How To Make Delicious Whole Grain Hot Cereal Mix

    Mixing up grains ahead of time makes it that much easier to eat a cozy, healthy breakfast in the morning. This also makes a great holiday gift.

    Whole Grain Hot Cereal Mix

    Makes about 5 ½ cups mix, enough to fill two 25-oz. jars (pictured here).

    INGREDIENTS

    1 cup rolled oats

    1 cup spelt or wheat flakes

    1 cup barley flakes

    1 cup quinoa

    ¼ cup flax seeds

    ½ cup dried cranberries

    ½ cup almonds, roughly chopped

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

    HOW TO PREPARE THE GIFT

    Mix everything together in a large bowl and transfer to a jar. Give with cooking instructions.

    Directions to include with the gift:

    How To Cook Cereal

    Makes 3 to 4 servings.

    You will need:

    1 cup Whole Grain Hot Cereal Mix, from gift

    1 teaspoon kosher salt

    3 cups water

    Optional: milk, maple syrup, brown sugar

    Preparation

    1. The night before you want to eat the cereal, combine 1 cup cereal mix and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large saucepan.

    2. Add 3 cups water (you can add more later if the cereal is too thick) and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and cover overnight.

    3. In the morning, cook cereal in the covered saucepan over medium-low heat about 5-8 minutes or until it's warmed through, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed.

    If you're starting the cereal in the morning, bring to a boil and then turn heat down to medium-low. Simmer about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding more water if it gets too thick.

    4. Serve hot cereal with milk and maple syrup or brown sugar.

    Download a PDF of directions to include with the gift.

    Get decorating info here.