Better Breakfast Cereal
This is going to make your mornings better. Combine entire boxes of healthful cereal into your biggest bowl, add extra oats, oat bran, ground flax seeds, and freeze-dried berries. Now you have plenty of breakfasts ready to go.
I'm going to share with you a bigger, better, crunchier breakfast cereal. Also more nutritious. Some of you aren't going to be interested in this concept at all, and that's cool. For some of you, this is going to be a game changer. Because all of the the components are dry, your are rewarded with weeks of quick breakfasts, and you can easily scoop some into baggies for simple travel breakfasts.
I had been making my own dry cereal breakfast blends for months before things started to get more interesting. I started making it in increasingly larger, and larger batches. We eventually got to the point where I like to cherry-pick boxes of favorite cereals, dump entire boxes into the most massive bowl I can find, and add quick oats, oat bran, ground flax, and freeze dried fruit. After that, give everything a good toss, and transfer to two XXXL glass Weck jars. The big-batch thing is the magic. Especially if you're at all lazy, but still want a great breakfast.
A Custom Blend: Choosing Your Cereals
I'm including the recipe down below for what I think of as my “base” cereal recipe. That said, I encourage you to use it as a jumping off point. Try not to get hung up on whether you can track down the exact cereals I use. My cereals of choice are oat flakes, shredded wheat, plus some sort of dense nugget cereal. Broadly speaking, a mix of sugar-free / whole grain / high-fiber cereals is what you're going for. Said another way, a mix of textures, and nutrient diversity.
Better Breakfast Cereal: Variations
This is the berry version (photos above and below). But there are times I do a tropical version, swapping out the berries for freeze-dried bananas, pineapple, and apples. Big flakes of toasted coconut is also a good add. You can also introduce fresh fruit when you add the milk, along with anything else you have on hand that might be a bonus.
More Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes
- The Perfect Healthy Granola (Low Oil & Naturally Sweetened)
- Everything Bagel Breakfast Cereal
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Cottage Cheese Muffins
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Better Breakfast Cereal
Just a heads up, this isn't a sponsored post, I'm calling out name brands to illustrate the exact blend I use, but you can substitute using the same general concept!
- 1 box Kashi wheat biscuits (16 ounce)
- 1 box Nature's Path Multi-grain Oat Flake Cereal
- 1 box Kashi 7-grain nuggets, or Ezekiels
- 2 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups oat bran
- 4 cups freeze-dried berries (mix of raspberries, blue berries, strawberries)
- 1/2 cup ground flax seeds
- to serve: fresh berries fruit or sliced banana, chia, hemp seeds & your milk of choice (I prefer almond milk here or a blend of cashew and almond milk)
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Combine everything in your largest bowl, toss well, and transfer to air-tight containers (two Weck 2.5 L glass jars are perfect).
Makes about 20 cups of cereal.
Related Recipes
The Perfect Healthy Granola (Low Oil & Naturally Sweetened)
There are a few different granola camps. This one falls squarely in the great, everyday, healthy granola category. Midnight black and deeply chocolate-flavored with dark black cocoa and cocoa nibs, this granola is packed with heart-healthy oats and seeds. Naturally sweetened, clumpy, and crunchy, the recipe calls for just a small splash of olive oil, and leverages a secret ingredient to bring it all together.
Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole
If you’re looking for a great breakfast casserole, this has you covered. It’s a deep-dish merging of grated cheese, bagels, eggs, plant-based sausage and the crunch and savoriness of everything bagel seasoning.
Baked Oatmeal Cups
Baked oatmeal cups are the perfect on-the-go breakfast staple. These are made with oats, bananas, and lots of berries, then baked into golden deliciousness.
Cottage Cheese Muffins
Golden, puffy cottage cheese muffins are high in protein, filling, and endlessly adaptable. If you love a savory baked situation, these are for you.
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Comments
I completely agree! I've been looking for a healthier breakfast option and this post has provided me with some great ideas. Thank you for sharing!
Heidi: Thanks for reminding me of the breakfast blend idea- it's brilliant and I'll whip up a batch when we head out to our vacation rental!
Thanks Chapulis!
This recipe is so useful for me considering my mornings are probably one of the hardest parts of my day and this breakfast which provides everything I could really need is definitely a game changer in terms of how my breakfasts go.
Great idea and looks fabulous. I'm thinking that on cold mornings I'd add hot milk or chai...warm & yummy. Thanks, Heidi!
Can I sub regular oats for the quick-cooking kind?
HS: Hi Loring, you can!
I love this idea and have being doing it for a while. The only thing I do different is to store my mixed dried fruit (especially raisins, etc) separately and add them at the last minute. I find they turn into little rocks if left interspersed with the dried cereal blend. Love the colour punch of your blend!
Give Nabisco Shredded Wheat and Bran a try. Yes, it's not organic. But no sugar. And full of flavor.
Hi Heidi, Wondering what fruit you use. Is there a particular brand that's you suggest? Thanks! Maggie
HS: Hi Maggie - I think the last time I bought them, they were Karen's Naturals.
That's a great idea, thanks for sharing! I recently accidentally bought some strawberry mini wheats that contain artificial food coloring, blech. I could taste it right away. When our cereal supply dwindles, you've inspired me to buy some healthy, non sugary cereals and make this mix.
LOVE all the berries!!!
Always on the hunt for a quick breakfast, especially when I haven't planned ahead! Thanks for sharing!
My favorite breakfast or lunch is vanilla or honey whole milk yogurt, Bran Buds and fresh or frozen fruit. today it was mango. I make it the night before so the Buds get soft and caramel-ly.
Do you have a problem with all the smaller bits and pieces falling to the bottom of the jars? I've long been a cereal mixer, but always day of, which means i need space to keep 3+ boxes of cereal in my pantry. But I'm worried that week 2 I'll eat all the yummy fruit and big flakes and by week 3 a bowl will be 90% oats/flax/bran/chia and the crumby bits.
Heidi: such a swell idea ! I haven't eaten dry cereal in years, probably got bored, but this would curtail the boredom! You're so clever!
Slightly off subject but do you freeze dry your own fruit? Getting interested in this topic and exploring affordable and reliable ways of doing it.
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