Spicing up Cereal

[AvatarVecna]

I've set myself on eating cereal more often because a regular semi-healthy breakfast would be good for me, and I'm looking for good ideas on how to make it...pop more, I guess. I usually have Honey Nut Cheerios or Krispies (I know, generally boring cereals) and I'm wondering if there's any good ideas for making it a more interesting. Everyone I know has suggested adding a bit of sugar or cinnamon, as well as fruit slices (particularly bananas), and while I'd like some sugary strawberry slices on my cereal, I thought I'd ask the Playground to see if anybody had any particularly interesting ideas of how to make the cereal even better. Additionally/Alternatively, recipe ideas that employ the use of cereal other than "cereal+milk" (like rice krispie treats, for example) would be welcome.

Thanks in advance!

[golentan]

Oh, man, this is all up in my wheelhouse, I love Cereal and I like doing silly cooking things.

First up, have you considered doing a Bread Pudding? Using a little milk (or substitute) egg, and baking, and you have yourself a warm, gooey, chewey treat. Bonus points for drizzling hot syrup over it... Or under it, if you have individual baking trays, which you can use to have a flan or toffee-pudding like bitter/sweet addition, extra bonus points with some almonds baked in...

Similar to Rice Krispy Treats, I recommend Scotcharoos, though they're not exactly healthy. Basically, they're rice crispy treats made with butterscotch and peanut butter, and topped with a layer of chocolate.

If you have apples, you can also do a homemade apple crumble, layer some apple slices at the bottom of a dish, top with (preferably granola based) cereal, bake...

If you're just in a hurry and looking to zazz up a quick cold breakfast with no baking times, and you don't have any of the above prepped, you can do a dollop of whipped cream or equivalent, cereal for crunch, and either cold strawberries or with a little extra work split a banana lengthwise and briefly fry it for a banana split.

If you're looking for something a bit more savory than the above, you can make a pretty good, airier than normal rice omelette by tossing a couple of eggs in with rice crispies and optionally bacon or ham or I like to add some green onions. Serve with ketchup.

[Knaight]

I'm against adding more sugar, but then I consider Honey Bunches of Oats way oversweetened and in need of mixing with corn flakes. Fruit in general works fine - bananas are common, but just about any berry works well, and mixes of berries are particularly likely to be interesting. The more interesting cereals are likely to be the hot cereals though - oatmeal, grits, malt o'meal, etc.

[Winter_Wolf]

Almond milk on cereal is bomb. If you're not allergic to almonds anyway. Coconut milk makes me gag a little, but some people swear by it (I generally dislike coconut).

I hear people warm up their milk first before putting it on cereal, but the few times I've tried I ended up with something the consistency and adhesive property of paste glue.

Maybe some cardamom or coriander seed powder? I'm wildly guessing now, since I generally reserve coriander powder for eggs or tomato soup. But they both go well with cinnamon so they might work together with that.

Beyond that I'm on to transforming cereal into other things which I think are generally going to be more labor intensive than it's worth as a quick breakfast. I suppose you could try to grind up the Cheerios and make some kind of muffin, but since baking requires specific procedure and recipe you're looking at probably a lot of failed batches to start.

[Algeh]

This is more of a granola thing, but you can try eating cereal as a yogurt topping/mix-in rather than in milk.

I dunno, I eat bran flakes for dinner on nights when I'm too tired to do the dishes that would result from a proper dinner, and never really eat cereal otherwise. I tend to eat my biggest meal of the day for breakfast and am currently tending to eat whole wheat biscuits with goat cheese baked into the center of them as my breakfast of choice, so I'm definitely on a different breakfast-page than most people.

[Aedilred]

If you're after a moderately healthy breakfast, then adding sugar, syrup, or turning the cereal into something which incorporates copious quantities of either, is probably a bad idea. Just saying.

Personally I have never got tired of just having cereal "straight" although I sometimes mix different types. I like adding Grape Nuts to regular cereals for a bit of extra crunch, but I don't know if you have those where you are. Adding some fruit or yoghurt might provide enough variety without adding so much sugar and fat that you're defeating any object there might be of eating healthily.

[Prince Zahn]

I second using yogurt instead of milk for cereal, and adding fruit such as bananas, strawberries, peaches, apples or grapes/raisins, craisins. nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or cashews, although I usually do that to make the yogurt more interesting

This probably isn't the most health-conscious suggestion, If you want to treat yourself a little bit, you can add a little cocoa powder (preferably REAL cocoa powder, and none of those mixed powder stuff that have dozens of ingredients, food colorings, preservatives/additives.) or similar products and mix it up before adding in the cereal. if you want to add a little more sugar you can but chocolate milk cereal man!

alternatively, maybe add coffee into your cereal bowl? I don't know, I've never tried this myself, but it might be an experience to use warm coffee instead of milk.

