Monday, February 27, 2012

Blueberry Morning Cereal

Monday, February 27, 2012


My favorite food as a teenager was cereal. Fruity Pebbles for breakfast, Cocoa Pebbles for dinner (even though my mother cooked dinner for us, I preferred cereal!..bad bad bad). But I realized I needed to cut back on my sugary cereals since I was quite overweight so I switched to Smart Start and Post Blueberry Morning. Man, I loved that stuff!

POST BLUEBERRY MORNING INGREDIENTS: Rice, Sugar, Dried Blueberries [Blueberries, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Glycerol, Safflower Oil, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Natural Flavor], Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Whole Grain Wheat, Degermed Yellow Corn Meal, Brown Sugar, High Oleic Vegetable Oil (Canola Or Sunflower Oil), Almonds, Rice Flour, Salt, Malted Corn and Barley Syrup, Corn Syrup, Whey (from Milk), Caramel Color, Artificial Flavor, Natural Flavor, Bht Added to Packaging Material to Preserve Product Freshness. Vitamins and Minerals. Niacinamide, Reduced Iron, Zinc Oxide (Source of Zinc), Vitamin B6, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D.

The blueberries found in blueberry muffin mixes, cereals and baked goods are just dried REAL blueberries right? NOPE! The little blue bites of tasty goodness are nothing but hydrogenated oils, artificial colors, and sugar.



"HEALTHIFIED" CEREAL
1/3 cup erythritol (or Swerve)
1 tsp stevia glycerite (omit if using Swerve)
1/3 cup crushed almonds/pecans/walnuts
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup JAY ROBB vanilla whey protein (or egg white protein)
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, softened
1 tsp pure organic blueberry extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (170 degrees C). Combine 1/3 cup erythritol and stevia glycerite (or Swerve), 1/3 cup crushed nuts, almond flour, whey, blueberry extract and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place on a cookie sheet with defined edges or the butter will leak off. Bake for 12-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and gently stir while still hot. Let cool in the cookie tin (it will crisp up A LOT). Break pieces apart and enjoy with unsweetened almond milk. Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Post Cereal = 220 calories, 3g fat, 3g protein, 45 carbs, 2g fiber
"Healthified" Cereal = 220 calories, 9.2 g protein, 18g fat, 4g carbs, 2 g fiber

MILK COMPARISON (per cup)
Skim Milk = 90 calories, 13g carbs, 13g sugar
Unsweetened Almond milk = 35 calories, 1g carb, 0g sugar

SWEETENER TIPS (more information in The Art of Eating Healthy)
My recipes will call for erythritol and stevia glycerite. I use these separate to help keep my costs down. In any recipe you can use Swerve, ZSweet, Truvia, Organic Zero, Xylitol or Just Like Sugar. In order to use a different product, use the same amount of sweetener for the amount of erythritol in the recipe and omit the stevia (except for Organic Zero, that is only erythritol and you will still need stevia for sweetness). TIP: Most people report that Swerve is their favorite for sweeteness!

Note: You can click HERE to find healthy natural sweeteners.
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Swerve
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup ZSweet
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Truvia
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Xylitol
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Just Like Sugar
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia = 1 cup Organic Zero and 1 tsp stevia

64 comments:

  1. Maria can we use dehydrated blueberries or other dehydrated fruit in this recipe or can we use thawed frozen fruit as when it is thawed the juice comes out ?

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  2. You could use fresh. Dried fruit is glorified candy.

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  3. Love the sweetner tips, exactly what has been on my mind lately!

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  4. how do you store this? airtight container on the counter?

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    1. I store it in an air tight container.

      Enjoy!

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    2. I store mine in the freezer for portion control, but you can store it in the fridge. :)

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  5. Should we worry about fat content? I am trying to work in healthier options, but I have always been geared to look at fat grams...often healthier versions have a higher fat count...is there a magic number to stay under for the day?

