Breakfast cereal - any ideas for cheap alternatives?

pavlovs_dog

granola recipe sounds great!

lemontart

weetabix 24 packs are at 2 for £2 at tescos at the moment..........with sell by dates up to may next year so good idea to stock up using the five pound discount voucher from sundays news of the world and go towards the fifty pound spend to get 5p off a litre of petrol

jaxw

I have made up a big jar of pancake mix - just mixed all the dry ingredients together & then when we want to make pancakes we just pour some out into a mixing bowl and add an egg and some milk.

thriftlady_2

Just made pancakes for the kids' breakfast.

1 cup (9 oz) of plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp melted butter
1 cup(8 fl oz) of milk

Blend well -stick blender is good for this.
Cook on a non-stick frying pan until bubbles appear, turn and cook other side. Serve with golden syrup.

Makes about 10

There is no egg in my recipe as dd is allergic -still works a treat-soft, light spongy pancakes;)

smartt21

Maisie wrote: »

We used to have bread and milk when we were kids after the war!

break the bread up and add sugar and hot milk. You can add a bit of jam/syrup/honey or raisins etc. We used to like it but then there was nothing else.

When I was little we always had bread & hot milk when we were poorly. Probably why I can't stand the smell of hot milk now!! :eek:

zippychick

thriftlady wrote: »

4 cups oats (you can replace 1 cup with 1 cup of wheatgerm)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds (or use extra sunflower seeds and coconut)
2 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

Put in a large baking tin/dish

combine

1/2 cup honey or syrup or brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Pour over dry ingredients, mix well and bake at 150c for 30-60 mins, stirring frequently. Don't let it get too brown. Allow to cool.

Stir in, as desired
raisins
dried apricots
dates
sultanas

Store in an airtight container.

This recipe is very flexible -stick to 7 cups of dry ingredients and 1 cup of oil/sweetener but vary the dried fruit, nuts and seeds to taste.

If you don't have a US cup measure just find a measure that has 8 fl oz on it;)

Thriftlady! I love this forum! I have been sick and my Mum was taking me shopping (only she took me to Marks!:eek:) So out of pure convenience, i spent silly amounts on food, including a yummy nut cereal . I have just had a bowl and can honestly say I enjoyed it (but knowing the cost is choking me! :rotfl:)

Is this clustery type cereal? When you say 30-60 minutes, that's quite a big timescale - what do you normally cook for? I would prob use a big range of nuts and seends - to my taste - as you say it's flexible.

Can i use golden syrup?

And lastly, how long does it keep in airtight (lock and lock)? PLanning on making tonight.:D Thanks in advance.

zippychick

thriftlady wrote: »

Ours are very similar. A typical week is -
M -porridge with golden syrup
T- scrambled egg/beans on toast
W -American style pancakes and golden syrup
T- granola
F - bacon sandwich or bacon and beans

They usually have orange juice (dd isn't allowed it any more as it goes right through her!) or a piece of fruit.

Fruity muffins, soda bread, loads of wholemeal toast and hm jam also feature;) I never buy boxed cereals -yep, we're the only family in the school who can't contribute an empty cereal box when needed:D

Can .... you .....adopt....me......?:rotfl:

thriftlady_2

zippychick wrote: »

Is this clustery type cereal? When you say 30-60 minutes, that's quite a big timescale - what do you normally cook for? I would prob use a big range of nuts and seends - to my taste - as you say it's flexible.

Can i use golden syrup?

And lastly, how long does it keep in airtight (lock and lock)? PLanning on making tonight.:D Thanks in advance.

I generally cook it for about 40 mins. It depends how deep your layer of granola is, I have a very big baking tray so I am able to spread it out quite thinly.

Yes golden syrup is what I use. I think the original American recipe uses corn syrup. Maple syrup is nice but really expensive.

It is a clustery cereal but not big clusters.

It keeps for months in an airtight container although it has never lasted that long in my house.

Gosh, I must make some more tomorrow the kids have been breakfasting off bread or toast all holiday while I've been lazing around in bed:rotfl:

Fire_Fox

Seaxwyn wrote: »

Those breakfasts look delicious. The problem is, I find wholemeal bread - whether shop-bought or homemade - costs more than cereal. Also doesn't fill them up for as long, so they need toast AND cereal. I'm going to experiment with pancakes, muffins and other ideas from on here, which will add variety and excitement, but I don't see that they will end up any cheaper.

It might be worth you trying lower glycaemic index (GI) carbs/ combinations - foods that have been clinically tested to keep blood sugar levels stable and fill you up for longer. Oats are lower GI than wheat, and old fashioned or jumbo oats lower than porridge oats.

If you are looking at making or buying bread then stoneground wholemeal flour, oats or oat bran and any nuts, seeds or grains you might add will make it lower GI (e.g. granary bread). Flours that make lightweight or 'fluffy' bread such as French sticks or some prepacked brown bread is made with very finely ground flour which is faster to digest and much higher GI.

In general adding protein (eggs, beans, yoghurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter, wheatgerm), fat (whole milk, nuts, seeds, coconut, eggs) or fibre (wholegrains, pulses, nuts, seeds, wheatgerm, oat bran) to a breakfast will reduce the GI.

What about an alternative breakfast based on rice to your rice pops (high GI)? Brown basmati rice is much lower GI that standard long grain white rice, and can be bought in bulk if you have an Asian supermarket in your area:
http://frugal-fu.blogspot.com/2008/08/5-breakfast-ideas-for-brown-rice.html

zippychick

thriftlady wrote: »

I generally cook it for about 40 mins. It depends how deep your layer of granola is, I have a very big baking tray so I am able to spread it out quite thinly.

Yes golden syrup is what I use. I think the original American recipe uses corn syrup. Maple syrup is nice but really expensive.

It is a clustery cereal but not big clusters.

It keeps for months in an airtight container although it has never lasted that long in my house.

Gosh, I must make some more tomorrow the kids have been breakfasting off bread or toast all holiday while I've been lazing around in bed:rotfl:

Brilliant, thanks! Dead excited about making it - doing it tomorrow and will report back! Isn't life sad when you are excited about cooking granola?