Today is National Cereal Day and it is safe to say I have celebrated the breakfast staple with enthusiastic zeal throughout the years of Don’t Blink. Whether I was listing my top three unhealthy cereals, my top three healthy(ish) cereals, paying homage to all cereals in general, or just highlighting the quirky cereals I have found/tried, my love for John Kellogg’s ingenious invention is well-documented.

Perhaps an underrated aspect of cereal is its versatility. You don’t always need a spoon, bowl, and milk to enjoy it. Tonight I thought I would pay tribute to cereal by offering five ways I enjoy it in a non-breakfast/non-milk sense. Here we go…

I love eating cereal out of these big made-for-cereal bowls

Dry Snacks – If we need to rush out the door or if they need something to munch on while watching TV, I am giving my kids dry cereal. I pour whatever sugary cereal we have in in a Ziploc bag and let them snack on it as we ride in the car or they sit in front of the television. Not only does this satisfy them but some cereal is actually better dry than it is with milk poured over it.

Ice Cream Topping – The froyo craze from several years ago really brought cereal as an ice cream topping to the forefront—and for good reason. Cap’n Crunch or Fruit Loops on frozen yogurt or traditional ice cream adds crunchiness and a complimentary element of sweetness to the treat. Plus, cereal doesn’t freeze like gummy bears or gumballs do. I kid you not, if I am at a froyo shop I am topping my creation with cereal.

A photo of me at Froyo Earth in Spokane during my froyo tour of the city in September 2013. Notice how I have Cap’n Crunch pieces topped on it?

Marshmallow Treats – Who doesn’t love a gooey rice krispie treat? Talk about a classic! But Rice Krispies is not the only cereal you can combine with melted marshmallow for something truly delicious. In fact, you can pretty much choose any cereal you want (although you might want to avoid Raisin Bran). For Sloan’s first birthday, we made Lucky Charms treats. Another favorite substitute of mine is Fruity Pebbles. Just get crazy and have some fun!

We love making rice krispie treats at our house!

Snack Mix MVP – Cereal can be a crucial component in various sweet and/or salty snack mixes. Take for instance Chex pieces…talk about versatile! We use it in our Christmas Trash. Speaking of Christmas mixes, Target’s Rudolph Mix uses white chocolate-covered Cheerios. Heck, I recently ate a snack mix that utilized Cinnamon Toast Crunch as its headlining piece. Original Cap’n Crunch is another cereal that is widely used in various snack mixes. The license to be creative is endless!

This is me holding our tub of Rudolph’s Mix. Notice the chocolate-covered Cheerios?

Cooking Companion – Cereal even crosses over to dinner entrees. In this respect, Corn Flakes is ever popular. Countless cooks have incorporated the cereal into their dishes, especially casseroles. Whether it is used as a crust or a topping, it seems to always work…well, at least most of the time.

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Whether you celebrate National Cereal Day the old-fashioned way with a spoon/bowl or whether you branch out with an alternative consumption option, I hope it is tasty and enjoyable. Don’t Blink.