Homemade baked goods vs cereal for breakfast

yiddishmom

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 8:44 pm

I make Oatmeal based pancakes occasionally. I think it's on the healthy-ish side.

Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup milk, regular or non-dairy
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for cooking
1 tablespoon granulated suga I omit
2/3 cup all-purpose flour I recently put in 1/3 cup protein powder and 1/3 cup w.w. flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Directions:
Whisk 1 cup rolled oats and 1 cup milk together in a large bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes for the oats to soften. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and set it aside to cool.

Add the butter, 2 eggs, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to the oats, and whisk to combine. Add 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, if desired, and whisk until just combined; do not overmix. Let stand for 5 minutes more. Meanwhile, heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add 1 teaspoon butter to the pan and swirl to coat. Drop the batter into the pan in 2-tablespoon portions, cooking 3 at a time. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, the edges begin to look dry, and the bottoms are golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the other side is golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.

amother

Brunette

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 8:47 pm

amother [ Cerulean ] wrote:

Healthy fat is great for growing kids and brain development. Cereal has no nutritional value in that realm. I make homemade baked goods sweetened with bananas or dates for most days of the week with zero restrictions on healthy fats.

Most cereal has plenty of fiber and protein plus far with milk unlike cake. I like cake but it’s hardly an ideal breakfast food.

yiddishmom

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 8:48 pm

Or I sometimes make Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup (240ml) milk
1 cup (80g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled) I use whole wheat
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup (120ml) honey
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (190g) fresh or frozen blueberries (see note if using frozen)

Directions:
Combine milk and oats. Set aside for 20 minutes so the oats puff up and soak up some moisture. This is crucial to the recipe! (I usually melt the butter now so it has a few minutes to cool.) Don’t do this the night before as that’s too long for soaking. If you find the oats haven’t soaked up any moisture after 20 minutes, give it a stir and wait 10 more minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. Whisk the melted butter, honey, egg, and vanilla extract together in a medium bowl until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir a few times, then add the soaked oats (milk included, do not drain) and blueberries. Fold everything together gently just until combined.

Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Top with oats and a light sprinkle of coconut sugar, if desired. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 22-23 minutes, give or take. (For mini muffins, bake 11-13 minutes at 350°F (177°C).) Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days, then transfer to the fridge for up to 1 week.

amother

Pumpkin

Mon, Dec 27 2021, 11:37 pm

It depends what you consider healthy. Some posters are saying no sugar/fat. Some are talking about preservatives, processed foods etc. Many times you want kids to have fat. And it depends what the baked goods are. Personally I am pro cereal and milk because it’s easy, has calcium, vitamins etc (because of milk), fills them up. I don’t buy sweet cereals (except for shabbos) so during the week it’s plain Cheerios, special K etc. I think that’s perfectly healthy/well-balanced. Now if I was someone who only served organic, homemade food for all meals etc maybe I wouldn’t think that. But I used boxed pasta, packaged snacks etc so I’m not in the organic/non-processed world. For those who are saying non sugary, whole grain cereals aren’t healthy because they’re processed-do you only serve non processed foods? Or only hold that way for breakfast?

amother

Mimosa

Tue, Dec 28 2021, 8:47 pm

amother [ Pumpkin ] wrote:

We use processed foods for snacks for the kids because we want them to fit in somewhat at school, but for meals we try for as nutrient dense, whole food and minimally processed , within reason. It bothers me when nutrient stripped garbage is presented as wholesome and nutritious. When we eat snack, we know it’s a treat. I would be okay we certain cereals as a snack, to me they’re in the same league as potato chips or popcorn. Just explaining my views here, not judging anyone.

Amarante

Tue, Dec 28 2021, 9:30 pm

challahchallah wrote:

Do you have a recipe you like for baked oatmeal? I’ve made a couple and they often end up tasting a bit soggy to me. Is there a trick?

Not sure what your definition of "soggy" is as mine are obviously not like a cake crumb but pretty much like a kugel. They definitely can be sliced and stand up on their own and don't disintegrate

I basically use the Quaker Oatmeal recipe but I modify it. I use less sugar and oil but I always made it with fruit - either raisins but a lot of times I would make it with fresh or frozen blueberries and so it was naturally sweet. If I were ambitious apples would probably also be good. I also upped the quantity of vanilla and also used cinnamon, nutmeg and other type of spices that go into an oatmeal cookie.

I also sometimes would add cornmeal to the mix which helped solidify a bit probably. You can experiment with it as I like natural grains. If a batch wasn't quite what I wanted, I was still happy to eat it as they made a great mid morning breakfast at work since I would take a bunch frozen and individually wrapped and keep them in the freezer and then nuke them.

