Recipe: 5 Grain Morning Cereal

5 Grain Morning Cereal is a combination of highly nutritious whole-grains that have been toasted, then just before cooking you grind the amount you need for that morning's cereal.

5-Grain Morning Cereal ("Feeding the Whole Family" by Cynthia Lair)
1 cup wheat berries
1 cup millet
1 cup spelt
1 cup brown rice
1 cup quinoa

Place all grains in a fine strainer; rinse and drain.
Toast grains in a 350 degree oven, spread the grains on a cookie sheet and toast until there is a nutty aroma (about 12-15 minutes)

Store in a jar in your cupboard until ready to use.

To make cooked cereal: (1 cup dry makes 4 servings)
1 cup toasted cereal mix, ground fresh
3 cups water
pinch of salt

Grind toasted cereal mix in a small electric grinder. Combine ground cereal, water, and salt in a small pan. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

*bonus! you can shorten the cooking time to about 5 minutes by starting the grains and hot water the night before and letting sit (without any heat) overnight.

On Christmas Eve morning we gathered the bowls together and started preparing the mix-ins as the cereal heated up.
We added:
freshly ground flaxseeds
chopped pear
chopped apple
chopped banana
frozen raspberries (from my parent's garden)
peeled and chopped mandarin oranges
dried cherries
chopped walnuts
1 tsp. sucanat to each bowl