The Problem:

I think any mom will tell you: one of the most annoying things to find, (other than clothes that are still folded being put back in the laundry room to be washed!) is when you reach into your pantry for something and come back with an empty box.  Hello kidlets!  If you empty it, throw it away!

A lot of times, as a mom, I feel like the family quartermaster.  I have to keep mental track of the consumption levels of each individual food or hygiene item in the house in order to put it on the grocery list when we’re about out of it.  It’s a task I usually don’t think much about, just part of the routine. Something I usually take for granted.

A few weeks ago though, we had a glitch in the matrix.  I realized that *someone* had been putting cereal boxes back in the pantry with crumbs in the bottom.  Several boxes.  I would hear, “Mom, we’re out of Cheerios!” And would add it to the list, not realizing that no! That big yellow box was still in the pantry with half a cup of cereal still in the bottom.  Not enough for a full bowl, but still not empty either.

After the discovery of several (5 or 6 maybe?) such boxes in my pantry, (and after my failed attempt at a cereal-buying boycott that was supposed to make those boxes disappear on their own!)  I finally came up with a solution.

The Solution:

Cereal Bars!   Yes, admittedly, they are just a Rice Krispie Treats ripoff. But the cereal boxes are gone from my pantry. I didn’t have to feel guilty about any food actually going to waste.  So, just in case you ever run across this issue in your own home, here’s the recipe I came up with.  Feel free to substitute whatever 1/2 cup here and 1/4 cup there, of any cereal varieties you may have lurking in your own pantry.

Have you come up with any creative solutions for saving food items in your household?

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Leftover Cereal Bars

Cereal bar treats using whatever leftover cereal you've got in your pantry!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword breakfast, cereal, cookies, leftovers

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Author chickadee

Ingredients

• 7 cups Variety of cereals, any cereals!
• 10 oz. bag of marshmallows
• 1 stick butter

Instructions

1. Slice butter into pats, as this helps it melt more quickly and evenly. Put into a large pan on medium/low heat. Stir constantly.

2. Add marshmallows. Some Rice Krispie Treat recipes call for the bigger bag of marshmallows (16 oz.) I use the 10 oz. because it's less sugar that way, sticks just fine, and it's really unnecessary if you're using any sugary cereals in your mix.

3. When marshmallows are mostly melted into butter, add the cereal. Smooth until well combined.

4. Press into a 9x13 inch casserole dish.

5. Watch that "leftover" cereal disappear! 🙂