Cream of wheat for breakfast

[sparky2009]

In trying to come up with something other than oatmeal for breakfast, I decided to try cream of wheat. It can be packed dry, simply added to hot water and there it is, a quick breakfast. It seems that one part dry cream of wheat mixed with one part dry milk is reasonable as far as taste and ease of preparation, but it seems like it needs something else added to make it taste better. Anyone got any ideas?

[Spokes]

Brown Sugar? (it's heavy)

BTW, Cream of Wheat is expensive but yummy.

[Rocket Jones]

Raisins, maple syrup, granola, sunflower seeds, bacon bits...

[Spokes]

.....beer.....

[bigcranky]

Dried blueberries or other fruit. Brown sugar or a squirt of honey. Cinnamon.

[max patch]

Honey.

After a couple weeks I stopped cooking for breakfast - I'm a better hiker than a camper. Instant oatmeal you can make with cold water. Have you tried cream of wheat cold?

[JustaTouron]

Depends on what your tastes are....

I add a dash of louisiana hot sauce. My kids think I am insane (well, that is not the only reason). They prefer maple syrup, honey or brown sugar (yuck, too sweet).

[10-K]

I carry honey and jelly packets.

This is my favorite site for various and sundry hiking food stuff: http://www.minimus.biz/.

[Hikes in Rain]

I was brought up using chocolate chips to flavor it. Mmm...

There's a whole wheat version, too, that's pretty substantial and hearty.

For another suggestion, try cheese grits with bacon bits. And extra cheese.

[mister krabs]

Not cream of wheat. Grits, instant cheese flavor with real bacon bits added.
From a transplanted northerner.

[The Flatulator]

Nutmeg and/or cinnamon "spice" things up for not much extra weight. I, too, opted for cold breakfasts after I tired of cooking in the morning. Instant oatmeal with some dry milk and water makes almost a pudding consistancy and is quite good. Best one is the apple and spice. I never tried the instant cream of wheat cold, but after a few weeks on the Trail, everything tastes good no matter how you make it!!!

[Bags4266]

I'm an oatmeal in the morning guy too. I use two packs of instant OM. One flavored and one plain, cuts down the sweetness.

[Snowleopard]

Add walnuts and dried fruit -- apples, apricots, prunes, peaches, raisins.
Add toasted wheat germ.
Use Wheatena instead.
Homemade Wheatena -- get cracked whole wheat at wholefoods/health food stores, toast in oven.

I use your method for oat bran cereal, but some people don't care for oat bran.

[ShelterLeopard]

Add brown sugar or dried fruit.

I love cream of wheat, also wheatina.

[Spirit Walker]

On my first thruhike I did maildrops. I had instant oatmeal, grits and cream of wheat for breakfast - a wide variety in each box. By halfway up the trail, if not before, I hated them all. You will find a lot of these cereals in hiker boxes. We switched to regular cold cereal, the denser the better, with dried milk and rarely get tired of it.

[Seeker]

u prefer oatmeal (peaches or strawberries and cream), second the cheese grits (from another transplanted northerner)... second best southern invention (behind sweet tea).

a bagal or english muffin with summer sausage and cheese is pretty tasty too...

[gunner76]

Mix Cream of Wheat and Grits togeather and add your favorite toppings

[sparky2009]

.....beer.....

LOL! Breakfast of champions?

[grayfox]

You can use hot chocolate instead of water to make instant cereal. A quick and easy resupply option is to buy the six package boxes. The envelops pack pretty well or you can open them and pack the contents in plastic bags.
At home, I like to mix coco wheats with nido, extra coco, sugar, and a bit of salt. I carry it in a zip-lock and make as much as I think I will eat.

[ShelterLeopard]

I do what grayfox does, but with oatmeal. When I'm tired of dried fruit and brown sugar, I mix in hot chocoalte powder (but I almost never use milk- so I mix the powder into the cereal, not on top of it).

Couscous is also good for breakfast.

[Tinker]

I used to carry Grape Nuts for a cold cereal. Not necessary to add anything except maybe dry milk (nonfat or other). I've eaten them hot as well, very tasty. I have never really cared for Cream of Wheat, but for a thruhike I guess any change is welcome after weeks of various flavors of oatmeal (what I almost always eat for breakfast in cool weather).

[sparky2009]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Lots of good ones. Still would like to hear from others as they see this thread.

[geomaniac]

I think it needs a pinch of salt. Then a nice squirt of honey!

[Wise Old Owl]

I carry honey and jelly packets.

