Cold Cereal Stretchers

Yesterday, I was downstairs in my storage room organizing my cereal stash. At last count I have 75 boxes of cereal (there have been some VERY good cereal sales lately!). I try to buy the healthiest option, but sometimes the only choices are pretty sugar laden (those of course are the favorites). The funny thing is that my family really doesn't eat it for breakfast! It is our after school, second dinner (I have teenagers; after all), late night, or I'm craving something sweet (and at least cereal is lower calorie and higher fiber than cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc.). My family (and assorted neighbor children) can go through a regular size box of cereal in a day (my 17 year old son can do it in a sitting). To help cut down on the amount of super sweet cereal they consume, I have started combining a sugary cereal with a similar healthy option. For example:

• Rice Krispies with Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa Krispies
• Kix with Cocoa Puffs
• Plain( or Fruity) Cheerios with Fruit Loops
• Plain(or Multi Grain) Cheerios with Lucky Charms
• Corn Pops with Puffed Rice cereal
• Corn Flakes with Frosted Flakes
• Bran Flakes with Total

There was some scoffing at first (child #3 is a purest. Cereal intermingling is a sin in his book.), but after the initial shock; it has been business as usual.

If your house is like mine, and there are always several containers (or boxes) of cereal with a minuscule amount of cereal left in them. I have been dumping those remnants in a gallon plastic ziploc bag. When it is full I make "Krispie" treats with it (who wouldn't eat leftover cereal covered in butter and marshmallow goodness?). Other great ways to use up cereal:

• Stir shredded Wheat crumbs into muffin or quick bread recipes.
• Stir shredded Wheat crumbs into oatmeal before microwaving it.
• Stir in crushed Shredded Wheat, Bran Flakes (or any flake cereal crumbs) into the dry ingredients when making bread.
  
• Crush Rice Chex, or Corn Flakes and roll chicken pieces (dip the chicken in egg first) in them to make baked fried chicken or chicken nuggets.
• Sprinkle crushed sugary cereal (like Capt'n Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Krispie, or Fruit Loops) on top of cupcakes after you have frosted them, or over ice cream.
• Crush slightly and stir into yogurt (or layer between yogurt in clear glasses and call it a "Parfait").
• Mix crush cereal into cookie dough before baking. Also good in no bake cookies.
  
• Mix odd and ends of different cereals together with raisins, dried fruit, pretzels, peanuts, and chocolate chips to make trail mix.

The sky is the limit really! This way you can stretch your cereal dollar a little further.