Cracked Wheat Cereal--Nantucket Style

I love cracked wheat cereal--it has a nice chewy texture. But I can see how some people (Nate) could think it was a little boring. So this morning I decided to make it exciting :) I soaked the cracked wheat overnight and then cooked it for about 15 minutes. I then chopped up a couple handfuls of Costco's Nantucket Blend trail mix--almonds, pistachios, dried cherries, raisins, and dried cranberries--and added it to the cooked wheat. Topped with a little honey and milk, it was the best hot cereal I've had in a long time. Cracked wheat was boring no more! (I think this could be applied to all hot cereals--steel cut oats in particular. yum.)

Nantucket Cracked Wheat
1 cup cracked wheat
3 cups water
1/2 cup fruit and nut mix, chopped
honey
milk

Mini Revolt

I've been waiting for someone to freak out around here with regard to our change in diet. Everyone has been taking this veggie/whole grain thing way too well. Nate is actually enjoying his veggies (he even ate some tomatoes and drank a few glasses of V8), and the girls have eaten their dinners without any complaints. Camden loved the cracked wheat cereal we had yesterday and requested I make it again this morning. I was happy to oblige, but when Riley found out what I was making, she finally cracked. "I'm not eating it! I don't want that breakfast! I'm not eating it!" I tried to remind her how yummy it was with honey and milk, but she was not to be distracted from her moment of revolt. "I want to choose MY cereal! I AM going to choose MY cereal!" (the sugar-laden--but fortified!--cereal she has lived on her whole life). She was standing in the pantry with a defiant look on her face and her hands on her hips. A good show--but she wasn't going to win this one, and she kind of knew it. She just wanted to see how far her mini-revolt would take her. I told her she will be able to choose HER cereal on Saturday, but today we were have the oh-so-delicious cracked wheat. Camden ate hers in about 3 seconds (a girl after my own heart), and though it took Riley a little longer, she did eat it all. I'll take a mini-revolt over a major meltdown any day.

As a sort-of reward for everyone's good attitude this week, I made pizza for dinner--half canadian bacon with pineapple and mushrooms/half barbeque chicken with onions and mushrooms. Plus a salad, of course. (I will try to lay off the corn/lima bean/kidney bean mixture I've been putting on all the salads--Camden's said she's had enough of that, and the others agree I think. But I think it's yumm-o.) Sidney always enjoy pizza--both eating it, and wearing it.