p.s. Cocoa Pebbles

I just ate a bowl for a snack and added fresh, cut strawberries. Dessert first always, my children.

Cereal #14: Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds

I actually bought the Wegman's brand. Yes, I just HAD to save a dollar. (I used the saved dollar to buy a bunch of cilantro at the market, ok?) I'll give credit where its due. Nothing new though. I've eaten it for two days and its been delightful.

Oh but wait. I DID try something new! And may have started a monster. I followed a recipe I've been dying to try. Smash up a cup of this cereal, add a spoonful of peanut butter, a little sugar and cinnamon. Then take scoops of vanilla (or I tried peanut butter ripple) ice cream, mold it into a ball with your hands and roll it into the cereal mixture. (WARNING: Will get messy.) Place on a pan or dish, cover, and refreeze. Serve with a zigzag of chocolate sauce and maybe a dollup of whip cream. AMAZING! I celebrated my friend Adrianne's birthday with this dessert and it was a surefire winner. I wish I had a food photographer. Just imagine something like this...

Cereal #15: Cocoa Pebbles

YouTube launched around 2005... about my sophomore or junior year in college. So the first year we gathered around our computers laughing at Homestar Runner, instant messaging, or downloading hoards of music. Then came along facebook and myspace and the art of stalking people you don't know. And then the mass video sharing. I remember one of the first videos I watched was Cereal and Milk. Its a song originally written and performed by G. Love and the Special Sauce that these two (adorable) guys from Virginia Tech lip synced. It took off with the college community and has stuck with me as a fond memory.

Cocoa Pebbles is the first chocolate cereal that I've ever purchased. Not consumed... just bought. I would say that I feel more like an adult since I'm able to actually choose to buy it... but that would be defeating the purpose since its... well... Cocoa Pebbles! And who needs to buy chocolate milk by the carton when you can make it yourself?

My next experiment will be rolling mint chocolate chip ice cream in ground up Cocoa Pebbles. The combinations now are endless!

Cereal #12 and #13: Corn Pops and Shredded Spoonfuls

Blogging on a Tuesday morning about cereal is ironic. Why you ask? Well, the most wonderful (and only) routine thing in my life happens on Tuesday mornings. Breakfast with 3 lovely ladies happens. Our usual hangout is Roxy's diner, but on occasion we visit Liz and Megan's (pardon me if I refer to them as Miz and Legan) darling apartment where we share tastier coffee, stray from our usual eggs and toast, and babble incessantly about design*sponge.

This particular morning my breakfast fiends ate cereal with me in solidarity! I brought Corn Pops and Joy brought Shredded Spoonfuls (an organic interpretation of Life). Liz and I mixed them together. And then there's Megan, who so graciously asked permission to make an eggy hash since she doesn't like cereal. If she wasn't so sweet about it, I may have actually thrown egg in her hair.

Cereal #11: Kashi Golean Crunch! Honey Almond Flax

This one cereously wins the Long Lasting and Most Satisfying Award. I've had this cereal box for over a week. And I only eat a small bowl at a time that satisfies me til lunch. Plus its impossible to shovel in your mouth. The milk needs to soften it first in order to only crunch so much at one time with my already rotting teeth. And its absolutely delish! Go high fiber and protein!

Cereal #10: Froot Loops

Fruit Loops? Or Froot Loops? If I would have bet on myself, I would have won. Too bad there aren't symbols for me to insert as o's that look and smell like Froot Loops.

I know I've overused the phrase "this one is my favorite". I mean really, the reason this blog exists is my adoration for everything cereal. But honestly. NO LIE. I stand by this one. I've loved Froot Loops ever since those necklaces we made in kindergarten. Which is why they never made it home. I devoured them on the bus. And I've also been a snob when it comes to wannabes. Malt O' Meal doesn't come close. And those Fruity Oh's or Fruit Rings just don't cut it either. But there was one brand that came close. My dearest friend Emily introduced them to me in Durham, NC. Shurfine maybe? That was a fine meal indeed, no?

Remember when there were only red, orange, and yellow loops? And then green made a smashing hit. And then the blue and purple. Has anyone tried the 1/3 Less Sugar version? I'm curious if they could even get away with it. The box should be less vibrantly colored. Like maybe black and white. The brighter the colors, the more sugar. On the brighter side... ha... I discovered Froot Loops actually has its own website.

I googled Froot Loops. The first website I clicked on had this opening message "Getting online is great... and so is getting outside!" As it leads you to the main site page where Toucan Sam leads you through Japan, it ends with a page that gives you the following options...

Its time for a break!

Turn off your computer. Jump out of you chair. Go outside and play!

Click here for fun ideas that get you moving

Return to the site.

