An ode to cereal...

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I love cereal. I mean I really, REALLY LOVE cereal. I could happily eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Only problem is that unless you are eating a bowl of straight up horse food (steel cut oats, grains, hay and alfalfa) cereal is nothing more then just a big box of sugar cleverly disguised with claims all over the brightly, fun colored box that it is "enriched with vitamins and made from the goodness whole grains"
Well crystal meth could also easily be enriched with whole grains and vitamins, that doesn't make crystal meth any better for your health.
I broke my cereal habit back in 1994. (Thank you Jesus*) Now that I am a mother to the coolest 6 year old rock and roll star of a girl, I want to raise her with good eating habits. Not to sound all brown rice and Birkenstock here (not that there is anything wrong with either of those 2 items...) but cereal is only allowed while we are on vacation. I tell my daughter that it will make her body weak and unhealthy if she was to eat it on a regular basis. Cuz, its the truth.
An example of how very cool my daughter is, one hot day here in NYC we stopped into a deli to grab something cold to drink and there in the deli's cooler was Boylans Black Cherry Soda, yuh-hummy! I grabbed a bottle for me and my daughter to share and she loved it just as much as I do. She asked why we didn't have this drink sent down from the heavens more often? I explained that this drink isn't a drink we should have all of the time because it will  make our bodies unhealthy and weak. To which my daughter looked at me and looked at the bottle of cherry soda and threw the rest of it away. There was at least 3/4 still full. I love this girl!!! I explained that we were just having it as a treat and she told me that she would like some ice cold water instead. I could call her The Fonz she is so damn cool.

Our daughter does little league baseball, swimming, dance, yoga** and she just asked if we would enroll her in Kung-Fu classes. She said that Kung-Fu will make her even stronger and healthier and she is Japanese, so she really SHOULD be in a Kung-Fu class. Like I said/wrote earlier, she is a mother flipping rock star.

In my opinion, cereal factories are obviously run by a bunch of pot-heads. (takes one to know one...) I mean, just take a look at any of those cereal boxes, it is pretty easy to tell that someone was tripping up in the clouds while at "work" at the cereal factory.
Cereal should be meant for a sugary treat, something to eat at a slumber party or sneaked into a movie theater instead of eating the $20.00 popcorn and candy. So instead of adding milk as suggested for a balanced part of a nutritious breakfast, I added marshmallow, butter and chocolate. As it was meant to be.
For you, all 19 of my followers, I went out and bought 3 boxes of cereal to show the real purpose of cereal. That's right, cereal while NOT on vacation. I will do anything for my readers. The proof is in the pudding.
I made Muddy Buddies with Rice Chex cereal. NYC S'mores with Golden Grahams and of course, Rice Krispy treats. Below are the recipes with my tips included to making them even yummier then the recipes on those psychadelic cereal boxes.

Muddy Buddies
In a microwave safe bowl, add 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 1/4 cup butter (NEVER margarine, that's not even a real food product) Heat in microwave uncovered for 1 minute, take out and stir. It should be creamy and no lumps. If all of the chocolate hasn't melted, put it back in for 30 seconds or till its all melted and smooth. Its always better to heat it up for a shorter amount of time and put in longer as needed then a longer of amount of time and burning it. It can happen and its not fun.
Once its all melted, creamy and smooth add 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Then add 6 cups of Rice Chex cereal. Stir this big mess up till its well combined.
Then in a 1 gallon ziplock bag, add 2 cups of powdered sugar to that, add the cereal that has been invaded by peanut butter and chocolate madness and shake, shake, shake. I refuse to make any disco jokes here as I HATE disco, uck.
Place the ziplock bag in the fridge for at least 1 hour. You have just made fat bombs. Enjoy

 



Just look at all of these vitamin enriched treats...

NYC S'mores                                                        

In a microwave safe bowl, add 1 bag big marshmallows and 1/4 cup butter (NEVER margarine! Its not a real food product!) Heat for 1 minute or till marshmallows have become soft enough that they deflate into a yummy pile of goo while you stir it. Add 6 cups of Golden Grahams along with half of a bag of mini-marshmallows stir till well combined and press into a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish. It will be pretty sticky so it helps to butter up your washed hands to press into the dish. Chill in fridge for 1 hour
Melt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and drizzle over. Cut into desired shapes and sizes. Let your imagination run wild with it!


Rice Krispy treats

In a microwave safe bowl add 1 bag of big marshmallows and 4 Tablespoons of butter (remember, never margarine) Heat for 1 minute (same as above NYC S'mores instructions) add 4 1/2 cups Rice Krispies and 1/2 bag mini marshmallows, stir till well combined. Press with clean, buttered hands into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Let cool to room temp or chill in the fridge.



Here are some of my pot-head tips for maximum enjoyment of these "vitamin enriched and made from whole grain goodness treats"
First off, you are in charge, not the recipe. If you feel you want to add more marshmallow or add less cereal or vice versa, go ahead. You are the boss. The measurements of ingredients are more of a guide then a precise science. If you want to add more peanut butter or less chocolate, go ahead. This should be fun and not a hassle. If cooking is a pain in the ass then you are really doing something wrong. Step away from the kitchen, take a breather, have a little drink, do some yoga, do whatever you need to do to feel positive or irie.
Now go make some whole grain goodness and report back to me

 * "Thank you Jesus" is a quote from the movie "Fun with Dick and Jane" When Jim Carreys character goes to apply for a job at a Costco type place and the manager interviewing him asks him to pee in a cup for drug testing and comedy ensues. The term "Thank you Jesus" does not necessarily reflect my views or beliefs, I was just making a funny.
** All activites that my super cool daughter participates in she has asked for, we are not activity crazed parents. We are crazy but in a good way and I have a Doctors note to prove it.