A fun thing that you can do with your serial is bake them into cookies, best done with cornflakes, you can glaze it with sugar/syrup, maple syrup, honey, or even chocolate (which is particularly popular at 9-year old birthday parties)

as mentioned before, Oatmeal is a great, and probably healthier alternative to having cereal, especially in the winter.
Also, have you considered making your own Muesli? there are lots of recipes online you can try.

[JeenLeen]

I haven't tried this, but thinking about spice combinations made me think a little bit of paprika or tumeric might be good with cereal. Not the really spicy type, but a more mild one. Probably what is sold in most grocery stores would be on the milder form. I'd recommend a literal pinch or two (less than a teaspoon), if you want to try it.

Again, I haven't tested this, but I could see it adding a slight savory taste to it and not being gross. Note that it will likely give a slight red to orange tint to the milk, so if that would gross you out better not to try.

--
I'll second almond milk as nice. I find its taste and consistency a little better than soy milk (and I've heard stories that it's healtheir, but I don't know if the source was credible.) To me, regular milk has a bit of an aftertaste, so I like almond milk. I think it has less fat, too, if that's good for your eating healthy.

[shawnhcorey]

Replace the cereal with low-salt bacon and eggs. It's a lot healthier.

[JeenLeen]

Replace the cereal with low-salt bacon and eggs. It's a lot healthier.

Turkey bacon is a healthier alternative to regular bacon we use sometimes.

Hmm... adding some bacon to the cereal might add some nice flavor, but might be gross in milk. Not sure.

[shawnhcorey]

Turkey bacon is a healthier alternative to regular bacon we use sometimes.

Hmm... adding some bacon to the cereal might add some nice flavor, but might be gross in milk. Not sure.

Turkey bacon is low in fat. Not as healthy as pig bacon.

[JeenLeen]

Turkey bacon is low in fat. Not as healthy as pig bacon.

Generally curious: how is pig bacon healthier if it's higher in fat?
I admit I haven't compared things like cholesterol, salt, or positive things like nutrients, but I would think 'fat' would be the biggest good/bad factor in bacon.

[FreddyNoNose]

Don't forget hot sauce! I love tapatio.

[shawnhcorey]

Generally curious: how is pig bacon healthier if it's higher in fat?
I admit I haven't compared things like cholesterol, salt, or positive things like nutrients, but I would think 'fat' would be the biggest good/bad factor in bacon.

Saturated fat is good for you. "Saturated fats, long thought to raise heart disease risks, had no effect."

[Winter_Wolf]

Saturated fat is good for you. "Saturated fats, long thought to raise heart disease risks, had no effect."

Woo! Bacon five! Although honestly the salt and nitrates are probably the real reason bacon isn't great for the health.

I still eat pork bacon, and it's been a lot less of an issue than say soda pop. Then again I'm not drinking bacon grease. Oh can you imagine trying to take a bit out of a big heaping spoonful of cereal suspended in bacon grease? Glurgh.

[golentan]

Woo! Bacon five! Although honestly the salt and nitrates are probably the real reason bacon isn't great for the health.

I still eat pork bacon, and it's been a lot less of an issue than say soda pop. Then again I'm not drinking bacon grease. Oh can you imagine trying to take a bit out of a big heaping spoonful of cereal suspended in bacon grease? Glurgh.

I do recommend storing the bacon grease for later if you're interested in flavor. It's GREAT for cooking some stuff, forget butter, fry your grilled cheese in bacon drippings.

[Winter_Wolf]

I do recommend storing the bacon grease for later if you're interested in flavor. It's GREAT for cooking some stuff, forget butter, fry your grilled cheese in bacon drippings.

I just use a few teaspoons for other dishes after I've made my bacon and the rest goes into the jar for the fire pit. Haven't found a real convenient filtering/straining method that doesn't interrupt workflow during meal prep.

Also baking bacon hasn't been working out with our particular oven so the fat won't render out properly and it still has to go in the frying pan.

[shawnhcorey]

Woo! Bacon five! Although honestly the salt and nitrates are probably the real reason bacon isn't great for the health.

Nitrates are not a health issue. "In fact, the study that originally connected nitrates with cancer risk and caused the scare in the first place has since been discredited after being subjected to a peer review."

And 90% of the nitrites you consume come from your own saliva.

Salt and sodium nitrate (used in bacon) are a health problem, causing high blood pressure.

[Anonymouswizard]

On the subject of bacon, I'm currently trying to lose weight and there's a disturbing correlation between the weeks I eat bacon and those where I successfully lose weight. It's pretty much the only 'fry up' thing I eat with any regularity anymore, although I love eggs I have them boiled or poached.

