By Christine Imperatore
Following a healthy and wholesome diet is a huge factor when it comes to staying fit. Eating a nutritious breakfast every day is even more important as it will kick start your metabolism and give you the energy you need to make it through your busy day and still have the drive to workout later.

College students aren’t always religious about eating breakfast, mainly because we’re always in a hurry and just can’t find the time in the morning – especially when you’ve got to drag your butt to class at 8 a.m.

I recently found this Oatmeal Smoothie recipe on Pinterest and I’ve been whipping it up every morning this week. It’s got all of the elements of a good breakfast, but it’s quick to make and fits neatly into a travel cup. In fact, many nutrition experts say oatmeal is the perfect breakfast food.

The original recipe (from marthastewart.com) is meant to make two servings, so here it is recalculated to serve one:

1/2 cup ice
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup plain low fat or nonfat yogurt (my favorite is the Fage brand)
1/2 banana
1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup coconut water

Throw it all into a blender, and give it a whirl until it’s nice and smoothe.

One serving has about 305 calories, 3.5g fat, no cholesterol, 60 carbohydrates, 7g fiber and 12g protein.

To make things even better, making your breakfast at home will save you money. You’ll spend about $10 for the ingredients that will make this recipe each day for a week. It’s a lot cheaper than grabbing Chick-Fil-A on campus every morning, probably takes about half the time and is, of course, a smarter choice for your diet.