FWIW I think balanced diet is everything especially for kids. Nothing wrong with treats with no nutritional value - one recommendation is that they should comprise no more than 10% of a food plan. However, most baked goods are really essentially sugar, fat and white flour.

And of course there are much healthier baked goods which compare favorably to any other breakfast choice or meal choice especially if one supplements them with some protein and fruit and dairy as necessary. I was responding to the initial post as most home baked goods - especially the cinnamon type rolls mentioned in the original post - are really devoid of much nutritional value and aren't meal substitutes except on an occasional basis.

challahchallah

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 11:17 am

Amarante wrote:

Thanks I’ll try that recipe. I think part of my soggy problem is that the liquid tends to sink to the bottom, so I end up with a good texture at the top but too much moisture at the bottom. Maybe I should figure out a way to flip it half way through baking or something.

amother

Alyssum

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 11:41 am

Ready to eat cereals go from very unhealthy to being outright toxic.
Even plain Cheerios and cornflakes and even whole grain cereals, the way the cereal is produced and processed takes anything healthy out of it.

And if any of the ingredients in your cereal contains any of these ingredients, just know that anything you bake at home is probably a much better option.

Sugar-High fructose sugars and corn syrup
Hydrogenated oil
Soy Lecithin
GMOs
Glypohosate
BHA
BHT
Trisodium Phosphate (paint thinner!)

Amarante

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 12:32 pm

challahchallah wrote:

I think you must be using a bad recipe because I have never had excess liquid. As I posted, mine are always firm like a kugel but obviously don't have a dry crumb like a regular baked product does.

Without knowing what recipe you are following, it seems as though you are using too much liquid as baked oatmeal doesn't use as much as regular oatmeal and uses milk instead of water. Also eggs help bind the recipe.

challahchallah

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 4:01 pm

Amarante wrote:

I’ll look up the Quaker recipe. Here’s what I’ve used in the past. Does it seem like too much liquid?

3 cups (300 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (see note for quick oats)
½ cup (106 g) lightly packed brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups dairy or non-dairy milk (see note)
¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (85 g) melted butter or oil

Amarante

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 4:07 pm

challahchallah wrote:

As I wrote, I basically improvised but I think your ratio of all the milk and the maple syrup might be high if it is producing so much liquid.

It's a very forgiving recipe so tinker away.

Also I found if I added fruit of some kind I didn't need as much sweetener and I didn't add that much butter or oil - don't forget melted butter and oil is also a liquid.

challahchallah

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 4:09 pm

Amarante wrote:

Really tinkering is what I should do. Thanks. Not everyone here likes fruit so I make it without and then some people can add what they want. I did cut the sweetener back I believe but it’s been a while since I’ve made it.

Amarante

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 4:12 pm

challahchallah wrote:

It is impossible to "add" fruit to the baked oatmeal I make - you can certainly eat some fruit as part of the meal but you can't add it in the way you would to a bowl of cooked oatmeal.

Maybe the baked oatmeal you are making is more like a pudding?

It seems odd to unilaterally not like any kind of fruit - not even raisins?

challahchallah

Fri, Dec 31 2021, 4:16 pm

Amarante wrote:

You can’t mix the fruit in to my oatmeal either. By add I really mean serve with or top. And no, not even raisins. I need to make a fully fruit free version.

FranticFrummie

Sat, Jan 01 2022, 12:26 pm

MiracleMama wrote:

Cereal is not a health food. Even the better ones. Still very processed. If you bake, there is a range of how healthy it will be - depending of kind of flour, amount and type of sweetener, fats, etc. It can certainly be just as good or better than cereal. You have control of what goes in.

Exactly. YOU control how much sugar, and you can add in things like pea protein, chopped nuts, dried fruits, nutritional yeast, flax meal, and lots of other healthy things that you can "sneak" to your kids.

I used to buy a box of vanilla cake mix*, and then add as much healthy stuff as I could, including a couple cups of quick oats to make the batter thicker and to compensate for all the sugars. I could have made my own cake mix as well if I was really dedicated, but it was enough that I was loading the mix with all the above. Add a few extra eggs for even more protein, and to bind the batter. If you add some pumpkin pie spice mix, it's even better.

You'll end up with a thick drop-cookie batter, that bakes into a moist muffin/cookie. I called them "Busy Mama Breakfast Cookies." They also make great after school snacks. My very picky DD absolutely loved them. If she was running late I could shove one in her hand as she was running for the bus.

Way less sugar than granola bars, and not as crumbly either.

*If you want to be super healthy, and have the time, make your own cake mix with organic, non GMO grains, farm eggs, Greek yogurt, etc.