feta is a good source of affordable protein. One serving of sweet potato provides more than 70% of your daily Vitamin C recommendation, whilst red onions are packed with enough minerals to make your body sing. Serving the dish with fresh rocket or wilted spinach will give your body a healthy dose of iron, as well as the immune-boosting vitamins A, C and K.

An hour before you want to eat, bang a tray of peeled and roughly chopped sweet potato chunks in the oven with a drizzle of oil. Half an hour later, give them a shuffle and add chunky red onion slices (about half the quantity of the sweet potatoes). Give these a further twenty minutes, then roughly crumble some feta cheese on top and return to the oven for a final ten minutes of cooking. ItÔÇÖs great served with dressed fresh rocket or wilted spinach.

Anna Highfield