Oh, my goodness! This adaptation of Cream of Wheat tastes awesome! I liked it better than B&G Brand! And it was fast and simple to make. What an easy way to send your kids off with a healthy protein-filled breakfast!
1 cup of B&G instant CREAM OF WHEAT, prepared with water is 128 calories and 27 grams of carbs, and very little protein. If you prepare it with 1 cup of skim milk...it totals 218 calories and 39 grams of carbs; which turns into 9.75 tsp of sugar in our bloodstream, increasing insulin fast because there was no fat consumed. Fat is the only macro-nutrient that can slow an insulin spike from happening. Why is this important? Insulin is a fat-storing hormone and can cause a bunch of different health issues including an increase in triglycerides!
Healthy CREAM OF WHEAT:
¾ cup of warm unsweetened vanilla or chocolate almond milk
2 TBS freshly ground golden flaxseeds (or more for a thicker "cereal")
1-2 tsp psyllium husk
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate (egg white or whey) protein powder
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 drop of stevia glycerite
½ tsp of nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
Optional: you can add some coconut flakes, nuts or peanut butter to this recipe.
Combine warm milk, flax, whey, stevia, cinnamon and nutmeg (and other toppings) in a bowl. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes until the “oatmeal” thickens. Makes 2 servings. Enjoy!
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Cream of Wheat with Skim Milk = 193 calories, 0.7g fat, 10g protein, 36.7g carbs, 1.2 fiber (35.5g effective carbs)
“Healthified” Cream of Wheat = 172 calories, 4.6g fat, 14.8g protein, 17.4g carbs, 12.9g fiber (4.5g effective carbs)
You can’t hide a lot of super-healthy foods...I don't think I could disguise salmon in an ice cream and my nephew will never try "KALE CHIPS" again:) But flaxseeds have an agreeable flavor and texture for kids. Flaxseeds are great sources of omega-3s (proven to help with improved learning capacity as well as many other health benefits), they are also affordable and tasty. Flax is important because it contains lignans that have been shown to be effective for cancer treatment. It also aids immune health, fights inflammation and is great for brain health. This breakfast is also helpful for constipation.
More recipes and tips like this can be found in: The Art of Eating Healthy: Sweets. Thanks SO much for your support!
I LOVE Cream of Wheat! I think it' because of the fond memories w/my Mother.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe-I think I'll whip me up a bowl for dinner!
Yum, sounds delish! One question... I'm currently trying to eat a balance of protein, carbs, and fat for every meal and snack. What are flax seeds considered, a carb or a fat? Thanks so all your amazing recipes! Love Jay Robb protein! (Oh, that reminds me of one more question... does it matter if we use his egg white protein for your recipes instead?) Thanks again! Shannon
ReplyDeleteFlaxseeds are both;) egg white is an option for those allergic to dairy;)
ReplyDeleteThis is very tasty, however, it did not thicken. What did I do wrong? I added a 3rd TBSP of flax meal and it still was drinkable.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, ground flax and whey are known to be thickeners, even egg replacers in recipes. Did you let it sit for at least 5 minutes?
ReplyDeleteI did let it sit. I will not give up b/c it was very tasty and healthy. I will try another brand of whey protein. (I have a few as it is the best one for me since my RNY). Thanks for your response.
ReplyDeleteMaria, all of my whey protein is "isolate" not concentrate (b/c it is the most absorbable for the post RNY). Could this account for lack of thickening?
ReplyDeleteThere could be a connection...not sure...
ReplyDeleteAre you using freshly ground flax?
I had just purchased flax meal from Whole Foods and used that. Perhaps that is it. I'll keep trying. Thanks
ReplyDeleteOkay Maria, I was skeptical about this one. I made it this morning w/ ¾ cup of warm unsweetened vanilla almond milk
ReplyDelete2 TBS freshly ground golden flaxseeds
1 scoop vanilla whey protein (Jay Robb)
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 drop of stevia glycerite
½ tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp of xanthan gum
3tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
WOW!!! I can't belive how good it turned out. It was like real oatmeal! I can't wait to try out a chocolate variation:)
Thank you!
Love this! comfort food at its best. Can you put all the ingredients together and warm on the stove? Can you make it in a crock pot?
ReplyDeleteThanks Susue! It doesn't really need to cook but you could warm it in a crockpot.
ReplyDeleteHappy eating!
I have ground flax "meal". Do I need to run it through my grinder again to make it finer?
ReplyDeleteWhen you grind flax fresh, the cereal thickens better. You also get the omega 3's from flax only when it is ground fresh. BUT you can still try this cereal with your flaxmeal...I'm sure it will still taste great!
ReplyDeleteHappy Eating!
It sounded weird, but it was really delicious and so filling that I couldn't finish it. I didn't have any milk in the house and it was still delicious with plain water. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex! I'm SOOO happy you liked it!
ReplyDeleteI made this just as you have it and it turned out great! I loved it and yes it was filling! Maybe the size of the scoop impacts the results?
ReplyDeleteYUM! I just made some "cream of wheat" for my daughter! I used water instead of almond milk, and I used coconut and almond flours instead of flax. Very yummy! AND EASY! YAY!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kristi!
DeleteI love it when kids like the recipes too!
I have the jay robb individual packets - do you know if I use the whole packet or just half to equal "1 scoop" ? Thanks!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteOne packet is one scoop.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you like it!
So I had coconut flour & almond flour (no ground flax) I'm sitting in a hotel and just brought all the ingredients knowing I probably wouldn't be able to eat the breakfast downstairs. SO GOOD. I added Nature's hollow sugar free maple syrup and mountain berry preserves on top. Yum! Thanks for this great recipe!