This is my favorite site for various and sundry hiking food stuff: http://www.minimus.biz/.

Jelly packets are ok, break up a light fruit roll up!

[Graywolf]

In trying to come up with something other than oatmeal for breakfast, I decided to try cream of wheat. It can be packed dry, simply added to hot water and there it is, a quick breakfast. It seems that one part dry cream of wheat mixed with one part dry milk is reasonable as far as taste and ease of preparation, but it seems like it needs something else added to make it taste better. Anyone got any ideas?


FWIW, you can buy the individual packs, I think they come like 16 or 20 to a box..Like oatmeal, you can get it in a variety of flavors..The cinnammon and brown sugar is my fav, but the fruit flavored ones are good..If you go this route you can save on the sugar as most already have sugar added to them..

I just dropped a couple into each day ration bags with my dinner and lunch and ready to go..

Graywolf

[GGS2]

Cream of Wheat or corn meal or grits go well with a bit of fat, like butter or bacon bits. Try some oil if you want to up the calorie count and the stick to your ribs count, too. Of course if you carry butter, ghee or bacon in some form, add that instead.

[Praha4]

Quaker sells those "Oatmeal on the Go" breakfast bars, individually wrapped. come in several different flavors... maple n brown sugar, banana bread, oatmeal raisin. they are actually good tasting and no cooking required

[Trailweaver]

I never liked the texture of cream of wheat. . . but would butter (or powdered butter flavoring) make it better? I would also think any number of the above mentioned additions would make it better.

[GGS2]

Only one way to tell if you will like it.

[Hikes in Rain]

Cream of Wheat or corn meal or grits go well with a bit of fat, like butter or bacon bits. Try some oil if you want to up the calorie count and the stick to your ribs count, too. Of course if you carry butter, ghee or bacon in some form, add that instead.

REad somewhere (I think it was in the big two-volume AT journals) of one fellow that started breakfast with bacon and eggs. Then, in the same skillet (here's the tie-in! :) ) he'd make cream of wheat. That would clean out the pan somewhat, as well as flavor the cereal. After that, again in the same pan, he'd make cocoa, with the residual cereal thickening and enriching the drink. Quick rinse, and the pan was clean. Sounded wonderful, if somewhat time consuming.

Me, I was raised to put chocolate chips in cream of wheat. Only way it tastes "right".

[gunner76]

Bacon makes Cream of Wheat and Grits taste better. The more bacon the better.

[Hikes in Rain]

For some reason, still haven't tried it, but it sounds better than chocolate!

[Wags]

i used to go with oatmeal until i was introduced to the 450 calorie awesomeness that is the big texas cinnamon roll

http://www.amazon.com/Cloverhill-Bakery-Cinnamon-Rolls-oz/dp/B001YJ9IM2

no cook, excellent taste, excellent fats for the day... mmmmmm

[Disney]

I add a dash of louisiana hot sauce. My kids think I am insane...

HAHAHA

Your kids are right.

My mom always put a little butter in the cream of wheat, and Brown Sugar or Honey.

[tortoise1]

I'm an oatmeal guy to. I add nuts and dried fruit, or raisins, but I also add a packet of French vanilla Carnation instant breakfast, and a pack of EmergenC drink mix. It's a lot of food, but I can go all day on it.

[excuses]

Another to try, Cream of Rice, dress it like you would cream of wheat.

[East Coast Alex]

Anybody ever try "Malt O' Meal, hot wheat cereal?" It comes in plain, chocolate, or maple brown sugar flavour.

Some other hiker suggested it to me once (I've never tried), but it seems really hard to find in stores.


I was wondering if the Malt O' Meal brand is a reasonably identical substitute to the more common "Cream of Wheat" brand cereal, taste-wise.

-----------------------

Malt O' Meal (http://www.malt-o-meal.com/products/hot-cereals/malt-o-meal-hot-cereals.php)

versus,

Cream of Wheat (http://www.creamofwheat.com/creamofwheat/cow_products.asp)

------------------------

I don't overly care for the Cream of Wheat. It's the texture mainly, as another person said.... but it tastes alright (though I prefer oatmeal), so I was just wondering if Malt O' Meal is basically the same thing. I'm kind of hoping the two things are different, and the Malt O' Meal is better tasting than Cream of Wheat.




I love most of the Quaker Oatmeal flavored varieties (especially Maple Brown sugar, apple cinnamon, and cinnamon and spice. They used to have a raisin one too, not sure if they ended that product line.). I often just guzzle it down dry, straight out of the pack. Love it that way.

