Peanut Butter Banana Oat ‘Cereal’ is a delicious, easy to make, and filling concoction that’s perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

What was your absolute favorite food growing up?  Pizza?  Hot dogs?  Mac n’ cheese?  Cookies?

Me?  None of the above.  My favorite food was cereal.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I loved the ritual of pouring myself a big bowl of cereal (anything from Kix to Lucky Charms to Corn Flakes) and milk and digging in.

My love affair with cereal continued well into adulthood.  In college, my roommate Roshni and I were known for coming home from class,  sitting down at our dining table with a half gallon of milk and a box of cereal, and going to town.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love cereal.  In fact, during my last trip to the grocery store, I strongly considered buying a box of Banana Nut Crunch (my favorite as an adult).  But knowing one bowl at a time would never be enough, I chose not to go down that path.  Also, while most cereals aren’t the worst choice from a nutritional perspective, they’re certainly not the best.  Especially when you can never stop at one bowl.

What’s a cereal loving girl to do?  Make her own version using simple and healthy ingredients.  Duh!

You guys!  I eat this ‘cereal’* at least 1-2 times a week and usually for dinner.  It’s super filling and so delicious.  Personally, I enjoy the texture a lot – the perfect balance of creamy from the peanut butter and chewy from the oats.  The flavor is also on point – the nuttiness from the peanut butter, the sweetness from the banana, and the slight spice from the cinnamon.  And of course, you can’t forget the cold almond milk bringing everything together.  LOVE!

Pre-banana and almond milk

YUM!

I’ll stop rambling about cereal now and share my recipe.  I highly recommend you give it a try ASAP.  You won’t regret it!

Peanut Butter Banana Oat ‘Cereal’
Serves 1

1/3 cup raw instant oats
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon (or more!) peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 banana, diced
almond milk, to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a cereal bowl, mix together the oats, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Add the peanut butter and work into the oats mixture until small ‘clumps’ form
3. Add the banana to the PB + oats mixture
4. Top off with almond milk (I prefer lots of milk!)
5. Add vanilla extract and mix everything together
6. ENJOY!

*I know this doesn’t fit the traditional definition of cereal, but this is my blog, so I’ll define it however I want!

Your turn – are you/were you a cereal person?  Favorite kind?