Foodbuzz 24x24: Unreal Cereal Meal

Earlier this month Foodbuzz called upon their Featured Publishers to submit a meal that was budget-friendly and used ingredients that were regularly found in their own pantry. The reason that it had to be budget-friendly was this; Foodbuzz was not going to sponsor the meal, but instead provide a stipend towards travel costs to the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival. So awesome!

My mind started reeling. I went to the pantry, opened the door and stopped at the first shelf I saw; the cereal shelf. It’s ridiculous. From the healthy to the not-so-healthy; we quite possibly have a cereal for everyone in there. We are a family of four and commonly have family and/or friends over for breakfast, so it is not unusual to find 5+ boxes of cereal in our pantry… and lots of milk in our fridge. ;)

Along with the other staples in our home, such as chicken, potatoes, fresh veggies, cheese, eggs and ice cream – the Unreal Cereal Meal was created. :) And Foodbuzz selected it to be one of the 24x24 meals for September. Yay! (Happy Dance and Jazz Fingers)

Oh wait, what is the Foodbuzz 24x24? Well, every month Foodbuzz selects 24 meals submitted from their Featured Publishers, then all of the meals take place during a 24- hour period. Very cool. Check out last month’s meals here:

I am a bit fond of the End-of-Summer Oyster Party. ;)

Now, onto the Unreal Cereal Meal!!

The meal was hosted on Saturday, which turned out to be beautiful. I have been waiting for a cooler day and what a great day for it to show up. The adults relaxed while the kiddos took charge of the entire backyard. I gotta say, it is hard work being a kid – shoveling dirt to riding a tricycle to helping make dessert; and doing it all within a 10 minute period! :)

The drink station was set up inside. Orange Juice, Iced Tea, Water, Espresso and Coffee (Milk in the fridge). All are staples in our home and were a great variety to go with our cereal-based meal.

Here was our meal, starting with the appetizers:
(For recipes, click on the picture captions)

Chex Crusted Mozzarella & Zucchini Sticks

Corn Flake Potato Jacks
Honey Bunches of Oats Chicken Tenders
Shredded Wheat Green Bean Casserole

Cereal Crusted Ice Cream Balls

There were no leftovers and everybody said they were SOOO full. Those are two things that make a cook happy. I had never made any of these dishes before, but I definitely see myself making them again.

To finish up the day we rented the kids movie, Rio; of course it only seemed right to honor Toucan Sam at a Cereal Meal and we were also staying budget-friendly. Rio features tropical birds and their daring journey to return home. Great movie and the kids loved it. It was a great end to our budget-friendly meal. With minimal spending and using the ingredients we had on hand, it was a terrific day.

Rio made the kids DANCE!! :) 

Thank you Foodbuzz!