No, this post is not an endorsement of a processed gluten-free cereal. I do not plan to have such reviews at gfe. As I’ve said before, there are very few gluten-free specialty items that I personally purchase. I like to keep my diet and my buying simple … for a variety of reasons (some of which I’ve already shared and more that I will be sure to talk about at a later date).
When I got up this morning, it was sleeting. Then it started snowing. I knew I would take my time heading into work … waiting to see if the weather would get better or worse, and perhaps ultimately deciding not to go in at all. I had just gotten a large bag of pecans on my latest visit to the grocery store. (Pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds are staples in our house.)
A banana that had turned brown overnight sat on the counter looking sad. (I think it was “pleading” not to be thrown in with the two dozen other “baking bananas” still held in semi-solitary, frozen confinement. If you missed that story, read here.)
Little voices inside my head were speaking to me and my stomach was making those hungry sounds, not yet a full-out growl, but close. The fact that I had just done an exercise video (for the first time in months) also had me feeling a bit ravenous.
Some type of healthy breakfast was needed. (I didn’t want to cancel out the effects of the cardio, you know?) The answer was obvious and simple … I’d make my own version of nut cereal—a gfe solution!
All you need for nut cereal is a small amount of nuts (or seeds) and some milk (dairy or non-dairy) to pour over them. That’s right, there is no omission—flakes, oats, and any other grains are just not needed I do like to add some fruit and/or a small amount of sweetener, but they are not necessary.
Today I started with pecan halves, added the banana that I had sliced, and topped it all with just a little bit of brown sugar. Yes, it looks like I added a lot of brown sugar (LOL) in this (now old) photo below, but that’s just because I had to darken the photo to make it presentable. It’s not one of my best photos. I could have kept taking photos trying to get a better shot, but I really wanted to eat the cereal!! (By the way, the bowl looks very large, too, in the shot, but it’s a small bowl. LOL)
Could that be any simpler? If you’ve always been a fan of boxed nut cereals (gluten free or not), give this a try. I promise you that you really won’t miss the grains. It’s very satisfying. And, this method for breakfast adapts so well when staying at a friend’s house, camping, or the like. What do you think? Will you try this version of nut cereal? Do you do anything equally simple for breakfast that you’d like to share? Sometimes we dismiss simple ideas as not worthy of sharing, but usually those are the best ones to tell others about!
FYI—By the time I finished eating my breakfast, weather conditions had worsened and the road that I use to travel to work was actually closed. Can you say SNOW DAY!!! Life is good. It’s still snowing … I love snow.
Homemade Gluten-Free Nut and Fruit Cereal (or Seed and Fruit Cereal) Recipe
You won't miss the grains--or packaged cereal of any kind--when you make your own Nut and Fruit Cereal! Or Seed and Fruit Cereal. Or Nut, Seed, and Fruit Cereal.Grain-Free Nut (and/or Seed) and Fruit Cereal
Ingredients
Instructions
Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!
Originally published January 27, 2009 ; updated March 8, 2022.
noble pig says
Yeah for snow days and being at home with food you love!
Polly says
I know what I am having for my night time snack! Thanks!
glutenfreewholefoods says
Pecans and bananas are a nice combo. Sometimes I like to use GF rolled oats, chopped raw cashews and sliced bananas – and pour almond milk over all of it. My girls (3 and 6 yrs)love leftover quinoa and some sort of legume for breakfast, usually lentils, garbanzos, or black beans. They just want a sprinkling of Herbamare over it all and are good to go. I had a large glass of green smoothie this morning (made from apples, pears, lemon, ginger, pineapple, collard greens, and kale – a whole big bunch of kale!) We have a vita-mix and blend it all up in there.