What a surprisingly wonderful message! I dislike all the new websites targeting children and seducing their already short attention spans with nonsensical online games, but props to companies like Kellogg's who are attempting to address the sedentary nature of some of their consumers. Small steps, right?

Cereal #9: Rice and Wheat Flakes with Strawberries

This is the Wegmans version of Strawberry Fields by Kashi. I was told by 2 reliable sources that companies like Wegmans actually pay companies like Kashi to buy their product in bulk, put their name on it, and turn around and sell it to their customers at a less expense. Crazy! Have I been blind to this? Is this how every store brand is? Shurfine? Giant? Kroegers? King Soopers? I just figured they created similar products, but not using the EXACT same ones.

My small mind has a hard time wrapping itself around big business.

Cereal #7, #8 Magic Cinnamon Toast Crunch Stars

This past weekend my good friend Matt came to visit from the Philly direction. I told him to bring a box of his favorite cereal to share. And then my newly engaged H-burg friend Micalagh also brought a box of cereal. And together in one bowl they became Magic (Cinnamon Toast Crunch) Stars. Magic Stars=Lucky Charms. Flavorblast of sugar!

Win.

Thanks for sharing, friends!

Cereal #6: Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a kind of cereal. I didn't get it from the cereal isle and so therefore it isn't truly part of the challenge, but whatev. I made baked oatmeal from the coveted Hershey Pantry cookbook, and it was heavenly. If you'd like the recipe, it'll cost you.

Cereal #5: Honey Smacks

I've said before that we didn't eat a lot of sugary cereal growing up. My sister and I knew better than to beg for it, too. Well. Every now and then, I would find Sugar Smacks in the cupboard. And now after moving out of the house, I've noticed it once in a great while in the cupboard when I visit. Hm. Conclusion? Its my mom's favorite cereal. The part I find troubling is that mom doesn't like milk. That means she eats it dry. But Smacks without milk?? Is like... like a bath without water, or chocolate without peanut butter.

I tried eating a huge bowl of it for breakfast this morning. Tay-sty! But I overestimated the milk. And since the bowl was already oversized, I just couldn't eat anymore. I saved the sugary milk and its waiting in the fridge for another bowl... or perhaps a cup of tea or coffee. Why waste perfectly sweetened milk? I could eat one small bowl of shredded wheat to fill me up until lunch. But Honey Smacks? Nope. I need to eat 2 bowls at a time and still need a snack before lunch. What does that say about the necessary nutrients for a balanced breakfast? Hmpf. Oh well, satis-Smack-tion!!

Wikepedia says....

In a 2008 comparison of the nutritional value of 27 cereals, U.S. magazine Consumer Reports found that both Honey Smacks and Post Cereals' Golden Crisp were the two brands with the highest sugar content - more than 50 percent (by weight) -, commenting "There is at least as much sugar in a serving of Kellogg's Honey Smacks [...] as there is in a glazed doughnut from Dunkin’ Donuts". (The cereals are both sweetened puffed wheat.) Consumer Reports recommended parents to choose cereal brands with better nutrition ratings for their children.^[

Introduced in 1953, the cereal has undergone several name changes. It started out as Sugar Smacks. In the 1980s, it was renamed Honey Smacks. In the early 1990s, perhaps because the product mascot, Dig'em Frog, had customarily been portrayed as calling the cereal "Smacks", the word "Honey" was dropped from the name and the product was then simply called Smacks. In 2004, the cereal was given back the name Honey Smacks, which is now its current name. It is known in Mexico as SMAK.

Several slogans have been used in the advertising of Honey Smacks, including "They're Honey Smackin' good!" from 1984 to 1987, "I Dig'em" from 1991 to 1994, and "Satis-Smack-tion!" from 1995 to 1997.

Cereal #4: Kashi Cinnamon Harvest

Before this challenge I told myself I'd only buy Kashi under $3 a box. Hurray! I got it for $2.98 (with my Giant bonus card of course). I also stocked up on Kashi Crunch! Honey Almond Flax. I've never had this version of shredded wheat and it is AMAZING! It has one of the shortest ingredients lists... organic whole wheat, organic evaporated cane sugar, and organic cinnamon.

10 Health Benefits for Cinnamon

1. Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.

2. Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.

3. In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.

4. In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.

5. It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

6. In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

7. When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

8. One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.

9. Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

10. It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

And I found on some other random website that "cinnamon gets its scent and flavor from a chemical compound called cinnamaldehyde." New word of the day!

Cereal #3: Kix

Kid-tested, mother-approved. It now makes sense. I'm not a mother, but as a former nanny/babysitter, children consume WAY too much sugar. But at a tasty 3g sugar, 3g fiber, and 2g protein per 1 1/4 cup serving, why not? I'm no saint when it comes to modest sugar consumption, but its nice to know guilt isn't a problem with this cereal.

