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.