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  6. Why don't I list the fat? The ‘secret’ is to control leptin and insulin hormones. Any diet that stops blood sugar and insulin spikes also allows the cells to regain sensitivity to the noteworthy anti-aging, weight and hunger-regulating hormone called leptin. The hardest part is to get my clients to not be afraid of fat because it is almost impossible to obtain this effect without significant amounts of fat in the diet. High protein alone doesn’t work because excess protein will also turn to sugar. Low fat, high protein diets will fail to keep your blood sugar from spiking, and will not allow your leptin hormone to increase. Ron Rosedale, MD, author of The Rosedale Diet and a pioneering scientist on the hormone leptin, states, “If you don’t get enough fat, you will likely eat too much protein, which then turns to sugar.” To read more, check out my book Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism. http://astore.amazon.com/marisnutran05-20/detail/1451555946

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  7. Wow beautiful. So wish I wasn't allergic to almonds. Makes recipes SO hard!!! Love your blog and your work!

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  8. Maria, I think I am going to get your book and encourage my mom to as well! She has so much trouble with diets and losing weight while going through menopause. I just love this way of eating!

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  9. This is brilliant! Can't wait to try to see if my husband will eat in lieu of "traditional" cereals! Thanks so much.

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  10. I made this today with a cherry extract. Had it tonight as a snack...I am doing the happy dance!!! Have missed cereal so much. Thank you, Maria.
    This one's a must.

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  11. I made this today with a cherry extract. Had it tonight as a snack...I am doing the happy dance!!! Have missed cereal so much. Thank you, Maria.
    This one's a must.

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  12. I made this yesterday and mine doesn't look anything like yours. Mine is very dark brown and it seems kinda oily. It is not crunchy at all. It is good though. I do not see how you get 9 serving out of it. It did not make that much. I must of done something wrong. I am thinking I will mix it in yogurt. Any thoughts??

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  13. Opps! All fixed! Only 4 servings!!!:))

    Happy Eating!

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  14. The butter/oil will settle out and be oily at first, but once it cools, the butter settles in and makes the product VERY crunchy.

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  15. I made it last night. It turned out quite dark (although I pulled it out after only about 10 minutes), but also, it didn't make that much- only about 1 1/2 cups total. I don't see how that translates into 9 servings unless you have less than 1/4 cup per serving. Can you help?! It tasted good, but didn't look anything close to what is in your picture.

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  16. Sorry- when you first posted the recipe it said 9 servings, not 4, so that threw me off.

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  17. Oh - my - Word! This is the best stuff I have put in my mouth in one year. (I have been low carb for one year now) It was even wonderful before I baked it. : )

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    1. Thank you Cavie Family! You are too sweet;)

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  18. I tried it too, way dark after 10 minutes and seems almost burnt---can't figure it out, but it tastes good. Is it 1/3 cup of each kind of nut?????

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  19. Sorry--see now that it was changed to 300 degress instead of 350. Thanks--can't wait to try it again!

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  20. Made the cereal this morning and am now eating it for lunch. It's DELICIOUS! I used crushed almonds and instead of vanilla, used maple flavoring. I've missed cereal so much! And now to be eating this wonderful and healthy cereal is pure joy!

    Next time will try pecans, but will keep maple flavoring. Also, I'll use less sweetener.

    Thanks so much for all your work, recipes, etc. You're a gem!

    Mary Landis

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  21. I made this and it was amazing, but mine never came together it stayed really crumbly. Did I not add enough butter or did I not bake it long enough?

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  22. I made this this morning to put on my yogurt and it's another hit!!! Next time I'm going to convert it to choc hazelnut!
    Sarah

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  23. I am allergic to Stevia (comes from a plant in the ragweed family I just found out, and I'm allergic to that). What can I use to replace it in your recipes?

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    1. Try the Swerve listed above (try 1/2 a cup in place of the Erythritol and Stevia)! It is my new favorite. Erythritol and chicory root extract. It works great in any recipe. :)

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  24. Do you mean 1/3 cup almonds or pecans or walnuts OR 1/3 cup almonds and 1/3 cup pecans and 1/3 cup pecans? With only 1/3 cup nuts total, it only makes two servings at best.

    This is quite delicious, (although a little too sweet) and my husband thinks he might be able to give up his wheat based cereal ... so I want to make it in larger quantities. Once I get the proportion of nuts correct, is there anything you would reduce when multiplying the recipe?

    Many thanks for these great recipes! It's helping us transition out of a wheat and starch based way of eating and be happy while doing it!

