Guilt-Free Friday: Breakfast Cereal/Granola Bars

Well, I've done it.  I've made possible all my main favorite breakfast foods to fit within the scope of Paleo.  I've always enjoyed bacon and eggs and omelets, but that's Paleo anyway.  But I've Paleo-ified pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and now I've conquered breakfast cereal.  I'm so excited!  The cool thing about these too is that they double as granola bars.  So they solve the on-the-go pressed-for-time problem too.  Yay!

I found the original grain-free granola bar recipe on Joyful Abode.  It is absolutely delicious.  Then I added chocolate.  That was REALLY delicious.  Then, with a bit of experimenting, it turned into cereal.  And I am pretty excited about that.  Know what else is awesome?  This stuff doesn't get soggy.  Yay!

Here's the original granola bar recipe:

2.5 cups assorted nuts and seeds
1 cup dried fruit (like raisins)
2 cups shredded coconut (the dry kind, like from Bob's Red Mill, not the conventional chewy kind)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Pulse 1.5 cups of the nuts and seeds in the food processor until almost ground (leave a few chunks in it though).  Add the remaining 1/2 cup and pulse until you have a good mix of large and small pieces.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the fruit and the coconut.  Add the cocoa powder and chocolate chips if you're going for that variety.  Stir to combine.
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine oil, honey, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Cook until the mixture bubbles, then pour over the fruit/nut mixture.
Stir to combine completely.
Press your mixture into a parchment-lined pan of some sort. Add another sheet of parchment paper on top and stand on it.  Seriously - you want this packed in as tight as possible, and I've found the best way to achieve this is to cover it all up and walk on it.
Freeze for a few hours, then remove from the pan and cut into bars.

Here's the twist for the cereal though:

Don't worry about pressing the mixture too hard in the pan, but pack it together pretty good, and rather than freezing, place it in the oven at 250 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Let it cool completely, then pick up the edges of the parchment paper and gently roll it side to side so it breaks up into pieces.  Ta da!  Pour some in a bowl with almond milk and enjoy!