Thanks Shirley for your easy meal ideas! -Ali ๐
Shirley says
noble pig–The rain came and washed away most of the snow, so the prettiness is gone, but it was still a nice little break. I’m still surprised I didn’t end up baking cookies yesterday. Next snow day … LOL
Polly–I hope you enjoyed your snack. That’s definitely on the healthier side of night-time snacking! ๐
Ali–Your breakfast sounds very nice. Cashews are one of my favorites for this nut cereal. I just love that your girls eat that way!! What a great way to start the day. As far as your smoothie, wow, you covered a lot of vitamin/mineral bases with that one. Just curious … with all the sweetness from the apples, pears, and pineapple do you actually taste the greens? I’ve been intrigued by green smoothies for a while, but I confess I have yet to try them. You just might be my inspiration! Do you ever use any frozen ingredients or are all the ingredients always fresh?
glutenfreeforgood says
We must be on the same wavelength! I just made GF granola today. I love all kinds of nuts and seeds in my granola. Also, your cabbage salad looks awesome, even if the recipe did spread like good gossip. I’m definitely lifting that one off your blog! Thanks, great posts!
Melissa
Shirley says
Melissa—Granola is always so good … the perfect, healthy combination of crunch and flavor! I know you’ll enjoy that salad. (I crave the spinach and romaine … gotta have my K!!) And, please lift recipes any time! ๐
Shirley
Kelly says
Ahhhh… nuts ๐ What would we do without them? I wish I could eat mine straight from the store, but alas I would be tooting up a storm! So I have to soak mine to remove the enzyme inhibitor. Maybe someday my gut will be more recovered and I can take out that step ๐
Love, Kelly
Shirley says
Kelly–I know … you make so many recipes using nuts on your terrific blog, The Spunky Coconut. I actually should probably use more nuts that have been soaked. When I’ve had soaked almonds, I just love how sweet they taste and, of course, they are much more digestible. xo, Shirley
therese says
I’ve never heard of soaking them. Just cover with water, then drain? How long should they soak? Thanks.
Shirley says
Hey, Therese–I hope Kelly will check back and share her method of soaking nuts. However, in the mean time, here’s this great post on soaking nuts from Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet. It’s something I definitely need to learn more about myself. One of our support group members shares some of her soaked nuts with us at meetings. At first glance, it looks lot a lot of work and time consuming, but I really recommend the taste and as Kelly and Kimi share, it can make a big difference in proper digestion. Shirley
Kelly says
Hi Shirley and Therese!
Sorry for not getting back sooner! If you go to my blog, at the very top, above the pink background, there is a search bar, where you can type “soak nuts” and read all of my posts on how to soak nuts and why.
It’s pretty simple. Nuts contain an enzyme inhibitor, which makes them hard to digest, giving many of us gas and bloating. By soaking them for at least 3 hours, and rinsing them well in fresh water, you are removing this enzyme inhibitor. From there the nuts can be blended into nut milk, pureed into puddings, and pie crusts, or dehydrated to become dry again.
It isn’t time consuming, it just takes a little planning. You just add water, cover them and wait. If I’m doing a long soak, like for cashew milk, I cover them with water just before I go to bed, and when I wake up I rinse and blend them.
Also, nuts and seeds, and nut or seed butters, should be stored in the fridge to prevent their oils from becoming rancid. This is another cause of gas and bloating.
If you have any more questions, feel free to email me or check out the raw cookbooks on my site.
Cheers, Kelly
theSpunkyCoconut.com
Shirley says
Kelly–Thanks so much for the wealth of info! Re: the header, feeling silly … I see it’s a Blogger feature, I was looking in your sidebar. Thanks for help on the basics! ๐
I just did look soaking nuts up on your site and saw so many of your gorgeous recipes! It’s good to hear that only 3 hours is needed for the soaking. I assume you use a dehydrator as others recommend. Thanks for the info on the nuts and seeds, and their butters, too. I am sure I’ll have more questions once I try this on my own. Thanks, Kelly!!
Have a great evening and weekend!
Shirley
Kelly says
Hello again!
I didn’t actually discover the Blogger search feature till I was blogging for about 6 months, so I say you’re ahead of the game!
Raw food is a bit debatable, and sometimes kind of competitive, as far as who’s doing it “correctly”, or who is the most raw. Some will say soak longer, but I’m not a purist, obviously, I eat cooked food ๐
If you are looking for a dehydrator, you can also search for that on my site, I have a few posts about it too.
Love, Kelly
Shirley says
Hey Kelly–Thanks so much for the additional info. About the only thing I am a purist on is eating gluten free, so I can see where you are coming from. Thanks for pointing me to the dehydrator info on your site. Hmmm, if I get that I think the men in my house will have me making jerky all the time. LOL That dehydrator looks like a great kitchen tool!
