Canadian Made - Red River Cereal

I can remember many a morning starting the day with a steaming bowl of Red River Cereal.  This unique Canadian cereal is made from cracked wheat, cracked rye, whole and cracked flax.  It is 100% natural with not additives making it one of our hot cereals of choice even now.    I prefer it over oatmeal or cream of wheat Red River Cereal is named after the Red River Valley in Manitoba.  This wonderful Canadian cereal is not available outside of Canada although thanks to the wonders of the internet and global shopping that is changing.

The Red River Cereal company was established in Manitoba in 1924.  In 2004 is was bought by International Multifoods Corporation.  The Red River brand name is currently owned by Robin Hood Multifoods, Inc. of Markham, Ontario, a division of Smucker Foods of Canada Co.  The cereal continues to be 100% all natural.  Of interest if you notice on the box the COR 66 in a circle.  The COR number is somewhat like a factory number, a way of identifying where that product came from. 

In Canada, growers have various contracts.  For example, here some growers grow tomatoes for Heinz while others grow for Alymer.  In any given county there will be a division of the growers and who they are growing for.  A COR number is assigned  to the growers in a particular area by some companies.  Which means they can later identify the location where the produce was grown if there is ever a problem.  In this case the grains in the cereal came from the COR growers group 66.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Dried Cereals

Dried cereals are a big part of breakfast for many families.  Despite raising a larger family dried cereals never did and still do not play much of a role in our food choices.  Aside of the occasional box of dried cereal destined for squares, cookies, snack mix or muffins I seldom have dried cereal in the house.  Part of the reason for this is I really do no see dried cereals as being a frugal choice of food.  This week's Frugal Kitchens 101 will explore a few issues with dried cereals and how you can save if you still want to use dried cereals.

Dried cereals are one of the most heavily processed foods you can buy.  Many are so heavily laden with sugar they really should be declared a candy!  Some dried cereals especially one famous brand for helping you lose weight actually has high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in it.  In additional to the horrendous amount and type of sweeteners in some dried cereals there are artificial flavours, artificial colourants and preservatives.  Dried cereals are also expensive giving very little food value for the dollar.  So that is the bad side of dried cereals.  On the plus side some dried cereals are quite good.  They are low in sugar, don't have HFCS, artificial anything or preservatives but those tend to be on the higher end with respect to cost and may be limited as to availability.

Now you know the pros and cons of dried cereal, how can you save money if you decide to buy dried cereal?  Here's a few tips:

• avoid any cereal with a prize - I'm sorry you are just paying for whatever prize they stuffed in the box just to get you to buy the cereal.  Chances are very good neither is worth having.
• generic cereal - Most grocery stores carry 4 generic cereals: corn flakes, puffed rice, puffed wheat and o shaped cereal.  These are every bit as good as the brand name and they are cheaper because the come in a bag rather than a box. 
• bulk food stores - Bulk food stores usually have a limited range of dried cereals and some of them may even be brand name.  You save because the cereal is not boxed.
• factory outlets -  Many factories have small factory outlets where their products are sold at a greatly discounted rate.  These stores are on premises so may be a bit out of your way.  The product will be the same as sold in the stores but there may be a flaw in printing on the package or the product will be bagged but not boxed or it will be in a bulk size box.  Check for food factory outlets in your area and areas you may be visiting.

Homemade Granola

I am always looking for ways to make our favourite foods from scratch. The reason for doing often has little to do with saving money but rather getting a healthier, preservative free version of a commercial product. The cost savings is just an added bonus. It's funny that I had just made a batch of homemade granola when one of my kids called to tell me how they had made homemade granola that apparently is oldest grandbaby's new favourite morning cereal. We don't use granola as a cereal very often. We use it instead as a topping.

Homemade Granola

Homemade granola is ever so easy to make and it's cheaper than store bought granola. What makes homemade granola even better than store bought is the ability to change the ingredients. Add whatever extra dried fruits you desire making it your own special blend. You can even add in ½ tsp of seasonings like cinnamon or ginger. Add ½ tsp vanilla or almond extract to the liquid mixture for a nice blend. Shop for the ingredients at a bulk food store for additional savings. Add your homedried fruits like blueberries or strawberries for even greater savings. Make several small batches with different ingredients for variety. Just make the base portion of the granola then tweak as you desire. My recipe for granola also included wheat germ to boost the fiber content making this granola a slightly healthier granola than other homemade granolas. The yield was 3½ c at a cost of $1.17 or 4.2¢ per ounce.

Homemade Granola

2 c old-fashioned oats*
½ c wheat germ
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
¼ tsp sea salt
⅓ c sweetened flaked coconut
⅓ c sliced almonds
⅓ c dark raisins
¼ c pure maple syrup
3 tbsp light vegetable oil
1 tbsp water

Mix first six ingredients together. Place the maple syrup, vegetable oil and water in small sauce pan. Heat just to a simmer. Pour over the oats mixture. Pour the mixture onto Silpat® lined baking pan. Bake at 135ºC (275ºF) for 30 minutes. Stir in the raisins. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Let cool. Pour into air tight container. Store up to 2 weeks.

* Do not use quick cooking or instant oatmeal.