I love cereal and I often have a bowl for a snack, but I never find that it does a good job filling me up. Because of this I rarely have cereal for breakfast, assuming that I am going to be hungry in an hour.
Every morning Eric eats a gigantic bowl of Nature’s Path Spelt cereal, chia seeds, and raisins that holds him over for 4-5 hours. I have cereal envy! If I can make it happen, I just may have to design my own custom cereal.
So, this morning I set on a mission to do justice to the cereal bowl…
My mission was to create a bowl of cereal that had the following elements:
- High in protein (over 25 grams)
- High in fibre (over 15 grams)
- Good dose of Omega healthy fats
- Antioxidants
- Fruit
- Super Crunchy texture
- Light sweetness and an array of flavours
Is it possible? And would it hold me over all morning long?
The first thing I did was make a list of the foods that I wanted to include:
- Nature’s Path Spelt Cereal (love this cereal because it’s 100% spelt flour and just 4 grams sugar per serving)
- Raw Buckwheat Groats- For the crunch, protein/fibre + other nutrients
- Eden Organic Soy Milk– I’ve been using this lately for breakfast because it has 12 grams protein per cup! It is also organic, no additives, and uses non-GMO beans. With that said it doesn’t taste great because I got the unsweetened variety.
- Vega Choc-o-lot Protein Powder– I had the fun idea of sprinkling some of my favourite protein powder onto the cereal for an extra vitamin and protein boost.
- Fruit– For light sweetness, texture, and nutrients (Today I used strawberries, kiwi, and raisins)
- Homemade granola– for the insane crunch!
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut– just a pinch on top for sweetness, aroma, and flavour
- Chia seeds– Antioxidants, protein, fibre, healthy fats, calcium, iron, etc.
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High Protein & High Fibre Cereal
Staple Ingredients:
- 1 cup Nature’s Path Spelt cereal (or cereal of choice)
- 1/4 cup buckwheat groats (soaked overnight, drained, rinsed) *See note below
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2-1 teaspoon (not tbsp like I wrote prior) chocolate protein powder (I used Vega choc-o-lot)
- 1.25 cup high-protein non-dairy milk (I used Eden organic soy with 12 grams PRO per cup)
Before I even poured the bowl, I calculated the nutrition info to see if it was where I wanted it to be. After a couple tweaks, I was able to come up with one powerhouse cereal bowl.
Nutritional Info Per basic Bowl (above):
- 532 kcals
- 15 grams fat (1 gram sat fat, mostly healthy fats)
- 222 mg sodium
- 75 grams carbs
- 15 grams fibre
- 9 grams sugar (cereal and protein powder)
- 28 grams protein
Now add on your desired toppings!
I added:
- ~ 1/2 tbsp Raisins
- ~1 tbsp Granola (I used my favourite granola)
- A pinch of Sweetened coconut shreds
- Fruit to equal 1/2 cup (I used 3 strawberries and 1/2 kiwi)
Buckwheat Note: Apparently, raw buckwheat groats can cause GI discomfort in some people Please proceed with caution when using! Toasted buckwheat (Kasha) might be a better option for some.
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The chocolate protein powder was fun! I’ve never had it on cereal before but I loved the chocolaty and sweet flavour it brought to this bowl.
I also loved the combination of chia seeds, protein powder, soy milk, spelt flakes, and buckwheat. The chia seeds created a doughy VOO mixture at the bottom of the bowl that I loved. This was probably one of the most satisfying bowls of cereal I have had in a while. It was SO flavourful and had so many amazing textures!
But how long will it hold me over? I have my doubts, but time will tell. I’ll be sure to report my findings. :)
Are you a cereal fan?
Mmmmm I LOVE cereal but I agree it never holds me over! This bowl looks so so good. Holy protein!!!
I have the same problem! I always add a sliced banana to my cereal bowl before I put anything else in, and that helps sweeten the bowl and add some bulk.
mm i love banana too!
Yes, the banana will definitely fill you up. I have one every morning. I think more out of habit than anything…
That looks soooo pretty!! I am a huge cereal fan, but like you, I find regular cereal doesn’t hold me over for that long! My favourite brand is probably Nature’s Path – I LOVE their Heritage O’s (yes, even though they’re very plain – but they have great nutrition!) and I often mix them with kamut puffed cereal (for volume) and Nature’s Path Ancient Grains Granola with Almonds (for a bit more staying power). Your recipe sounds delicious Ange! I tried buckwheat groats this week in the same way I’d cook oatmeal, but I think I’ll add them raw to my next creation for a bit of extra crunch. Have a wonderful Friday!
that is one serious bowl of cereal! i love it but usually only eat it as a snack or when i’m craving it- never fills me up much either unless i add almonds, berries, and sometimes yogurt
what a fantastic idea!
