Avoid The Cereal Aisle Forever Using This Simple Recipe

Low Calorie Cereal Recipe

June 6, 2011   30 Comments

Snack Girl writes a lot about cereal because it is one of those packaged foods that makes all sorts of health claims.

For example, I believe a package of Cocoa Krispies had a "boost your immune system" statement on the front of the box. I will not even list all the things that are wrong about such a claim.

It pains me to even walk down the cereal aisle because my children start demanding expensive cardboard boxes filled with "god knows what" with Sponge Bob on the front. Honestly, I don't have the time to stand there and determine what to buy.

So, I buy a couple of cereals with no added sugar - Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Wheat Puffs, and I make my own cereal.

You heard me! I make my own cereal (and, no, I am not related to Martha Stewart).

Raise your hand if you make your own cereal! Hmmm, not so many of you. Why is that? Is it because you can just buy it and you know that you don't have time to make it?

Cereal is ridiculously easy to make and the TASTE. You will never go back to a box of packaged cereal. I mean it.

Whole grains are important for a healthy diet. They are SO important, in fact, that you should not trust Kellogg's to make them for you.

The recipe below is a modification of an earlier DIY-cereal post on Snack Girl. I decided to change it to reduce the calories and increase the whole grains.

You can also reduce the amount of sugar per serving by not including the dried fruit. It tasted great without it - it is just a matter of personal preference.

Here is the nutritional information for a breakfast sized serving (1/2 cup) WITHOUT dried fruit:

246 calories, 13.6 g fat, 28 g carbohydrates, 5.3 g protein, 3.7 g fiber, 4 mg sodium, 7 Points+

You don't have to use almonds if you don't like nuts. Also you can use your favorite nuts - hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, to make this cereal.

The route to FOREVER with this recipe is to make it with different ingredients so you don't get bored with it.

Find some time to make your own cereal and then tell me what you think. Puleeease!

Do you make your own cereal? What do you put in it?

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Improved Homemade Cereal Recipe

(makes 5 cups)

Non-stick spray for pan
aluminum foil for pan
3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 cup raisins or any dried fruit you prefer

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a large rimmed baking tray with parchment paper. Combine the oats, and nuts in a large bowl. Mix the canola oil and honey and pour onto oat mixture. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

After it cools, scoop cereal off the pan and put in a bowl. Add the dried fruit and enjoy! Store in a air tight container in the refrigerator until you finish it.

For snack sized serving = 1/4 cup = 145 calories, 6.8 g fat, 19.7 g carbohydrates, 2.9 g protein, 2.1 g fiber, 2 mg sodium, 4 Points+

For breakfast serving = 1/2 cup = 290 calories, 13.6 g fat, 39.4 g carbohydrates, 5.8 g protein, 4.2 g fiber, 4 mg sodium, 8 Points+

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

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First 20 Comments: [ see all 30 ]

Sounds good and so much healthier! I think I'll make some today.

on June 6, 2011

Looks amazing!! i absolutely love granola!! i love putting it in my yogurt!!

on June 6, 2011

It never occurred to me that I could make cereal myself. Thanks for the recipe and the idea. Probably this will be something we will make at our house next weekend when we have time.

on June 6, 2011

Great idea! I don't really eat cereal (ate too much as a kid, I suppose) but the same concepts works for oatmeal. I get plain and add in my own mixes. You can make something different every day!

on June 6, 2011

Yummy... I started making my own granola recently. I adapted a WW recipe and use apple juice concentrate instead of the oil (cuts down on calories/points). I also tend to use it as a topping (on yogurt or cottage cheese).

Thanks for sharing!

on June 6, 2011

Well, you have my wheels spinning this morning.

We have nut allergies in our family -- just the kids, and not severe. So, after reading your post, I had a flash of brilliance. I envisioned our "cereal shelf" in the pantry completely differently, and instead of seeing a row of boxes there, I can instead envision a container of toasted grains -- oats, quinoa, millet, etc -- along with containers of add ins like chopped apricots, raisins, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts for those who can eat them, etc, etc, etc ... YUM!!!

