Does your family suffer from severe cereal ADD? You NEVER get through a full box of before you get bored and you always have four or five boxes stacked in the pantry. One day, as I tried to cram the newest box of sweet yummy goodness (still without a toy inside) onto the shelf, I realized this was not working. I love options, I love variety. I do not love an Oh-Mi-Gad sized box of cereal that will last six months, that is too much commitment for me. The little assorted variety packs are so boring (does ANYONE eat Pops anymore?) I was having a SouthernGirl moment and then, EUREKA! An aha moment:

Buy a box of plain cereal and “decorate” it with toppings! I could totally tweak a plain cereal to make it more exciting and different each time! If your biggest tweak to cereal is using flax milk instead of 2%, you are severely missing out, my friends! Sure changing up your milk (or even substituting coffee or water for milk- yes seriously) can change the flavor but oh gosh, there are endless ways to enhance it in other ways. The possibilities are endless! I keep maple syrup, dark cocoa powder, cinnamon & sugar, sprinkles, fruit, hot cocoa marshmallows, and other toppings on hand to satisfy whatever my little taste buds request. Some cereals are even good heated!

Start with a basic cereal:

Plain Kix or cheerios make GREAT on-the-go snacks.

Flakes (bran or corn) aren’t as travel friendly but DO heat up for hot cereal options (and mixing some of the toppings taste quite different when they’re dry and cold vs heated). I like bran cereal the BEST (Total has 100% of their daily vitamins, corn cereal falls extremely short of even half).

Rice Crispies are another option but these are neither heatable nor to-go or snacker friendly. It’s gotta be a bowl for crispies.

Chex (plain) are winners for almost anything (don’t try to nuke ’em).

Big shredded wheat nuggets are great for almost anything you throw their way.

Next, think about toppings:

Mini marshamallows or hot chocolate marshmallows

Cinnamon, cocoa, strawberry or any of the powder mixes are great cold and taste different when you heat it on top of the cereal.

Popcorn powder is a great add on for a savory treat

Dark Cocoa powder can be used for some antioxidants

Peanut butter powder adds delight and protein

Sprinkles (especially the chocolate) for sweet texture

Don’t forget the regular crowd like nuts and fruits.

Drizzle on honey, syrups, maple syrup, vanilla extract or any other extract (but remember, some of these can pack calories or sugar)

Toss in mini morsels – caramel, semi-sweet, any mini ones (and if you’ve got time, use my dipping recipe and dip a cup of Kix, let set and mix with mostly plain kix).

Jams are delicious swirled in rice krispies (and if you’ve got a really sore throat or have had dental work, you can nuke it for 10 seconds to make a very easy-to-swallow mix).

Some ideas:

Throw some Special Dark Cocoa powder on some plain bran cereal and put it in the microwave for 10 seconds (cocoa has to be heated to truly bloom and release the flavor).

You can pour some honey or sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of your flakes (no heating necessary).

Put the Kix, Chex, or cheerios in a baggie with a spoon of a powder (dark cocoa, cinnamon, strawberry, even popcorn toppings for like cheese or ranch for something savory) and shake it up well. You can do this in a bowl and roll the cereal in it, too. I wouldn’t recommend the savory ones for breakfast or with milk, but it’s definitely a nice take-with-you snack.

Sprinkles (chocolate sprinkles do taste different than rainbow), cherry juice, marshmallows , work really well for rice crispies.

Chex cereal is good for drizzling syrups, sprinkling powders (like cocoa powder) or even some peanut butter powder

Tweak the liquid–

Flax milk sweetened or unsweetened milks, even water can be nice if you’ve got a really rich creation and you don’t want to make it richer. Apple juice and other juices taste great if you’re going to heat it. Don’t forget the possibilities of chocolate milk or other flavored milks for a dessert or indulgent snack!

Tweaking your cereal is fun and allows you to never have another boring bowl of the same ol’ stuff. Try different combinations, try it hot or cold, change out your liquid, remember that the texture can change your end result too.

Kids LOVE this and it’s fun for sleepovers.

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