This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiveABox #CollectiveBias
There were countless childhood breakfasts with my four siblings, sitting around a long oval table and eating Cheerios™ with milk. For me it was a comfort food in high school when I could barely wake up to meet a dark morning and a school bus. Then my mom would have breakfast waiting for me – even when I was 17-years-old, and with one foot outside the door. In college, Cheerios™ were a comfort to me when my dorm room was empty, my notebooks were filled, and everything seemed too big to wrap my head around. I would go to the dining room and have a big bowl of my all-time favorite, while reading a comic book.
When I was pregnant, one of my comfort cravings was to have a bowl of Cheerios™ and milk, with a dash of cream on top. Yum! Actually, it still delights me to do this. After having kids, the cereal cycle started again, with giving Cheerios™ to them as their first finger foods on their high chair trays, then in cups on road trips, and then in bowls with milk and spoons.
I don’t think I’m alone in having a long history with Cheerios™, and my fondness will continue throughout life. I was excited to see that you can give the gift of Cheerios™ to a loved one by picking up a specially marked box in Walmart stores. I picked up Apple Cinnamon Cheerios™ because I had a recipe in mind for seeing my parents this weekend. My mom is the person I chose to share a box of Cheerios™ with, because we have many memories together locked into wholesome breakfasts, and it’s awesome to do the same for my kids. I love continuing traditions, and making them happy.
My kids haven’t been feeling well this week, and I’ll be seeing my parents this weekend, so I decided to make a snack for them all with my box of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios™. I took Scarlet out on a school day this week because she had a sick day, and we went to a Walmart near Cassidy’s work.
With the #GiveABox campaign, you can buy specially marked boxes of Cheerios™ exclusively at Walmart. Each box will have a unique code that you can then enter online to give an e-card/mail a coupon for a free box of Cheerios™ to the loved one of your choice. This offer will be available for a limited time. I can’t wait to send a box to my mom.
Ingredients needed: 2 cups of rolled oats, 1/2 cup of shredded coconut, 1/2 cup of honey, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, one cup (or however much you want) of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios™, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, colorful chocolate chips. (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread oats and coconut evenly across baking sheet.
2. Toast the oats and coconut mixture in the oven until they are browned. For me, it was about 12-15 minutes.
3. Transfer the browned oats into a large mixing bowl.
4. Heat the honey, vanilla extract and salt in a saucepan over low-medium heat and keep cooking and stirring until smooth. Then pour the honey mixture over the oats, and stir until completely coated. Add the cereal and chocolate chips.
5. Spread the mixture evenly into the baking dish and bake until the bars begin to dry. I baked them for about 10 minutes because I wanted my granola bars to be chewy and not crunchy. Then cool them completely and cut them before too long.
As you may have heard, some select boxes of Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios produced over two weeks in July at the Lodi, California plant, have been recalled due to a wheat allergen. This recall only affects consumers with Celiac disease or a gluten-sensitivity. To learn more about the recall, and if your product is affected please go to: http://blog.generalmills.com/.
Your granola bars look so yummy and I love that you chose to gift your mom the box. I am so with you that Cheerios is just so apart of many of my past memories here, as well and have a feeling my girls will probably say the same now as they are growing. I also hope Scarlet is feeling better and so not ready for the first round of illnesses here, as much as I know it will be coming sadly.
Oh yes – it’s coming! Run and hide!
She seems to be much better now, luckily. And has since missed school to go to the big fair and to travel to NJ with me. Oops!
Cheerios have been a staple here since my first could chew…
Yup, same!! I can’t imagine it any other way.
I loved cheerios even more when I was pregnant and they are a staple in our house. Jacks favorite meal for the longest time was Cheerios and yogurt. And even now, every time we serve yogurt he asks to put some Cheerios in it!
Your granola bars look so good!!
They were good, thanks! I thought about putting peanut butter in them but the whole apple cinnamon thing threw me off of peanut butter. Either way, I was a fan!
Yum! I think a bowl of cheerios is one of my favorite things to eat.
I still love a bowl of the classic flavor with cream. Yum!!
Since you’ve got the hookup, maybe I’ll send mine to January Jones. Or maybe John Kasich. He could use one.
ha! Yes. I’ll work on that one for you.
Oh! I love this! Those granola bars look great, I might have to make them soon 🙂 And I’ll definitely be picking up some Cheerios and sharing some boxes with my loved ones <3 I hope your kiddos are feeling better and you have a great time with your parents 🙂
Thanks! The kids are fine for now, and the weekend was so awesome!
That is seriously awesome! I love Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, and I need those bars, like right now! Maybe yesterday… Recipes like that are pretty much my favorite things ever. Thanks for sharing!
Well, here you go yesterday!
I love making simple granola bars at home. I go through them embarrassingly fast, though.
Yum those granola bars look delish!! The smell of Cheerios make me happy, I always think of my babies being babies. Where does time go?
XOXO
I know!
Speaking of which, where did YOU go? So awesome to see you here!
It’s a looooong story and I will share it, over the course of a few blog posts. 🙂
I’m just thankful to be back and alive.
XOXO
Oh wow – I will be reading! Glad you’re back AND alive!!
