I have admitted before that I am not a morning person. You will not find me fixing a fresh hot breakfast for my kids in the morning. That may be slightly due to the fact that it took 5 1/2 years for my youngest to finally go to bed at a decent hour and sleep through the night. So when my kids get up in the morning I rely heavily on ready-to-eat cereal for breakfast. I was so excited when I found out they were starting to add whole grains to ready to eat cereal. Now I just found out that General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.
I also just discovered that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children´s diets.
Here are some other interesting info:
* Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.
* Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.
* More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.
Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.
For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.
Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals. I received some VIP coupons General Mills cereal from General Mills through My Blog Spark and I want to share with you. So I have 2 coupons for a free box of General Mills ceral to give to one lucky reader! To enter just leave a comment on this post of what your favorite General Mills Cereal is. My family loves Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms. I myself am partial to all the Cheerio and Fiber One varieties. Entries must be received by Sunday Jan. 24 by midnight (MST). I will notify the winner on Monday Jan. 25 by email.
Now cereal doesn’t have to just be for breakfast. I like to make treats and snacks with them too. The recipe today is one that comes from a friend of mine. When my boys were younger they had gone over to her house to play and while they were there she made the Cheerio Treats for a snack. When they came home my boys went on and on about how delicious these Cherrio Treats were, so I had to ask her for the recipe. These are a snap to make and as you can tell a kid pleaser. I make them all the time for the kids as an after school snack. I also have some other fun treat recipes using cereal that I have listed below too.
Chocolate Chip Crunchewy Cookies
Chocolate Strawberry Crispy Pie
Double Chocolate Caramel Turtle Treats
Cheerio Treats
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 5 cups Cherrios
- In a large sauce pan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Bring to boil over medium heat.
- Allow mixture to boil for one minute and remove from heat.
- Add peanut butter and vanilla to mixture and mix until smooth.
- Add Cheerios and mix until all coated.
- Drop mixture by spoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool. Enjoy. (I get about 2 dozen from this recipe. It all just depends on how big you make them.)
Yummy! I tried these with the banana flavor Cheerios… very good!
Just wanted to say I stumbled upon your blog a week or so ago and I tried your Cheerios treats last night. I had the kids in the kitchen helping. We had a blast and we all really loved these treats, however I think next time I will put in a pan like rice kripie treats and maybe drizzle some melted chocolate over the top. I sent several to school with my son (14) to share with his buddies! Im sure I didnt send enough! Thanks for a great way to make a quick snack!
I know your contest is over, but I am a Cheerios fan.
I have the recipe for the Cheerio treat that you have posted. It came from the Cheerio box in the 70s, but their recipe has a small package of chocolate chips melted and the top side of the treats dipped.
Lucky Charms and Cheerios
Ooh, those treats look great! We’re a Cheerios-eating household.
I am a Cinnamon Toast Crunch fan as well!
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I LOVE the Fiber One cereals. I think my favorite is the caramel delight.
My favorite General Mills cereal is Multigrain Cheerios.
Fiber One Caramel Delight is my favorite General Mills cereal!!!!
Cinnamon Toast Crunch is my favorite…I’m looking for a fun dessert recipe using it too!
I live in Australia for about 3/4th of the year and we’ve just recently gotten the MultiGrain Cheerios in to our stores, but no sight of Honey Nut Cheerios and boy, do I love Honey Nut Cheerios! So for the quarter of the year that I am home, I try and eat a couple of boxes to satisfy my craving for them the rest of the year. I’m home now but will be leaving again soon and I’ve been thinking about all the yummy U.S. treats I’ll have to have before I go and Cheerios are still on that list.
I love Special K, especially Strawberry Special K! My mom always has Fiber One in a cup of yogurt every morning, which is excellent, too.
We love the new chocolate cherrios! We just made these treats today with a mix of mulitgrain and chocolate cherrios, the were delicious!!
I love the multi-grain cheerios and the new banana flavor. Just tried the Fiber One and really liked it too!
I also love Honey Nut Cheerios!
I love Cheerios… just the plain ones. Your info. on cereal was so neat! I love that they are using less sugar. I just wish they’d get rid of the High Fructose Corn Syrup! Maybe someday. Thanks.
We love Cinnamon Toast Crunch. My kids think it is awesome if I let them have it for dinner!!
I love Honey Nut Cheerios. It’s simple, but I absolutely love them because they’re not too sweet. And who can resist the bee?
My kids love Fiber One. It’s a treat when I get to match a coupon with a sale.
My kids eat cinnamon toast crunch every single day. My favorite are the chex cereals because I absolutely love homemade chex mix.
My favorite GM cereal is any of the Fiber One varieties. Love them. So satisfying and filling.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch is my favorite!!
I like cheerios. They are just a tiny bit salty and I love that.
I love Fiber One original with banana and vanilla yogurt!!!
My favorite is the Multi-grain Cheerios. I can’t stop eating them. I eat them at work dry and at home for a snack too. The slight sweetness and yummy crunch. ‘LICIOUS!!!!
We like Honey Nut Cheerios and Muligrain Cheerios!
LOL, I work for a different cereal company, so I can’t leave what my favorite GM cereal is-since I have a favorite variety of the same kind from my company.
Strangely enough, I hate cinnamon but love Cinnamon Toast Crunch!
My toddler likes the trix, but my husband and i like the cinnamon toast crunch
Cinnamon Toast Crunch is my absolute favorite. I buy it only for holidays, though, since it is so high in sugar. My kids go crazy for holiday cereal days!
Love, love, love, Honey Nut Cheerios!
I love cherrios,but my kids love LUCKY CHARMS!!
My son loves Lucky Charms but I am a fan of honey nut cherrios. I am so excited about the changes that General Mills is making to their products.
we love cinnamon toast crunch or honey nut cheerios the best!