Monday, June 11, 2012

Whole Grain & Honey Yogurt Bars #PostCFK


Cereal in yogurt bars? You betcha! Once I heard that Champions for Kids was joining with Post for June's Simple Service Project - not only was I game to participate, I was inspired to make a delicious but healthy dessert using cereal. But before we get to the recipe for the oh-so-delicious Whole Grain & Honey Yogurt Bars, let me tell you a little bit about Champions for Kids. 

Champions for Kids (CFK) is an organization that works to mobilize millions (me & you) to help less fortunate children. CFK comes up with fun, creative ways to help out the youth across America. So let's say you want to help, but aren't sure how - CFK is there with ideas, every month. I used to donate the obvious items like clothing, non-perishable foods, first-aid kits - but since I started participating in CFK's Simple Service Projects my family has donated items such as stuffed xmas stockings, sports equipment and winter care-kits. For more information, here are some links:

Champions for Kids website
Champions for Kids Twitter
Champions for Kids Facebook
Post Twitter
Post Facebook


CFK teaming up with Post to bring nutritious food to less fortunate children is perfect for this time of year. Kids are getting out of school which means a few things;

- Millions of low-income children lose access to the school breakfasts, lunches and after-school snacks they receive during the regular school year.

- Only 1 out of 6 children who receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year continue to receive meals during the summer months.

- Low-income families with children face even more challenges during the summer when they stretch their food budget to provide additional meals for their children.

Just as we do with any Simple Service Project, we headed to Walmart. (Check out our shopping trip here on Google+) We have found so many awesome items to get kids there and the prices are great. I immediately went to the cereal aisle to check out the Post cereals. I may have looked like a cereal stalker, but I wanted to make sure not to miss a thing! 
 
 For adults Post makes Bran Flakes, Grape-Nuts, Great Grains, Honey Bunches of Oats, Raisin Bran, Selects and Shredded Wheat. For the kiddos they have Alpha-Bits, Golden Crisp, Honey-Comb, Pebbles and Waffle Crisp. Not to mention there are varieties of most of them - there really is almost something for everybody.

I ended up grabbing 3 boxes (Great Grains, Honey Bunches of Oats and Fruity Pebbles) - one to cook with and two to donate. There was even a coupon on the boxes for $1 off 3 boxes of Post cereal - score!!


Amongst a cart full of other things, I also picked up some honey and yogurt to make those tasty yogurt bars with. 

Total sidenote: Walmart has a grand selection of honey - I want to try all of them! Even the creamy honey, it was the first time I had ever seen it and it's now on the "to try" list.


We wanted to donate more than just a couple boxes of cereal to St. John's (our favorite organization to give to in Sacramento), so we decided to host a little bbq/ food drive. The only requirement of our guests was that they had to bring a box of cereal. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. :) They were knocking at the door before I put the phone down. ;)

For munchies I put out chips (ridges or not), watermelon, fiesta ranch dip and french onion dip. I made sure to include a Simple Service Project card on all tables for our guests to read. Although the facts on the card are sad, they are true and the only way to make a difference is to know what we are going up against.


We set up a pool for the kids (and the kids-at-heart) ♥


We ate an awesome bbq lunch of burgers (with the fixin's), hot dogs, corn on the cob, baked beans and cole slaw. The best part was that it took hardly any time to prepare, so we had time to visit and relax with our guests.


All I did was slice some onions and tomatoes - the beans were canned, corn was frozen and just had to be boiled, lettuce was already shredded, pickles were jarred, chip dips were made from seasoning packets & sour cream and the lovely cole slaw was a pre-mixed bag of greens and a half bottle of cole slaw dressing. I wasn't lying - this was the easiest bbq, ever.


Best part was, we scored 9 boxes of cereal to donate!! That is a lot of cereal. :) We also got an awesome variety since everyone called to ask what cereals we already had. Now that is teamwork. :)


About those Whole Grain & Honey Yogurt Bars... they are seriously one of the easiest things to make. Here is the recipe - don't blink, you might miss it. ;)

Whole Grain & Honey Yogurt Bars
Ingredients
32 oz plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey
2 cups Post Great Grains cereal
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients
2. Evenly distribute yogurt mixture to popsicle forms
3. Freeze for one hour, insert popsicle sticks
4. Freeze for 4 additional hours
5. Enjoy!

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric #PostCFK

4 comments:

Lyuba @ Will Cook For Smiles said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Looks like so much fun and all for good cause!

Lena B said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

I never consider cereal yogurt bar!! Such a great idea and your BBQ looks so welcoming - I'd love to join. I will bring a box of cereal, I swear!

Mallery Schuplin said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Awesome job! You guys looked like you had so much fun! I want an invite next time you get your BBQ on! I love that you focused your donations on Post cereals!

Food for Hunters said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

That's totally genius! Never thought of cereal in ice cream bars. I bet it adds a nice contrasting texture. We just bought an ice cream machine. Can't wait to use it this summer! but personally, I prefer popsicles during the summer and ice cream during colder months. I hate melted ice cream, even a little melted. I guess I'm just weird.

Post a Comment

Your comments make me smile, thank you for writing them. :)