Tag: Breakfast Cereal

Do breakfast “with heart” with Jungle Crunchalots

Do breakfast “with heart” with Jungle Crunchalots

Posted on by Rebecca

Are you a “breakfast” kind of family? My kids take after me with their love for cereal – the boys literally go to sleep planning what cereal they will have the next day. I used to have fights with my parents as a child because every night I would want cereal for supper!

As I have become a parent myself, I have realised and witnessed first-hand, how important a balanced breakfast is. It replenishes your body with a supply of essential nutrients and keeps your little one’s energy levels up throughout the day. I have seen a direct correlation in my son’s moods if I give him a typical “sugary” cereal versus a more wholesome one. As a result, I have recently started to pay much closer attention to the ingredients and nutritional benefits of my breakfast cereals I’m buying.

Have you looked at the cereal aisle lately? There are literally a million options; many of which claim to be healthy when they’re not. How do you know which healthy breakfast cereals taste good? Words like “whole grain”, “all natural” and “sugar free” are thrown around, but which is best?

When we were asked if we wanted to review “Jungle Crunchalots” I jumped at the chance, knowing that my cereal monster would love to try them out. Any cereal that contains Vitamins A, BI, B2, B6, B12 and Niacin, calcium and iron as well as dietary fibre is a winner for me. The Jungle Crunchalots cereal comes in all the favourite flavours – strawberry, honey and chocolate flavor and has 32% less sugar*. But would they like it?

Firstly, my kids were excited about the brightly coloured packaging. They were instantly drawn to “Oaty Cerealot” and his crew of monsters and of course my younger son wanted to try the chocolate flavor first, while mama wanted strawberry. One of the things my son loves the most is that the cereal stays “crunchy”. He often stops eating his breakfast when the cereal gets soft and soggy but Jungle Crunchalots remain solid and crunchy a lot longer.

Most bought cereals fall into the unhealthy category because they’re heavily processed or full of added sugar and additives, and this means they simply aren’t what I would consider a quality breakfast for your body. I love the fact that Jungle Crunchalots is made from oats and are high in Vitamin B, Iron and fibre. In addition to being a convenient source of nutrients and tasty start to each morning, by adding in yoghurt or milk it contributes to a portion of your daily calcium needs. Chuck in some fruit and you have a completely balanced breakfast.

One of the biggest benefits for me is the fact that Jungle Crunchalots has  less sugar than any other cereal, at less than 1 teaspoon per serving, this is a HUGE advantage for me with my little sugar monster over here! Crunchalots also came in the top 3 cereals when profiled with the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM).

Safe to say, I’m adding Crunchalots to our monthly shopping list and will certainly be repurchasing them for our breakfasts from now on.

*Disclaimer – This post was sponsored by Jungle Crunchalots, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Make Your Own Milo Cereal

Make Your Own Milo Cereal

Posted on by Rebecca

Im a “Milo” Girl, I always have been and always will be. Growing up it was both my 4pm snack as well as my before bed drink and that’s never changed. Every night I still have a mug of Milo before bed and I’m passing on my love to my boys.

Since becoming a mother however I have become much more conscious of what I give to my boys and the amount of sugar in things. My youngest has the biggest sweet tooth and will happily consume anything with sugar in it. As consumers we often see “labels” like “reduced fat” or “less sugar”, but how much of that is actually real?

When Nestle South Africa launched the “Secret Moms Club” I was immediately intrigued. Anything to get more ideas on how to give my boys healthier options. Hosted by Dr Michael Mol, the event was aimed at helping moms understand exactly what ingredients go into the MILO® Energy Cereal and that the improved recipe contains ‘less sugar and more benefits’. We had no idea what we were making in the kitchen at the time, with Chef Sizwe shouting instructions on what to do and when. As soon as I saw liquid malt extract, I had a pretty good idea it may have something to do with my favourite chocolate drink. Nestle took us through making our very own Milo Cereal, which we only discovered at the end and once everything was out of the oven, so we could see first hand just how little sugar the new Milo Cereal has in it. There is nothing better then a brand that provides you with first hand experience on what they claim.

I’ll be sharing that recipe and a few more Milo inspired recipes this week. I LOVE the fact that I can make this with my boys so they can see how their morning cereals are made, plus rolling out the little balls is excellent for find motor skills!

Ingredients – this recipe yields approx 2-3 Servings

Dry Mix

5 tbsp Wholegrain wheat flour

1 tbsp Corn Semolina fine (Maizena)

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Cocoa powder

Wet Mix

3 tbsp Boiling water

2 tsp Cooking Oil

1 tsp Sugar

 

Milo Slurry for the Coating

1 tbsp Cocoa powder

1 tbsp Liquid malt extract

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp Skim milk powder

1 tbsp Boiling water

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp Cooking Oil

Method

Cocoa Cereal Balls

1.Mix the flour and Corn Semolina in a mixing bowl and sift the cocoa and baking powder together into the bowl

2. For the Wet Mix, put oil and sugar in a medium bowl, add the boiling water and mix

3. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and stir with a spoon until it comes together in a lump. Dont over mix but the mixture should not be sticky. If need be add a little more flour.

4. Divide the dough into 3 portions

5. Roll each portion into a rope shape and cut into small pieces. Roll each little piece into small balls and place on a baking tray

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 Degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes.

7. While the dough balls are baking, prepare your slurry.

Milo Coating Slurry

8. Put cocoa powder, sugar and milk powder in a small bowl and mix. Add vanilla essence, oil and boiling water. Mix well until no lumps.

9. Drizzle about a tbsp of the slurry over cooled bowls, mix vigorously until the cereal balls are well coated.

10. Transfer the coated cereal balls into a lined baking tray and dry in oven at 120 Degrees Celsius for 5 minutes or until dry.

11. Cool down before serving.

There you have it! Of course this isn’t the “exact” secret Nestle recipe, its been translated into relatable terms but we were all plesantly suprised at how simple it actually is. The new MILO® Energy Cereal is now in a crunchy round shape, and boasts only 1½ teaspoons of sugar per serving, a higher wholegrain fibre content due to the use of whole grains, more protein and Activ-Go, which is a unique blend of malt extract and micronutrients that play a vital role in energy release. Have a go at this recipe at home with the kids, whether you use your cereal as a dry snack or a morning meal, you will never look at your box of MILO® Energy Cereal in the same way again!