ReplyDeleteOh yum!!! The syrup is a great idea! I'm totally going to try that!
Deleteawsome sounding recipe. Cant wait to try it. I bet if anyone skipped the psylium , that could be a reason for it not thickening.
DeleteHow much does this make? And do the golden ones make it taste much different? Got tons of the regular and haven't got the golden in a while-wonder if it would work in this too or how it would taste hmmm
ReplyDeleteIt made one large bowl. You could try the golden ones. Let me know how it turns out if you do. :)
DeleteThis looks good, so need to get Jay Robb and other things and will do. Gonna put golden flax on my list too since I seen a bunch with it and not the regular flax
ReplyDeleteYummy, had this for breakfast this morning. The nutmeg was a little stronger than I like, but even with that it was really good. Thank you for the great recipe!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteThis was my first time using flax seed and psyllium husk. The batch I made tasted good but had lumps in it even though I stirred very well. This was my first time to grind flax seed. I used a coffee grinder for about 10 seconds. Is there a reason my cream of wheat turned out so lumpy? Thank you for your blog. I am learning so much and even though I thought the breakfast cereal was lumpy, my two young kids didn't seem to mind and ate it all up!
ReplyDeleteHmm, not sure. You could try putting it in the blender to get it well mixed. :)
DeleteIt may be the protein. That can clump if too much added at once. Try mixing the protein powder with your liquid choice in a bullet or some blender..then add other ingredients. I have made this without the protein before and it is still good but i def like the idea of adding the protein to it. Will have to try a bowl soon.
ReplyDeleteThank for the tip! :)
DeleteAny idea on what to do in place of the flax? I don't have a coffee grinder, and it isn't in the budget for one for a few months, but I'd loooove to try this… I've been an oatmeal fan from way back (I love to eat it the way my grandma always did: covered in white sugar and drowning in milk… yikes!)
ReplyDeleteHa! I remember that! You could maybe try some psyllium husk. Or maybe Chia Seeds. Thanks! :)
DeleteI don't have Stevia Glycerite, but I have some Swerve...Do you know how much Swerve would equal 1 drop of Stevia?
ReplyDeleteThanks.
I would try a teaspoon and adjust from there. :)
DeleteI just picked up a copy of the your book, but the recipe for the Cream Of Whey is different. Which one is correct?
ReplyDeleteHi, they are very similar but are two different recipes. (Cream of Whey and Cream of Wheat) They have different textures. Thanks! :)
DeleteMade this using LSA mix (ground linseed, sunflower and almonds) instead of flax because that's all i had -turned out great! This will be great in winter when i'm wishing i could have porridge!
ReplyDeleteThanks again Maria!
Thank you Sarah! :)
DeleteTwo questions: how many grams is one scoop of protein powder in this recipe and can hemp protein powder be substituted? (How do you feel about hemp protein powder?)
ReplyDeleteTHanks
Monika
This is a 30gram scoop. Hemp protein powder can be a good option as long as it doesn't have any added sugars or junk. ;)
DeleteThank you Maria for this recipe! I tried it this morning and I loved it. After looking at some of the comments, I made substitutions based on what other people have said. I'm excited now that I have a hot cereal breakfast that I haven't been able to have in years. Topped with unsweetened coconut and walnuts was delicious!
ReplyDelete☺ Sandi
Thanks Sandi! :)
DeleteI found the TABLESPOON of Vanilla to be WAY too much! It was like eating a bowl of Bourbon! Did you use the "fake" stuff? I have yet to make it a second time (because I have been scarfing triple berry drop scones in the mornings), but next time, I'm making it with a teaspoon of Vanilla...I should trust my gut more often...I looked at it thought "That's a ton of Vanilla" but then followed the recipe as written (as I think you should always try it as written before adjusting anything).
ReplyDeleteOther than the VERY strong booze factor, this was amazing with Chocolate Protein powder (About Time brand as it is 0g carb, with no sugar and lots of flavor choices)! It was almost like eating Chocolate Malt-O-Meal, almost.
Thanks! Vanilla extract can be stronger or less so if using fake or natural concentrate. :)
DeleteHi Maria! I can't figure out why I get such different numbers with my carbs and fibers. The calories are similar, but not the rest (lots more carbs when I calculate it) -- the only reason I noticed is because I entered in MFP to see how much fat was in there. These are my numbers compared to your numbers above.
ReplyDelete“Healthified” Cream of Wheat = 230 calories, 5g carbs, 4g fiber, 29g protein
My Calculations: 255g calories, 20g carbs, 13g fiber, 29g protein (7g fat)
with just one tsp psyllium husk instead of 2: the carbs would go down by 4 as would the fiber, so it would be 15g carb, and 9 g fiber, still a lot more than what you have.
Thanks for shedding some light into this. :)
Hi France. This was an older recipe before I had my new calorie calculator. I updated it above (for 2 TBS psyllium). I haven't gotten time to go back through the older recipes (over 2 years old) to update. :)
DeleteFair enough. Thanks for the reply. I entered it twice because I couldn't figure out where I went wrong! It would indeed take you way too long to redo them all! :-)
DeletePS: it is a great recipe!
DeleteI'm excited to try this recipe as my children beg for cream of wheat weekly. My question is this: I am a new vegan and would like to make this without the egg replacer or whey. Is there a replacement?
ReplyDeleteHi, Yes, you can try a flax seed egg replacer. ;)
Delete