[The Cleaner]

BUTTER...it has many uses...

[BigFoot2002]

I split a 5 minute (blue box) of grits with another hiker. Another baggie carries a couple of spoons of salt. Gives me about a weeks worth of breakfast for only a couple of bucks. Slather on plenty of olive oil for extra calories. If the same old breakfast starts to get a little old, a half inch chunk of pepperoni (chopped fine, added while boiling) really spices things up. Cheese mixed in at the end of cooking is good too. The BIG breakfast is all of the above.

[hopetofinish]

I sometimes carry Carnation Instant Breakfast. No cooking and weighs about the same as packaged cereal. A bit expensive, but you get lots of electrolytes and protein

[crazyonelost]

I usually eat hot oatmeal for breakfast. I throw in a handful of trail mix of nuts and m&m and eat it right out of the freezer bag.

[Jack Tarlin]

Growing up in New England, at breakfast-time, we were force-fed a similar product, called Maypo, which I happily haven't eaten in around 44 years.

Can't say I've missed it, either.

[Dogwood]

I mix it up for breakfast.

On cold morning hikes - warm whole wheat cous cous, millet, oatmeal, granola(either mixed with any of the others or eaten cold with a dried vanilla milk and dried/dehydrated fruits and nuts/seeds, mix with - nuts(almonds, crushed macadamias, pine, walnuts, almond meal(Trader Joes, goes a long way and adds good cals), Justine's almond, hazlenut, peanut butters, etc, seeds(chia(awesome nutritionally!), hemp(awesome nutritionally!), sesame, flax(very good nutritionally!), sunflower, pumpkin, etc) dried/freeze dried fruits(strawberries, blueberries, coconut, mango, goji, dragon fruit, mixed berries, crystalized ginger, dried bananas(Trader Joes Mashed Bananas are good and cheap!), etc, cinnamon, vanilla beans, dried milks(coconut, goat, soy), whey/rice vanilla/mixed berry protein powders, Butter Buds, Fake in Bacon Bits, fish(salmon, tuna) jerky, cocoa nibs(the real thing!), might throw in a breakfast bar(ProBar, Pemmican, BoBo's, Maca Bar) or two for a 6 day or more resupply for a non cook option and to add more variety

There are so many ways to prepare oatmeal, warm and cold, I find it hard to get bored with it. And, it's cheap as a base($.69/lb in bulk). Millet and whole wheat cous cous are cheap too. Granolas I add sparingly because the price is higher.

On hot or warmer weather hikes - little or no breakfast cooking, more breakfast bars and/or eat some of the foods above cold, fruit leathers added

Since it seems like I'm always preparing for another long hike I've learned to buy food ahead. I have accumulated all of the above ingredients over the course of the past yr, as I visited supermarkets and healthfood stores. I bought when I saw stuff on sale. With none of the items I mentioned above did I run out and buy them at full price. When I looked in my 55 gal plastic garbage labeled trail breakfasts about 4 months ago to prepare for another 4 month long hike I didn't need to buy one additional food item. Same with my dinners. I just counted up all my prepared trailfood dinners tonight - 97 total!

[hikrgrl]

I used cream of wheat and would mix it with a packet of carnation instant breakfast. By itself, I couldn't tolerate the taste, but I'm REALLY happy when I get to have chocolate for breakfast :banana The strawberry & vanilla flavors make cream of wheat palatable, also.

[swjohnsey]

In the same vein as cream of wheat, try oat bran, in ziploc bag 1/4 cup oatbran, 1/4 cup raisins, 2 tbs sugar, 1 tbs powdered whole mile, 1/4 tsp, 1/8 tsp nutmeg. Double the receipe for trail calories. Bring 1 1/2 cup water plus mix to boil and simmer for 3 minutes.

[mweinstone]

dumb thread. it seems food is edible, available and exactly the same everywhere on the planet. fufilling, good, yummy.

[Odd Man Out]

For breakfast, everything is better with a little Grape Nuts (so many uses for malted barley!).
Artificial maple flavored instant oat meal = yuck
Real oatmeal with real maple syrup, butter and cinnamon (and Grape Nuts) = yum

[halftime]

Not cream of wheat. Grits, instant cheese flavor with real bacon bits added.
Agree grits are much better.

[Doc Mike]

mix the cream of wheat 1/2 and 1/2 with coco wheat makes it kinda special. Remember the cals per serving is kinda low.

Doc Mike