Now I'm hungry!!! :-)

on June 6, 2011

this sounds delicious! can't wait to try it! breakfast was always my hardest meal on weight watchers. i'd usually end up using my points on eggs and then i was hungry again an hour later. this sounds delicious and filling!

on June 6, 2011

This sounds great! My only hesitation is the amount of fat per serving. How much would it reduce the fat by using the juice concentrate that Maria suggested? Or is the fat mainly coming from the nuts?

on June 6, 2011

Sounds simple and good. Any suggestions on hi-fiber additions? Constantly searching for low/natural sugar, 10+ grams fiber cereals. Easy shortcut for me to my fiber goals for the day (and I need easy). Depend a lot on Uncle Sam cereal. Love it but gets boring.

on June 6, 2011

That's REDUCED in calories? 246 is a LOT for a serving of cereal if you're going to add milk or a milk substitute, fruit etc. for breakfast.

You can have 1 and 1/2 cups of something like All Bran for 240 calories. AND you'd be getting around 30 grams of fiber! (which I can handle as I eat 50 grams of fiber MINIMUM a day between high fiber cereals, GG crispbreads and fruits and veggies but I will grant that not everyone can.)

Or do you have a really fast metabolism?

I like to mix the high fiber cereals like all bran and puffed cereals so I can have a bigger bowl... A cup of All Bran plus a cup of puffed rice is a lot more filling/lot more volume and 210 calories...

on June 6, 2011

THANK YOU! I've been using this recipe since you first posted it and have gradually been reducing the oil to see how little I could get away with. Now I know! Instead of dried fruit, I eat it with fresh fruit and plain Greek yogurt. I also change it up by using different nuts and adding in vanilla and ground flax seed. I even gave it as Christmas gifts!

on June 6, 2011

I love my cereal in the morning and actually look forward to it! My recipe isnt exactly homemade but its soo good and high in fiber. I use Trader Joe's Bran Flakes then add wheat puffs and a sprinkle oatmeal (not instant)on top. Then I mix them together. To top it off I add strawberries and blueberries and sprinkle cinnamin on top. It is my favorite meal of the day!

on June 6, 2011

Cocoa Krispies 'boost your immune system'? Since when!?!? I make pancakes(freeze them) and my overnight oats (which taste great up to 3-4 days) and just eat those on my weekdays but I am going to have to try this!! I'm bad at making granola...all my batches never work but I'm gonna have to try this!

on June 6, 2011

@Sue: That is NOT a lot of calories for breakfast. Some people eat 500-700 calories per day, but do not gain weight. Why? Because they exercise it off.

on June 7, 2011

@Kathy: "Some people eat 500-700 calories per day, but do not gain weight. Why? Because they exercise it off."

And because that's too little to survive a day!! That is, if they don't die of starvation first...

on June 7, 2011

I tried it last night and I have to say I am a bit sad!! I was praying it would be a great alternative to the junk the kids want. But it had this burnt aroma to it and it was very dry. It was hard to chew it too. Sorry but this recipe (for me) will not be a keeper.

on June 8, 2011

@Rosa - it is chewier than a regular cereal - but the aroma may have meant that it cooked too long. I'm sorry it didn't work for you - maybe you should try the recipe with more oil and honey - you may like it better (my kids like it better).

on June 8, 2011

Thanks Snack girl, I will try it again

on June 9, 2011

I just made this, so good! I added a bit extra on the syrup and oil (I'm not calorie counting and am currently breastfeeding) I added a teaspoon of good quality vanilla and a few good pinches of kosher salt (I'm a salty/sweet person) Fabulous!

on June 14, 2011

I don't like dried fruit in my granola anyway, so that should save some calories. You show the points+ for the 1/2 cup without dried fruit - what would be the points+ for 1/4 cup without dried fruit? I like granola to top off yogurt with fresh fruit and have given it up since starting WW, but I'll try making this and hope it becomes my substitute for the high points stuff in the supermarket! It's not something I would eat everyday (like my grits with cheese and a poached egg) but would be great to have on hand for a treat. By the way, everything I've been reading lately praises the value of almonds in your diet, so I would definitely use almonds in this granola.

on June 17, 2011

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