Do you ever get tired of making breakfast? I sure do. I have 35 minutes every weekday to get something made for 9 people so I can send half of them out the door with a full stomach. Breakfast can’t be very fancy in that amount of time, and I have a couple of picky children. The routine used to be cold cereal and toast, pancakes, cold cereal
and bagels, waffles, cold cereal and muffins, french toast, …. It gets a little old.

Besides that, I’m trying to not spend so much, and cold cereal adds up when you’ve got this many mouths to feed; and I am trying to make more from scratch simply because it is better for us. So, today, here are two recipes for hot, homemade cereal that can break up the monotony a little and add some good whole grains to your breakfast diet.

Cracked Wheat

It is fairly easy to find at the store, though I buy mine in bulk from places like Azure Standard. It is really good, very filling, quite inexpensive, and cooks quickly.

1/3 c cracked wheat
1 c water
a little salt

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add c. wheat and boil, stirring frequently, until thick and most of water has been absorbed. Serve with brown sugar and a little milk.

Oatmeal with Apples

Don’t cringe. I grew up really not liking oatmeal because it was tasteless and slimy. Ick. After I got married I graduated to liking the flavored kind you can find in small packets at the store, but only the Apples and Cinnamon variety. I’m not sure how healthy that stuff is, but it is better than sweetened cold cereal certainly. Well, after years of trying different recipes to get close to the flavor of the little packets, I ran across this one and after a little tinkering I like it even better.

2 c milk
3/4 c oats (not quick oats, use the real thing)
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/3 c dried cranberries or raisins, if desired
1/2 t cinnamon
plain yogurt
brown sugar

Bring milk, oats, and salt to a boil. Stir frequently. Turn heat down a little and when it starts to thicken, add apples and berries or raisins. When thick and bubbly remove from heat and stir in cinnamon. Divide into serving dishes, spoon a little yogurt and brown sugar over the top, according to taste, and enjoy. (I even had it for lunch today.)