Breakfast cereal - any ideas for cheap alternatives?

lickylonglips

sheilavw wrote: »

What about crumpets, Sainsburys Basics are about 35p for 6, you can butter or put a bit of cheese on, mine like them, and they are low in fat

until you put the butter or cheese on!!

pandora205

Another vote for porridge here. I microwave mine with lots of raisins and milk. It's very filling and the raisins become very juicy. It only takes a few minutes (I find 5 best) and if DS is having some too I made a larger bowl. It can be reheated with added milk if we eat at different times.

Other breakfasts are home bread made in bread maker. Lidl do good mixes and it works out about 50p a loaf, otherwise I do my own. I use either butter (my own 'spreadable' made with the solid stuff blitzed with lots of sunflower oil) or peanut butter.

I always have a piece of fruit or a smoothie (made with milk, yoghurt or fruit juice) as well, so it's a really good breakfast that keeps me going until about 1pm.

ceridwen

pandora205 wrote: »

. I use either butter (my own 'spreadable' made with the solid stuff blitzed with lots of sunflower oil) or peanut butter.

What proportions of butter to oil do you use for this purlease?

Also - I presume it would be possible to use other oils instead of sunflower oil. Have you ever done this, for instance, with olive oil?

babyshoes

You don't necessarily need to be constrained by the notion of 'breakfast' food - the western culture is probably the only culture in the world where there are certain foods that one only eats at specific times of the day. As long as what they are eating is relatively healthy, then the only limit is your imagination! Leftovers warmed in the microwave from supper the night before would be a good alternative on some days, or how about a jacket potato cooked in the microwave with baked beans or cheese? you can pre cook the potatoes before hand, then just zap them for a minute or two when they are wanted. The potato is high carb, so it is filling, while the protein in the beans or cheese will keep them full for longer. Pasta is quick, and you can batch cook and freeze a simple tomato based sauce to warm up in the morning.

Having said that, sometimes one doesn't feel like such things if it is early in the morning, I know I don't really practise what I preach unless I wake up late and raid the fridge for leftovers! Children, however, might be less set in their ways and more willing to adapt, and most teenagers I know will eat almost anything if they are hungry - some of our students used to bring in pot noodles to eat before classes began!

Another thought occurs - if your children are eating so much cereal, are they old enough to make their own microwave oats etc? If you got it all ready soaking in milk/water, then all they would need to do is put it in the microwave for the right amount of time, then stir and eat. That would solve the problem of them all eating at different times!

Also, how about insisting they eat some fruit before their cereal or mix it in? A banana is quite filling and might encourage them to eat less cereal. I also like the idea of getting some slightly smaller bowls - they might not bother to pour out a second bowl, but will finish a big bowlful if it is there.

pandora205

ceridwen wrote: »

What proportions of butter to oil do you use for this purlease?

Also - I presume it would be possible to use other oils instead of sunflower oil. Have you ever done this, for instance, with olive oil?

I don't actually measure but I have learned that if I put in a pack of butter it takes much more oil that I expect (probably a mug full or even more), and that the consistency in my mixer is no guage for how it will be from the fridge so it needs to be really like cake mix consistency.

I did try with olive oil but it was very bitter and olive tasting, which is why I started using sunflower oil. Making it is very money saving compared with stuff like Lurpak spreadable.

zippychick

Just to say Thriftladys granola is gorgeous! very filling breakfast, and nutritious and tasty!:money::j