Start The Day With Your Own Homemade Cereals

Long gone are the days of standing over a hot stove, stirring a pot of thick, tasteless mush for breakfast. Slamming a thin, sugar-and-preservative-filled wafer into a toaster is no way to begin the day, either.

Instead, why not pour a handful of homemade, multigrain cereal into your favorite bowl, add some milk and sit down with the morning paper?

The satisfying, natural goodness of freshly made cereal is a palate-pleasing way to start the day. Virtually any combination of whole grains, nuts and seeds, and dried fruit is sure to keep you well-fueled until lunch time.

I avoided eating cereal most of my adult life because neither the flavor or the effect of drinking cow’s milk was appealing to me. But when I discovered those boxes of nonfat vanilla-flavored rice milk, the world of cereals suddenly opened. Rice, soy and oat milks are a wonderful and delicious alternative to drinking cow’s or goat’s milk, and most brands are fortified with vitamins A and D, plus calcium and acidophilus.

All the ingredients called for in the following recipes are available in bulk in natural foods markets and many large supermarkets. Check for freshness when purchasing whole grains, seeds and nuts in bulk. The oil in them can go rancid.

The only drawback to making such terrific-tasting, nourishing cereals and keeping a steady supply of them in the house is that it’s tempting to eat them for every meal.

Five-Grain Fruit and Nut Cereal

Topped with sliced bananas or strawberries, this robustly flavored, dark amber-colored cereal makes a substantial morning or midday meal.

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups corn flakes

2 cups puffed rice

1-1/2 cups rolled barley

1 cup rolled wheat

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup wheat germ

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

3/4 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup sesame seeds

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup finely chopped dried pears

1 cup golden raisins

Combine oats, corn flakes, puffed rice, rolled barley and wheat, oat bran, wheat germ, walnuts, sunflower and sesame seeds and cinnamon in large bowl. Mix well.

Heat maple syrup, honey and canola oil in small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to foam. Pour over grains and mix well.

Spread a 1/2- to 1/4-inch-thick layer of cereal on 2 lightly greased baking sheets (you’ll have to bake cereal in 2 batches). Bake at 300 degrees 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Transfer to large bowl. Bake remaining cereal in same manner.

When entire batch is cool, add dried pears and raisins and mix well. Store in tightly sealed plastic bags or glass jars at room temperature.

Yield: About 5 quarts, or 20 (1-cup) servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 344 calories, 12.4 grams fat (32 percent fat calories), 8 grams protein, 56 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 37 milligrams sodium.

Triple Oat Almond-Cherry Cereal

Subtle, mild-tasting and very low in fat, this cereal is perfect for those with wheat allergies, as it’s made from oat and rice products (although Cheerios may contain a small amount of wheat).

4 cups Cheerios

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups Rice Krispies

1-1/2 cups oat bran

1-1/2 cups slivered almonds

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cups dried cherries

Combine Cheerios, rolled oats, Rice Krispies, oat bran, almonds and nutmeg in large bowl and mix well. Transfer to lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees 20 minutes or until grains are light golden brown. Cool to room temperature.

Transfer to large bowl. Add dried cherries and mix well. Store in tightly sealed plastic bags or glass jars at room temperature.

Yield: About 3-1/2 quarts, or 14 (1-cup) servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 256 calories, 6 grams fat (21 percent fat calories), 9 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 124 millligrams sodium.

Coconut-Almond Granola

Anyone with a passion for coconut will adore this lightly sweetened, crunchy cereal. It also makes a great topping for ice cream, pudding or homemade coffee cake.

5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups rolled wheat

1 cup rolled barley

1 cup wheat germ

2 cups finely shredded coconut

2 cups slivered almonds

1 cup sesame seeds

3/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine rolled oats, rolled wheat, rolled barley, wheat germ, coconut, almonds and sesame seeds in large bowl and mix well. Heat canola oil, honey and vanilla extract in small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to foam, about 4 minutes. Drizzle over grains and mix well.

Spread a 1/2- to 1/4-inch-thick layer of cereal on 2 lightly greased baking sheets (you’ll have to bake cereal in 2 batches). Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes or until very light golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to large bowl. Bake remaining cereal in same manner. Cool to room temperature. Store in tightly sealed plastic bags or glass jars at room temperature.

Yield: About 4 quarts, or 16 (1-cup) servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 441 calories, 24.8 grams fat (51 percent fat calories), 12 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 32 milligrams sodium.

Four-Grain Muesli With Raisins

This is my everyday cereal; low-fat ingredients and mild flavors make this European favorite easy to eat and satisfying.

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

3 cups corn flakes or Frosted Flakes

2 cups puffed rice or Rice Krispies

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup oat bran

1-1/2 cups sultanas (golden raisins)

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Combine rolled oats, corn flakes, puffed rice, sunflower seeds and oat bran in large bowl and mix well.

Spread cereal on lightly greased baking sheets in thin layer (you will have to bake cereal in batches). Bake at 325 degrees 13 minutes or until grains are very light golden brown. Transfer to large bowl. Bake second batch and add to other baked cereal. Cool to room temperature.

Add sultanas and cinnamon and mix well. Store in tightly sealed plastic bags or glass jars at room temperature.

Yield: About 11 (1-cup) servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 248 calories, 5.4 grams fat (20 percent fat calories), 8 grams protein, 47 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 144 milligrams sodium.