Breakfast cereal - any ideas for cheap alternatives?

ravylesley

what about making a batch of waffles or pancakes and freezing them and then they can be taken out of the freezer as and when required?Both of the batters cost very little to make and most people like them and have a favourite topping

Lesleyxx

Seakay

Does that mean that you have the pancakes or waffles cold, or do you reheat them in the microwave? If you reheat them, how long for and do you need to cover them?

ravylesley

I take the waffles from the freezer and put them under the grill for a few minutes.This defrosts them,crisps them up again and warms them through.Then my kids love them with sugar and lemon

As for the pancakes I freeze them interleaved with greaseproof paper then I can remove as many as I want whilst still frozen then I wrap the ones I want to use in foil and plonk them in the oven for a few minutes or under the grill.You leave the greaseproof paper between them until you are ready to serve then they dont stick together

Lesleyxx

pandora205

I make my own muesli but blitz it in a food processor. That means I can throw in all sorts - whole peanuts and hazelnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried apricots - but have something slightly easier to eat in the morning. It means I can put in 'cheaper' ingredients (ie bulk bought) rather than small, softer, chopped ones and it tastes delicious too.

I used some for a rhubarb crumble topping for pudding today and it was a lovely contrast with the sharper fruit.

janb5

bizzylizzy wrote: »

I have tried porridge in the slow cooker and it was horrible! If anyone knows how to make nice slow cooker porridge, I'd love to hear how!
Sorry to put anyone off, but it really wasn't nice.

I am sorry but I dont see the point of using the SC to make porridge. It is so quick to make in the microwave or stove and 2mins isnt too long to wait! You can always add dried fruit to taste and with the microwave it is much easier to clean the dish afterward( I like Scotts Porridge oats)

foreign_correspondent

I know a large family in the netherlands who are veggie and live very frugally.

When I was there the mum used to buy oats by the sack bag, and each night she would put a batch in a big pot with cold milk, dried fruit and grated apples (she put the whole apples, cores and all through a mincer actually). She left it overnight in a cool place and it was ready for breakfast. All the family ate it every morning for breakfast, and it was lovely!

The Jamie Oliver recipe looks quite similar actually but more expensive. I might try making it myself for tomorrow morning! I think she might also have put nuts in when she had them, but just oats and apple soaked in milk is fine!

Zenjen_2

A quick and favourite breakfast in our house is

1 tablespoon basic muesli, less than a pound a packet

3-4 tablespoons natural yogurt (you can either make your own or the supermarkets value stuff is pretty cheap and good quality- around 40p)

Half a banana/handful dried fruit/other favourite fruits (can also used tin fruits in natural juices)

a pinch of cinnamon/mixed spice (optional)

and if they've got a sweet tooth, a teaspoon of runny honey or a sprinkling of soft brown sugar.

Either mix it all together in gloopy goodness (a la my husband) or layer separately with the honey topped yogurt on the top (a la moi ) It sounds faffy but its really not, it takes me 2 minutes to make in the morning, I chop the fruit the night before and the best thing is you can make it, bung it in the fridge whilst your kids/OH faff about with their morning routines and it will still be lovely whenever they're ready for it. Nutritious, delicious, and a real change from the monotony of cornflakes or the sawdust munching feeling when you eat value muesli just with milk!

Hope that helps,

Jen x

patchwork_cat

I just make porridge in the microwave, buy value and I think it tells you on the side of the bag - not sure because mine is in an Alpen storage box .

Seakay

Originally museli was a raw fruit porridge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muesli

A slightly modernized version of the original Bircher-Benner recipe[3] is still a prototype for most fresh muesli today. For one serving, it consists approximately of:

• 1 tablespoon rolled oats, soaked in 2–3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 200 grams apple (about one large, preferably a sour variety), finely grated and mixed with the above directly before serving
• optionally top with 1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts or almonds

The original recipe actually used sweetened condensed milk instead of cream, a compromise due to hygiene concerns regarding fresh milk products in 1900 (bovine tuberculosis, etc.), before pasteurization and refrigeration became commonly available. The original recipe also advised to soak the oats in water overnight; this long soaking time is unnecessary with modern rolled oats, which the manufacturers already soften through a steam treatment.


You can use any fresh fruit, grated chopped or minced, instead of apple.

purpleivy

What about breakfast muffins, you can put fruit and oats in them. THey would be quite filling if you make a good size and serve with a glass of milk and piece of fruit.