During the course of this blog you'll notice that I may contradict myself. On one hand I desire to eat healthy with consideration to sustainability and social conscientiousness. And I'm also a creature of convenience and comfort. Throw in some nostalgia and finding a balance between all that is tricky business! So humor me as I dance somewhere between awareness and knowing ignorance.

Back to Kix... other than milk, it also mixes well with nuts and dried fruit and chocolate in a trail mix. Or could be strung for Christmas decorations. Or used with a recycled egg carton to play mancala. Or thrown in lieu of rice at a wedding. Or used as ostrich eggs in a diorama for a school project on Africa...

Or for Kix on Stix, thanks to Betty Crocker!

Kix on Stix!

1/2	cup sugar
1/2	cup light corn syrup
1/2	cup peanut butter
3	cups Kix® cereal
20	raisins, miniature milk chocolate candy drops, small gumdrops, chocolate- or yogurt-covered raisins or miniature marshmallows
1	to 2 tablespoons multicolored candy sprinkles
20	thin pretzel sticks (2 1/4 inch)

	Print these coupons...
	About Concordance™

1.	In 3-quart saucepan, heat sugar and corn syrup to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter until blended. Stir in cereal. Cool slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
2.	Lightly butter hands. Shape 1 to 2 tablespoons cereal mixture into a ball around each candy. Immediately roll in candy sprinkles. Place pretzel stick into each cereal ball.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Cereal #2: Golden Grahams

This is what I originally craved when the concept was birthed. Easy decision! Golden Grahams are probably in my top 5 list. Unapologetically crunchy. The graham cracker and honey compliment the milk like no other. There was little sugary cereal in the cupboard growing up. No Lucky Charms. No Fruit Loops. No Cookie Crisp. Mostly Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat, and Kix. And the occasional Golden Grahams. No judgement, mom. I made up for it in college.

Cereal #1: Honey Nut Cheerios

I love grocery shopping. Even if the budget is small, its fun to see how healthy and yummy I can feed myself on price cuts and sales (yay corporations). Life right now consists of living as meagerly and resourcefully as possible. This cereal thing doesn't seem to fit into that category.

WHERE TO BEGIN? Should I pick something I've never had before? Something that's cheap? The brightest one? The one with the cutest animal? Eh. I love Honey Nut Cheerios, swipe. I simply cannot allow myself more than five minutes in the cereal isle. Just not acceptable.

A friend recommended an amazing Radiolab (WNYC) podcast on the process of decision-making. We live in an age of choices (certainly in America) and we make a billion a day. Which is the best toothpaste? 2% or skim? Stop at the stop sign or roll through? Update Facebook status or stalk? Run or walk? Where to park? Who to marry? Spend money or save it? The fascinating part lies in how we come to these decisions. Some folks are incorrigible when it comes to making decisions and let others make them for them. Some know WHAT they want all the time and won't settle for substitutions. Others consider every possible contingency until their brains are fried. And some... just don't care. If you get the chance, listen to the podcast.

Putting into perspective the larger questions in life, I decided to make this cereal challenge simple. JUST PICK ONE ALREADY!

I found a commercial from 1984 that demonstrates even the unlikely celebrities enjoy Honey Nut Cheerios!

The first bowl was nothing monumental. I stood in the kitchen, bowl in left, spoon in right, slurping and crunching away. Mmm, just as yummy as I remember.

Breakfast of Champions

Those of you who know me are already aware that I work in a book distribution warehouse, Midtown Scholar. I do lots of things that require low frequency brain waves (not to mention uber amounts of agility, balancing, and luck). So during those times of mundane motions, we like to have stimulating conversations, share music, listen to podcasts, and think up magnificent ideas and adventures.

One day my mind wondered away from the political sattire of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and cardboard boxes and towards the craving for... cereal. Yup, I wanted a big bowl o' Golden Grahams drowned in milk. And I pictured the isle at the grocery store lined with the most delicious assortment of cereal awaiting my sticky fingers. My mind continued to wonder about the number of cereals that a store like Giant or Wegmanns stocked. And then the ultimate thought... wonder if I could boast that I've tried all of those different cereals?

Challenged accepted immediately.

I'm great at coming up with crazy ideas but am known to have little follow through. So here's to completion! One box of cereal can easily be consumed in a week, and I am not resigning myself to eating it only for breakfast. Come now, only for breakfast? We all know better. That figures at least 52 a year, right? Other variables cannot be forgotten. Should I shop in only one store? What about the organic isle? What about variations on a theme? How about the generic brands? For now I'll just play as I go. One goal. Eat cereal.

Guest consumers and bloggers are welcome! Claim your favorite cereal and dole out your stories and memories and release your inner food critic.

If you'd like to provide cereal, milk, or fluoride toothpaste... contributions are welcome. But I would suggest giving to Haiti instead.