Thrive Life With The Survival Mom

There are two kinds of people in this world: people who love hot cereal – a category that includes oatmeal, cracked wheat and other cooked grains – and people who would rather eat gym socks. If you are in the first category, then you will also love Thrive Life’s 9 Grain Cereal. If you are in the second category, you will also love Thrive Life’s 9 Grain Cereal.

9 Grain cracked cereal contains wheat (white and red), oats, rye, millet, barley, corn, buckwheat, and flaxseed. Each of these grains has a different nutritional makeup with some being higher in iron, and flaxseed being high in omega 3 fatty acids. For this reason, you may want to eat more whole grains, but just can’t get over the fact that you’d have to eat this stuff plain. Whole grain cereals are really good for you, but a lot of people can’t make themselves eat them. What is to be done?

Hot Cereal: A Modest Proposal

What is it, though, that people don’t like about hot cereal? Is it because it’s not very exciting? The phrase “boring old oatmeal” is often used to describe depressing things like scratchy gray sweaters found at second-hand stores. But If your gold standard breakfast food is technicolor boxed cereals that feature marshmallows shaped like super heroes, nearly any food is going to be boring. Hot cereal may be more sedate than Lucky Charms, but why is that a bad thing?

Apart from being better for you, real, non-microwaved oatmeal tastes cleaner: more like real food that was grown in the dirt and sunshine and less like garbage from a box. What do I mean by “cleaner?” 9 grain cereal has a complex, nutty flavor that will ruin your taste for frosted puffed corn. You’ll quickly recognize the difference between real food and something that has been over-processed in a factory.

When most people think “oatmeal,” they may be thinking of instant oatmeal, the just-add-water stuff that comes in little packets with lots of sugar. While that stuff is convenient to prepare, the oats themselves are so slathered in salt and artificial fruit flavoring that you can hardly taste them. It is hardly real oatmeal. I grew up with that stuff and thought the apple and cinnamon packets were the best ever, until I tried actual oatmeal cooked over a stove.

In order to get the best experience, you need to use the right ingredients and cook them in the right way. Throw out your oatmeal packets and get yourself some 9 Grain Cracked Cereal.

Really Great Breakfast Cereal

• 1/2 C Thrive Life 9 Grain Cereal
• 1 C water
• pinch salt
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• brown sugar to taste
• milk to taste
• Other possible mix-ins include: berries, either fresh or freeze dried.

When your water comes to a boil over the stove, add your cereal, salt, and cinnamon. Turn down the heat to medium and stir until all the water is absorbed. This could take up to 15 minutes but I’ve known cereal to get to this point is as few as five minutes. Serve with milk and brown sugar.

Other Uses For 9 Grain Cereal

If you aren’t a fan of hot cereal and refuse to go near it, Thrive Life’s 9 Grain Cracked Cereal might still be something you’d like to try.Ground into flour, the cereal mix makes an excellent addition to pancakes, and gives them a slightly chewy texture and a more complex flavor.

I hesitated at first to run it through my NutriMill Grain Mill, because of the serious admonition against using it to grind flax or other oily seeds. However, because the percentage of flax seed contained in the 9 grain cereal was so low, and because all whole grains contain small amounts of oil in the bran, I reasoned that it would probably be okay. My grain mill suffered no ill effects after grinding several cups of multigrain cracked cereal into flour.

You also have the option of using Thrive Life’s 10 grain pancake mix, which also includes amaranth and qinoa in the flour. If you’d prefer to make your pancakes from scratch, try this recipe:

Multigrain Pancakes

• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1 c flour made from Thrive Life’s 9 Grain Cracked Cereal
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 C milk (For best results, use buttermilk. If buttermilk is not available, add 1 tsp plain cultured yogurt to your milk)
• 2 tbsp packed grown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• Butter, for greasing the pan.

Combine all ingredients with a whisk. Cook in a skillet over medium heat. Depending on the size of your pancakes, this recipe will make 6-10, enough for a family of two adults and three very hungry children.

If you had previously never thought of obtaining some 9 Grain Cracked Cereal to add to your food storage, I hope these suggestions have made you reconsider.