On the subject of cereal, my suggestion is to either find one that you like (I tend to prefer the healthier ones) or go for something really simple. I personally tend towards either cornflakes (because I actually like them more than most cereals) or Special K.

If you're willing to do a small amount of cooking in the morning, the best breakfast I've found is porridge with berries. Just cook your oats (~30g gives a decent portion, although you could do more if you wanted) and milk in a saucepan until ready and then add your extra, I like berries (generally frozen and then microwaved) but some of my family members swear by golden syrup, or just have it plain. It is hilariously more filling than the equivalent sugary cereal and milk (mainly because 30g of cereal is nowhere near what most people actually eat), letting me work for 2-4 hours without hunger problems.

The other thing that might seem strange is to mix up your cereals more. I love Crunchy Nut, but I'm aware of the fact that it's not good cereals-wise (although still better than Lucky Charms or most American cereals I've seen, seriously America do you have less sugary cereals for weekdays?), so I only have it occasionally, and then I make sure not to buy a cereal I've not run out of as long as there's something else there I like.

[shawnhcorey]

On the subject of cereal, my suggestion is to either find one that you like (I tend to prefer the healthier ones) or go for something really simple.

If you must eat cereal, only eat those without added sugar. (And don't add your own.) Carbs make you fat and fructose causes metabolic syndrome (video 90 min).

[lylsyly]

Spicing up cereal? Hmm...

Chocolate milk and sliced strawberries ... yummy!

Of course, I make hot chocolate by melting Hershey bars in a double boiler and stirring in Half n Half. What can I say.

[shawnhcorey]

Of course, I make hot chocolate by melting Hershey bars in a double boiler and stirring in Half n Half. What can I say.

That's a lot healthier than those hot chocolate mixes you can buy.

[lylsyly]

That's a lot healthier than those hot chocolate mixes you can buy.

Right up until the heart attack that is

[shawnhcorey]

Right up until the heart attack that is

Fructose (sugar) causes heart attacks, not fat or chocolate.

[Prince Zahn]

From what my clinical nutritionist tells me, no cereal is really a good candidate for a healthy breakfast (except maybe certain brands of branflakes),I'm certain the original poster is aware of this, as he made a joke on semi healthy breakfasts.

With that being said, if you want a healthier cereal, you should look for 3 major factors:

1. high dietary fiber content per serving.
2. low (if any) sugar/sugar substitute content: this includes alternative sugar names, such as fructose, as well as artificial sweetners (which can often be just as bad as sugar) and any ingredient that is called a syrup (ESPECIALLY high-fructose Corn syrup) because "syrup" is disguised junkfood code for sugar. I don't know if this applies everywhere, but I heard that the ingredients on the box are always sorted by highest quantity to lowest, so if the nutrition facts aren't enough you can also get a rough idea of what they put in your cereal, and how much.
3. avoid trans fat, artificial food colorings, and overly complex sounding ingredients as much as possible. Depending on the product and where you live, avoiding foods with many "coded" ingredients such as E(number) is a solid rule of thumb.

Now, once you have a healthier cereal you fancy, consider cutting into your bowl some seasonal fruit or berries, those will add flavor, sugar(fructose) and more importantly, fiber and vitamins. For a little crunchiness, you have nearly every nut conceivable, find a few you like and put about a handful mix in there. These add protein (especially almonds), iron (cashews or hazelnuts) and even Omega 3 (walnuts) bear in mind that nuts will add fats to your cereal, but these are the healthier kind of fats that actually help prevent heart disease. Just make sure to get them natural/plain instead of salted/roasted, otherwise your breakfast won't be as pleasant.

Finally you have the milk, unless you have any particular conditions, adding a cup of 3% milk is not what makes your breakfast unhealthy, so if you Like it, go nuts. A good alternative to milk is yogurts (up to 5% fat is typically considered health-smart when it comes to dairy products), consider probiotic yogurts because they do wonders for long term health, but that's only recommended if you actually LIKE probiotic yogurts. if you are lactose-intolerant, vegan or have any other restrictions/qualms about milk, consider non-dairy milk alternatives as mentioned above (soy milk, nut-based milks, rice milk, coconut milk,etc.)

To spice it up, rather literally, I'll reiterate what you've heard many times now, try cinnamon, or, if you're adventurous, try adding a bit of nutmeg.

So to sum up, you turn your breakfast cereal into a truly complete breakfast, with varying flavors to taste, and textures, filled with carbs, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and a reasonable amount of sugars and healthy fats. this should keep you content until lunch time, especially if you add protein, and of course only eat the stuff you like. there's little benefit from forcing yourself to eat something you dislike just because it's good for you. If you want to eat a healthier breakfast and look forward to eating it, you gotta take the healthy options and turn them into something you enjoy eating. There are no real shortcuts there.