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I have always loved bananas but here are some reasons why this unassuming yellow fruit has fueled my university career.

It's Monday. You had a GOOD weekend. You have that 9am lecture that you couldn't reschedule no matter how much you tweaked your timetable. You're resigned to the doom of waking up at 7am just to get to the Braggs Lecture Theatre on time (back in the day when we had in-person lecture, yes I know I am old). 

The first thing you grab? A banana. That's right. The story of my life. Nothing has kept me going more throughout university than this power fruit.  According to the marketing prowess of , they're an extremely nutritious snack. They're said to have a great amount of potassium, vitamin C, fibre, and Vitamin B.

There's a lot to love about them - their versatility, their sweet gooiness and their convenient packaging. Maybe I am a bit biased, having grown up in North Queensland and been raised on our neighbour's fresh bananas from the tree.

But I have heard they're even the most popular food in the world so maybe my bias is shared?

If you're not too keen on the fruit itself, you're in luck because I happen to be the master of the 30 minute breakfast versus the 10 minute one associated with 9am lectures...

Banana Smoothies!

All you need are some oats, bananas, oat milk (you can use any milk but this one is nice and creamy), honey, cinnamon and some frozen berries (or fresh if you like). And basically you just blitz it up. Not too complicated but on a summer's day, one of the best things. You can add a bit of ice cream or sorbet if you want to be a bit cheeky. In my opinion, the key to a good smoothy is just shucking in a bunch of things that make you go mmmmmmm.

French Toast

Luckily I have only recently been introduced to this concept. This one is a bit naughty so best saved for miserably cold days or celebrations. All you need is some good day old stale bread for toasting, eggs, milk, cream, cinnamon, sugar, bananas and honey. What you do is first, dip your bread in the egg, milk, cream, cinnamon, sugar mixture then fry the soaked bread in a pan. Chop your bananas over and drizzle with honey. Or...maybe some caramel. Major SWEET warning though. You have been warned.

Bananas are a great fruit, I love them and seemingly the world loves them! And for a uni student on a budget they make the perfect snack. Bon Appetit!