Yum, those granola bars look amazing! I used to love apple cinnamon Cheerios, but I haven’t had them for years. We gave Eve Cheerios as one of her first snacks. She still likes to eat them on occasion 😉
My niece turned one in June and seems to love Cheerios too! I had the apple cinnamon ones today, in fact.
Those granola bars look so yummy! I’m not a fan of Cheerios, but I’d eat them if they were in those granola bars 🙂
Oh, that’s something! I like it in trail mix too. It’s just a very fun all-around food for the kids.
These bars look delish! I could definitely get my girls on board to enjoy a snack like this! #client
Thank you – they were really good! It’s sometimes hard to find something all four of us like, and this happens to be one of those rare gems!
I grew up on sugary cereals because they were ok back in the day. I get nostalgic when I walk by the Fruity Pebbles in the store 🙂
That’s funny! My parents would let us have “junk cereal” on our birthdays or holidays, but since there were five of us kids, that happened several times a year. It was awesome!
I love granola and those bars look so yummy! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Tamara. We are also Cheerios fans too.
I’m glad! We always have to have a box or two of Cheerios in this house. I can’t imagine not having them.
What a fun promotion! I’ve always loved Cheerios and the ability to give a box so easily would make it even better!
Right! It’s so much fun to surprise someone. I chose my mom but I was thinking about my cousin in college too.
I bought Cheerios for the first time in a month last week and the girls were literally jumping and screaming with joy. They would definitely love your granola bars.
Ok, that’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard!
Good for you!
I kinda want a bowl of it right now with cream.
I have not bought these types of cherrios in a long time. I will have to pick up a box to make these bars too.
I hadn’t either! I generally like the regular kind best, but my kids love all the other flavors too.
The Multi Grain cheerios are my favorite! Those granola bars sound delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you too! And I fully agree – I LOVE the multi-grain. I think I’ll get a box tomorrow.
And what will you name this granola bar? That’s good stuff!
Apple Cinnamon something or other! Ha! I’m not very creative with names.
Oh wow! I love the granola recipe. Thank you. I know my kids would love to snack on this treat.
My kids too! And totally me. In fact, I’m reaching for one right now.
Your granola bar recipe sounds (and looks) yummy! We always have a box of Cheerios in the cupboard! I’ll have to look out for the specially marked boxes to gift a box to my brother. We grew up eating billions of boxes of Cheerios! lol
As I’m going through all these comments, I’m getting hungrier and hungrier for Cheerios! At 11:00 at night!
I remember when son was little he wouldn’t go anywhere without his cheerio snack cup. He still loves them.
Aw! That’s cute! My son too, but now he’s “graduated” to eating them from a bowl in the car. And of course, spills them. And then the dog eats them.
Super yummy, I don’t think I can pass this one up, seriously. Who doesn’t love home-made boxed-cereal bars!
I know! Pretty much all snacks made from cereal are delicious to me.
My little one loves Apple Cheerios. What a great recipe using the Cheerios, I so need to make this for my kids.
I hope they love it! I love anything made from cereal. I like it all day long.
Cheerios are great. So many ways to enjoy them. I like the garnola bar recipe.
Totally agreed. Cheerios are the perfect snack food for me.
Mmm sounds like the perfect recipe for me to make! Thanks. I love the multi grain plain lol.
I do too! Or with cream. I’m so hungry right now just thinking about it.
I like that it’s bigger than regular size so it will definitely last longer. I’ve never had Apple Cinnamon Cheerios but it looks tasty … there are so many ways to enjoy cheerios
Yup! Family size box. It’s quite big, even with my son’s huge appetite.
I didn’t know about the Give a box campaign! That’s so cool. The granola cereal bars sound amazing!!
Yeah, I love sending out a box!
Granola bars are always a win to me.
We love the Honey Nut Cheerios in our house. I’ll have to try the Apple Cinnamon.
Mm… me too! We often have two or three boxes of various kinds.
I’ve never outgrown my love of cheerios! Now my kids love them too!
Me neither! I think I love them even more as an adult.
So many memories of Cheerios growing up. The Apple Cinnamon kind were always my favorite!
That’s awesome! I never had them much but now that my son is obsessed, I find myself eating them daily.
Oh I want those snack bars. They look yummy.
They were so good! They only lasted a day or two.
Those snack bars look yummy! I going to have to buy an extra box just to whip up a batch. We are HUGE cheerio lovers in this house and it’s quite normal for us to have a couple of different kinds. I am personally a multi grain lover 🙂
I’m so with you! I like the original kind or multi-grain.
Fall is the perfect time to break out the Cheerios. They’re good in so many different recipes.
Agreed! They’re pretty much the perfect food.
I want to make these bars for my daughter, she loves Cheerios. She eats them as a finger food, never with milk. When my son was a lot younger he also ate Cheerios, but now I can’t get him to try them.
I’m happy that they recently made Cheerios gluten-free. So now I can even enjoy them again.
I think there has always been a box of Cheerios in my pantry for about as long as I can remember. Even before I had kids, but most certainly, several flavours usually in there now that each kid must have their favourite. And that’s fine by me. Gotta try this yummy snack!!