Anonymous wrote:We are also trying to reduce cereal because of the price, plus just trying to eat fewer processed foods in general. Though cereal and commercial bread are really the only processed foods we eat so I don't stress that much about it. But yes, the cost! $6 a box is not sustainable for us.
Agree with others that some cereals are more filling than others. I don't even like Cheerios (DD loves the honey nut and DH is generally a fan), but I find Raising Bran, Life, and Grape Nuts all to be pretty filling. Though I will also note that these cereals also tend to be more expensive, probably because they are more dense and nutrient rich.
Alternatives: yogurt with granola, oatmeal, and muffins. I try to make a batch of muffins every Sunday night so that people can grab one for breakfast when they need to. I do bran muffins with chocolate chips, banana, carrot, zucchini, and "pancake muffins" that are literally made with pancake mix (homemade) and berries. My kids don't like the zucchini muffins but will eat everything else. DH often has an early morning commute and especially likes the muffins because he rarely has time to actually sit down and eat a proper breakfast on those days. Lots of ways to pack in fiber and protein to these.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Plain Cheerios isn’t bad for you but I understand that it’s not really filling. What about some of the high fiber cereals?
Thank you, but we’re really trying to cut out cereal all together. I feel like we get “healthy” cereals and then we fall right back into the cheerio habit.
Also the “healthy” cereals are expensive, and our boys can crush a box at one meal!
Anonymous wrote:Plain Cheerios isn’t bad for you but I understand that it’s not really filling. What about some of the high fiber cereals?
Anonymous wrote:Oatmeal! So much better for you too. I get the instant oatmeal and microwave it with water for two minutes and it is ready to eat. Alternatively overnight oats is really easy. You can put fruit, chia seeds, nuts, chocolate chips, yogurt, and even a few pieces of cereal or granola in get crunch if that's what you want. (Meaning it can be as easy or as fancy as you want). Years ago I used to mix a banana, almond milk, and oatmeal, and let it sit overnight in the fridge. It was sweetened with the banana mixed in and didn't need extra sugar.
Anonymous wrote:Family of 5: two parents, seven year old, six year old, and two year old. We are cereal junkies. Mostly just honey nut Cheerios and Cheerios, but I know how bad even those can be for us.
I love the ease…and everyone eats it.
However, it really doesn’t fill anybody up. They ask for a bowl after bowl, and cereal is getting expensive.
I would love realistic alternatives for this working mom. I am a teacher, so I’m hoping over the summer to break the cereal habit but I have a little bit more time, but still not enough to make waffles or anything like that.