6 Reasons to Serve Breakfast Cereal for Dinner

I’m a food writer. I think about food—what to cook, how to cook it, how to get my kid to eat it—for a living. And still, at least once a month I bust out boxes of flakes, squares, rings, and clusters come dinnertime. Here’s why:

1. Smiles at the table. Nothing—and I mean nothing—makes my kid happier than breakfast for dinner. Cereal makes a meal that’s a little sweet and a lot crunchy, with milk and fruit… we’re talking whole grains, high fiber, low sugar, with enough protein and fat to keep him full until bedtime. My son has no idea that I’m just as happy as he is.
2. Faster than fast. Dinner’s on the table in less than five minutes. I repeat: Less than five minutes. Some days, I don’t even think about what to make until 6:00. When I open the pantry door and see all those lovely boxes, I know it’s handled. And cleanup is just as easy.
3. No mealtime arguments. Picky eaters love self-serve meals. When I do cereal for dinner, I’ll set out three or four boxes (my personal fave: Corn Chex, which I’ve loved since childhood), some low-fat yogurt, several types of chopped and sliced fruit (this time of year it’s strawberries and blueberries, peaches, mango, and banana), and milk, plus a stack of bowls and spoons. Each of us chooses exactly what we want, and that helps my picky guy feel in control.
4. Fits any schedule. On busy evenings, everyone eats when they’re ready—not when dinner is. No need to stick a plate in a warm oven for whoever’s running late, no need to coordinate my timing with my husband’s. Cereal is just about the most flexible meal I can think of.
5. Vitamins and minerals, baby. Especially with a picky eater in the house, I like knowing our nutritional needs are being met since most cereal is fortified. (I draw the line at serving sugared cereals for dinner, though! We save them for vacations—my husband likes to wake up our son around midnight for a special, top-secret late-night snack while we’re away. It’s a little shared ritual for them.)
6. If it’s good enough for Seinfeld, it’s good enough for me.

 

Why do you serve cereal for dinner?

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