I love how you started with the basics of what you wanted to include and then went from there! :) delish and nutrish ;)
Same problem- love cereal, hungry again in an hour, thanks for the recipe, will have to give it a try!
That looks like a great bowl of cereal. Now I want kiwi in mine!
I usually eat cereal for snacks too, because I find it’s not filling either. This bowl on the other hand looks great!
LOVE cereal! Mmmmm cold soy milk & crunchy crunchy cereal. My favorite part of the morning is making my cereal & eat it while watching Good Morning America :) I do a mix of brown rice crispies + cheerios & add raisins & almonds/pecans/walnuts on top. I wish I could find a way though to keep the toppings on the surface rather than sinking to the bottom. I don’t like having spoonfuls of just raisins at the end!
I hope your bowl holds you over & you embrace the goodness of cereal haha
These are requirements for our cereal too! Can’t wait to hear how this holds you over.
I have exactly the same problem and it drives me crazy. I could probably eat five bowls of cereal if I let myself and still be hungry about an hour later. That’s why I pick stick-to-your-ribs breakfasts like oat bran and protein GMS. I’m excited to follow this experiment!
I actually find that cereal holds me over better than oatmeal. Whatever works, right?! When it comes to cereal, I like crunchy, lightly sweet, and nutty. Chocolate never hurts as well :-) I will be trying your cereal combo out for snack today!!
Where does one find Choc-a-Lot? I looked at Earth Fare and couldn’t find it.
I bought mine at Bulk Barn :) cant find it many places…
it’s also at whole foods I think!
I have very similar issues with cereal. It lasts me maybe 1 hour and then I’m hungry again. When I do have it for breakfast, I eat it first with some fruit on top and then have other stuff with it. This looks great though, it would be great to get a fast filling breakfast all in one bowl like this!
I love cereal and really like kashi golean crunch! But the past few mornings I have been enjoying overnight oats.
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 soy milk
1/2 mashed banana
1 tsp honey
Cinnamon
Mix and put in fridge overnight. Then heat in the morning and add a Tbsp of peanut butter! Yummy!
It fills me for 4 hours…much longer than cereal….
tgif!
I hate to be a pest on the topic but I am worried others will have a problem if you do not. Raw buckwheat is meant to be sprouted, not eaten as is. It might give someone a serious bellyache.
That’s interesting! I read that it was fine to eat it raw without sprouting…I soak it overnight and then drain and rinse in the morning. Why would you not eat it without sprouting? I personally haven’t had any issues. :)
Ok, soaking is sprouting. I didn’t see that you did that. Some people still get tummyaches from it, even soaked, so I guess the disclaimer still holds. Thanks for being so responsive. Love your site!
Oh that is good to know! I added a note in the recipe warning people that it could cause GI distress. :) Thanks for your help!
I have the same problem with cereal, and tend to eat it as an afternoon snack sometimes, rather than having it for breakfast.
The trouble is that sometimes I really crave a bowl of cold cereal in the mornings, especially in warmer weather, or if I’m especially thirsty! I find that by having one and a half servings, plus lots of nuts and seeds and fruit and dried fruit help me stay full until lunch.
I’ll often make my own cereal combination, too! Homemade granola (with barley flakes, rolled oats, flax, sesame, chia, sunflower, pumpkin seeds, pecans, raisins, and dates, and a little bit of raw honey), and then mix that with puffed kamut and fruit-sweetened millet cereal from Nature’s Path and top it with eden organic unsweetened. It’s the only time a cereal has ever lasted me for more than an hour–actually 5!! Bon chance à toi that yours lasts long, too! I’m sure it will!
Needless to say, I will be trying this cereal you posted! I love the idea of adding in fresh fruit.
Do the buckwheat groats have to be raw in order to sprinkle on top? (toasted are too hard, perhaps?)
Yup toasted works too!
I’m definitely a cereal fan. But, like you, I usually just have it for a snack.
This looks fantastic, though! I’m even shocked by how much protein and fiber it packs!
I am the same way with cold cereal – just does not work for me past 9.30am! But it’s great for a snack. I really love Kashi Heart to Heart (it replaced Cheerios for me) and a health version of Raisin Bran is also pretty yum. Your cereal looks so . . . cheerful and summery!
I have the same issues with cereal– in fact, I had a bowl for breakfast this morning, and my stomach is now GRRRROWLING!!! I’ll be excited to hear about whether or not this holds you over!