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    1. Thanks! It is "Or". My serving size is exactly the same as what the "Bluberry Morning" cereal has on their nutritional info. Nobody eats one serving of that stuff though! LOL. As for big batches, you can just put a little less sugar to your taste. :)

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  25. Hello again Maria,

    Thanks for your reply; it was very helpful! Now I have another question - Do you roll out the mixture on the cookie sheet so that it is an even height? And how thinly spread should the mixture be - 1/4 inch? 1/2 inch? I ask because mine doesn't seem crunchy enough, so I'm wondering if it's too thickly spread on the cookie sheet.

    Also, your mixture looks very light in color. The cinnamon seems to make the mixture darker than that. Do you recall what nut you used? Do you use blanched almonds - that might make it lighter.

    Ok, that's enough questions for one post! Seriously, my husband eats a double batch in three days, is willing to let go of his wheat-based cereal, so I'm VERY motivated to make this one work!

    Thanks for your time.

    Cammie

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    1. Thanks! I don't roll it out. I just leave it as crumbles. When you first take it out of the oven it won't be crunchy but after it cools it will be nice and crunchy. :)

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  26. We are going on a road trip in a few days so I made this tonight for the first time, looking for a good food for the trip, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! I am in heaven!!! Thanks so much!!! YOU ROCK

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    1. Thank you! Way to plan ahead for trips. :)

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  27. Love this!! I made it according to your recipe last week but we found it too sweet. So I cut the sweetener back to 1/4 c. Swerve and no stevia -- PERFECT!! Making a double batch to take camping... Can it be breakfast NOW??!! Thanks for healthy alternatives to mainstream recipes!!!!

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  28. I really LOVE his cereal, maybe a bit too much..;-)

    Please never make the mistake I made: don't try to use another protein powder than Jay Robb!
    I had a practically new bag of Rainbow Light Vanilla Protein Energizer. Nutritional info looked good carb, ingredient, and both sweetened with stevia.
    Oh so YUCK, had to throw it out. Such a waste of almond flour and swerve!
    I do wish Jay Robb would remove the soy lecithin though. I am a bit sensitive to it. ( all soy)

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    1. I know! That is why I love Jay Robb. I get a big 80oz bag and it lasts me 3 months! :)

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  29. Found this under low carb. 45 cards is not low.

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    1. That is for Post blueberry morning cereal. My recipe above is 4g carbs (2g net carbs). :)

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  30. The nutrition label on blueberry morning cereal says that a serving is one AND one fourth cups of cereal so if this recipe makes enough for four servings of equal size.....does this recipe produce 5 cups of cereal?

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    1. I actually used 3/4 cup serving size so this makes about 3 cups. :)

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  31. :( mine did not get crunchy when cool. Tastes yummy though.

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    1. Maybe try cooking it a little longer next time. :)

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  32. FINALLY made this last night. Used raspberry extract. It didn't come out as crunchy as I would have liked, seemed very "fragile" LOL Are you supposed to flatten it down then break up after it cools? It was more "crumbly." Really good though. I had some with milk last night for a snack. Really reminded me of those old sweetened cereals I loved as a kid. I also REALLY miss cereal and milk!! I am going to try all the varieties you have posted! Thanks yet again Maria!!!

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    1. I stir it up and flatten it out right after taking out of oven. Then let cool and when fully cool break into pieces. :)

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  33. This cereal is absolutely WONDERFUL! I can see why you store it in the freezer for portion control...it tastes amazing. I made it with almonds and almond extract and it was so good. Thank you for another great recipe! :)

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  34. Maria,
    what if I don't add any flavor extract (blueberry, strawberry, etc), would it still taste good? Do I need to add more vanilla? I never really liked the flavored cereals...

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    1. I think that would work. Let me know if you try it. :)

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  35. This is AMAZING!! I have a double batch in the oven right now. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!

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  36. Holy MOLY!! I made this today along with a banana/walnut cereal! They are both SO delicious and take me back to when I was little eating junky "banana nut cereal"...and BONUS--my kids love both kinds :) You're amazing!

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  37. My husbands loves this so much I have to make 6 times the recipe!! I use 1/4 cup swerve for each "batch" otherwise too sweet for us. I took this to our Church Cafe the other day - everyone who tried it loved it!

    Marcia

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  38. We have plenty of our own fresh eggs, so I was wondering if I could use real egg whites instead of egg white protein powder?

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    1. The protein powder helps bind it together and I don't think it would work with egg white. You would have to adjust the moisture and I'm not sure if it would work. :)

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