Monthly Archives: November 2015

Review: Quaker Real Medleys Granola & Yogurt Blend Strawberry & Almond

IMG_4091*panting*

Sorry, I just need to catch my breath after typing out the name of this sort of new…what do I even call it? Yogurt cup? Granola yogurt? Cardboard receptacle for flavored powder and milk that features the grinning face of a friendly old man?

I’m just gonna call it grano-gurt for short.

But the fact of the matter is, the mass of words and ampersands in the name of this grano-gurt is a testament to just how ridiculously large the number of Quaker products out there is. With so many Quaker oat guy faces in the oatmeal/granola/hot cereal aisle, you’d think it was some weird oatmeal parody of Attack of the Clones. I mean, “Quinoa” sounds like the name of a Star Wars planet anyway.

In fact, the medley of words on this Real Medleys grano-gurt was so confusing, I didn’t even realize until I opened it that it wasn’t oatmeal at all. Regardless, granola is a close enough relative of cereal that I’ll give it a review anyway.

Anything to stop those dead, staring Quaker guy eyes from piercing into my soul.

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Spooned & Spotted: Lucky Charms Gets a Makeover

IMG_0192The sugary, chalky dust has finally cleared, and the winners of Lucky Charms wildly viral Marshmallows Only contest have been named (I, unfortunately, was one of the many un-Lucky ones). Apparently looking to follow up on this fame, Lucky Charms has released a new box design, featuring a particularly cartoony and youthful design for Lucky the Leprechaun.

From his first impish design in the 1960s, to his more humanoid and recognizable humanoid form, and even through his brief replacement by Waldo the Wizard in the 1970s, Lucky has a had an impressive life cycle. It’s unknown whether this design will continue, or if it will disappear faster than a spoonful of marshmallows.

IMG_0215The back of the box is even cooler: every Lucky Charms marshmallow is given their own anthropomorphized personality! I love the Adventure Time vibe I’m getting from the art style, though it does make me feel a little worse about munching through a bag of these poor souls.

So what do you think, cereal lovers? Do you find this new Lucky charming, or is the design quite sucky? Personally, I think he looks like he belongs in a Fairly Oddparents crossover episode.

If you’d like to see your picture (I spotted this at Meijer) or thoughts featured on a “Spooned & Spotted” post, click yourself right on over to our submissions page, or just email us at cerealously.net@gmail.com.

Spooned & Spotted: Star Wars Cereal Boxes from Post Canada and General Mills

12191756_1510895635887916_5720367595174520083_nIf you’re an American fan of cereal, Star Wars, or both (and really, who isn’t a fan of both?), it might be time to Force your way over the northern border, because Post Foods in Canada has released a line of 7 limited edition boxes to promote the upcoming release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, which is set to release this December.

Man, I’m not sure which I’m more excited for anymore: the holiday season, or the holi-Dagobah season.

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Review: Trader Joe’s Organic Raisin Bran Clusters Cereal

IMG_4084Raisin bran isn’t just a cereal. It’s a lifestyle. A lifestyle I have to defend.

From friends, to family, to Jerry Seinfeld, many people make fun of raisin bran as a boring, healthy cereal. The kind of cereal where fun goes to die. The kind of cereal only fit for cracking lazy jokes about “regularity.”

But I defend raisin bran. Because while these spiteful rai-sinners poke fun at raisin bran cereals’ supposed blandness, there’s actually a wealth of diversity and innovation within the many different kinds of raisin bran available to ravenous bran-imals like me.

And today it’s time to talk about one of the best: Trader Joe’s Organic Raisin Bran Clusters.

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Cereal Time with Gabe Fonseca: Krave and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Cereal

Do you love to rave about Krave cereal?

Well if so, then you’ll have a heckuva time arguing with cereal chronologist Gabe Fonseca. In the first of the latest two videos we’d like to share with you from his Cereal Time series—which details the winding history of cereal that’s more colorful than a Candy Land board—Gabe begrudgingly covers the initially European, choco-stuffed biscuit sensation which has only recently blessed American shelves.

I’ve mentioned before how divisive Krave is between rabid haters and fans, and Gabe and I are proof of these two camps. When you randomly poll someone about their opinion on the cereal, it’s like playing a game of Krave roulette. And speaking of Krave Roulette…

So how about you, fellow cereal-vores? Do you crave it, or do you save it…for the garbagemen to pick up off your curbside?

Gabe’s second video covers Bill & Ted’s Excellent Cereal, a tie-in to the mondo radical movie Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. This cereal is a mix of holed cinnamon square pieces (kinda looks like a spiritual predecessor to Jif cereal, eh?) and marshmallowy bits.

It’s nice to have more evidence that the concept of tying in a movie with an oat and marshmallow cereal is such a long-lasting tradition. I bet even in the time of the dinosaurs, they were mixing crunchy Brontosaurus femurs with dino egg shaped marbits. Maybe Bill & Ted can go back and confirm this.

If you think Gabe’s videos are most excellent!, be sure to check ’em all out. Every Cereal Time video can be found here, and you can check out Gabe’s Twitter, as well.

Review: Reese’s Puffs Treats Cereal Bars

IMG_4067Another cereal bar review?

You might be asking yourself, “has Cerealously abandoned the art of the bowl forever? Are we destined to have all of our breakfasts now be in the form of bars? Should I start squeezing my scrambled eggs into portable rectangles?”

But fear not, bowled souls. Though the breakfast cereal industry is likely greatly influenced by the success of on-the-go breakfasts, my own recent magnetism towards bars is mostly sparked by the demanding nature of university life. After all, pouring 2% on a crackling bowl of Rice Krispies in the middle of an exam probably won’t win me any new friends.

So what’s the bar-tender’s special tonight? Reese’s Puffs Treats. Continue reading

Review: Holiday Rice Krispies Treats Blasted with M&M’s Minis

IMG_4063With Halloween just 2 days in the grave, you know what that means: time for food companies to go hog wild on marketing for the secularly ambiguous “holiday season.”

Or should I say “nog wild?” It’s about time we got an eggnog flavored cereal.

Now I love Thanksgiving just as much, if not more than the next guy—Mashed Potato-ism is my formally declared religion—but since we’re unlikely to see any turducken flavored cereals in the near future, it’s worth cutting straight to the red and green.

And while I’m not sure if these Rice Krispies Treats are new for 2015, please don’t tell me. I want to preserve the Christmas magic, as if these Treats were marshmallowy embodiments of Santa Claus himself. Let’s review!

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