Cravings, do you ever get them? I do. And sometimes my cravings are associated with childhood memories. For me, summer always equaled water in some form…beach, river, lake, pool, or water sprinkler. And what comes with water adventures? Great Snacks!

Kellog cereal company introduced the Rice Krispie Treat to the world in 1939. Some eat these marshmallow treats year round, but in our family they only came out in the summers. They are not only fun to make as a kid, but the slight sticky fingers you get when eating them make it a perfect water treat. Or so my mother says!

Do you ever have those moments you want to make a recipe, but don’t have the proper ingredients? Well, it happened to me and this Berry Treat Recipe is the result of that moment. I was preparing for our annual family get together at the lake house July 4, and I had nothing red, white and blue on the menu. Whoops! How did I not plan for this? I wanted the kids to have Rice Krispie Treats, but I didn’t have the original cereal. Argh!

Oh what to do? As I am standing in my pantry, scouring the shelves for substitutes, ideas, thinking of plan B, it hits me.

I remember seeing a Martha Stewart Magazine making the same treats out of different cereals, so why not I? I was well into my THRIVE journey then, and was really enjoying the fruits as snacks from the can. (in the freeze dried form) Light bulb moment: strawberries and blueberries!

The cereal I had on hand that day was Rice Chex (which is gluten free), but as you can see from the picture, any cereal will work. (in the picture, I used Frosted Flakes)

These Berry Treats were a huge hit! Not only did I get my red/blue dessert, the kids and adults loved them. I have tried different cereals and they’ve all been a success, because the marshmallow is what links you back to that childhood memory. Freeze dried fruit not only locks in the nutrients, but because the water has been removed in the process, these are safe to leave at room temperature too. I would not recommend making these with fresh fruit.

Can you think what fruits you would combine with your favorite cereal for your next water adventure?

Berry Treats

Take your favorite cereal and fruit; hold it all together with the classic marshmallow treat.

Author: Missy Gooch
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 12
Category: Dessert, Breakfast
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

1 c. THRIVE Strawberry – Freeze Dried
1 c. THRIVE Blueberry – Freeze Dried
6 c. Favorite Cereal I used Frosted Flakes.
3 Tbsp. Butter, salted
4 c. Marshmallows, the regular size package

Instructions

Spray a large mixing bowl with cooking spray.
Add cereal and fruit to bowl, stir to combine. Set aside.
In another microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in microwave. 30 seconds.
Stir in marshmallows to melted butter.
Microwave another 1min. Stir.
Microwave in 30 second increments until the mixture is smooth.
Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal and fruit and mix thoroughly.
Transfer to a Sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Pressing the cereal and fruit into the pan shape. Using a spray on the hands before pressing helps the messiness.
Let cool. Then cut into your favorite shapes. Enjoy!!