5-Grain Hot Cereal with Maple, Persimmon, and Coconut

Cuddle up with a creamy, flavorful bowl of whole grain hot cereal that’s is nutritious, filling, and cheaper than store-bought. This recipe will make enough dry mix for a week’s worth of hot breakfast to kick-start our winter detox because, you know, too many cookies.

Millet, oat bran, amaranth, stone-ground cornmeal, old-fashioned rolled oats, and Himalayan pink salt is what I stock in my pantry, but feel free to swap in, swap out for quinoa (everyone’s fav but not my fav), steel cut oats, wheat bran, and other tiny grains. One mason jar’s worth should get you through the week.

I’m on a persimmon and coconut kick lately, but you can use any fresh fruit you like. Or throw in a baby’s fistful of raisins, chopped dates, or apricot chunks with a dash more water during the cooking process so they get nice and plump, then top with toasted nuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Endlessly customizable! I’ve even made a chocolate version that I eat cold like pudding, but this version here is pretty unbeatable. The persimmons are extra sweet, the coconut chips are shatteringly crisp, and maple syrup because I’m a New Englander.