Hugs,
Shirley
therese says
Thanks for the nutty info, Kelly! ๐ I’ll check out your blog for more. It definitely seems easy enough to do. I was thinking that without a dehydrator, perhaps I’d try roasting them in the oven or toasting lightly in a dry skillet to bring them back. Kitchen experiments = fun!
Thanks again.
Jen says
Thank you for this post! Since I read it last week, when I discovered your blog, I have made my own cereal several times. I chop apples, bananas, and walnuts, and add raisins on top. It’s delicious – who needs the grains? What a great idea.
By the way, I love green smoothies. If you add enough fruits, you will not taste the greens at all. If you’re trying to hide it from kids, blueberries or cherries will hide the color, too. I personally love pear, peach, and kale. Maybe add a little honey if your fruit is not very sweet.
Shirley says
Hi Jen! Welcome to GFE! ๐ I am so happy you found my blog and I love that you have had such success making your own cereal. Your version sounds terrific. Isn’t it funny how we get so ingrained with certain concepts? (I know bad pun, but my brain had actually formed the sentence BEFORE I realized the pun, and then I had to share it. LOL) I had a small snack of nut cereal last night and it was just right.
Thanks for mentioning the green smoothies and sharing what you like to include in yours. They sound wonderful! I am just imagining all the flavors and that would be another way to use a bit of our bees’ honey. I keep reading/hearing about green smoothies and definitely want to try some of my own. Leanne Ely of Saving Dinner has a YouTube video making green smoothies. (Her menu planning subscription program is actually quite good. The low carb one is easily adaptible to GF.) Leanne says you have to have a super duper blender. Do you have a heavy duty one like she recommends? Also, Jen, if you use fresh spinach or kale, do you chop yours up ahead of time?
Thanks!
Shirley
Ali (Whole Life Nutrition) says
Hey all –
Sometimes we put cherries or blueberries in our smoothies but the kids won’t drink them then because of the brown color – it looks better and more appealing when the smoothies are bright green. Also, if you put too many bitter greens in just add a few drops of liquid stevia to sweeten things up a bit, the kids will love it, of course honey sounds nice too!
Oh- about all the talk on almonds…we soak raw almonds all the time – the kids love them for a snack (soak 6 to 8 hours at room temp). Almonds are still digestible when not soaked though, just depends on your digestive system.
Shirley says
Ali—Thanks so much for that tip! Bright green connotates The Incredible Hulk, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and maybe even, The Jolly Green Giant, from back in the day! And, brown, well not so much. LOL And, it might not be just the kids who have a problem with the brown … I go for color appeal myself, so that’s a good tip–plus the sweetener factor.
I appreciate you weighing in on soaking nuts, also. In fact, I am going to go soak some right now to try tomorrow. Do you dry yours out in the oven or a dehydrator as was mentioned before? I love hearing about all the different methods that folks use.
Thanks!
Shirley
Lynnette says
How ingenious! I know I will love this, as I love nuts in GF granola (I make my granola)…
I also soak nuts as the Weston A Price Foundation advises, to get rid of the enzyme inhibitor phytic acid, as Kelly mentioned. I soak nuts with a small amount of salt, for about 12 hours or overnight. The water drained from them is deeply colored and muddy-looking. Once drained, I dry the nuts in a dehydrator. After they are dried, they are ready for use. I keep the nuts in the freezer, in jars.
Love your blog!
Lynnette
Shirley says
Hi Lynnette–It looks like you are new to gfe—welcome and thanks so much for your wonderful words! ๐ The nut cereal is such a simple concept and works beautifully. I forget about it from time to time and then am so happy when I remember. I think most folks would love this idea if they gave it a try. I think tomorrow’s breakfast will be walnuts, apple, and almond milk.
Yippee on making your own granola! I love homemade granola. There are very few nuts that I’m eating right now, but I am aware of the benefits of soaking nuts. I think they taste so much better, too. My son is even soaking and dehyrating nuts these days. I appreciate all your input because I need to get onboard with his practice, too.
Hugs,
Shirley