Monthly Archives: May 2016

Review: Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Raisin & Honey Granola

I’m glad Raisin Bran Granola is here to keep me moving. No, not that kind of moving, though it does boast 24% of my daily recommended fiber per serving.

No, I mean moving moving. While I may look like a hip and spry youngster, as soon as I pour my morning bowl of Raisin Bran cereal and cup of coffee, I become about as old and slow as Benjamin Button was at my age.

Like a grandpa with his newspaper, I ponder every raisin like there’s a Nietszche quote written in its wrinkles.

But now that Kellogg’s has debuted two flavors of Raisin Bran Granola (this one and Cranberry Almond) in convenient on-the-go pouches, I feel obligated to leave my cereal bowl behind, go climb mountains, and gaze into abysses that will gaze also into me.

Dang it, Nietzsche: stop ruining breakfast! Continue reading →

Posted by dan g.. Categories: Reviews. Tags: 7 rating, granola, kelloggs, raisin bran. 3 Comments

May. ’16

What’s New on “Cereal Time with Gabe Fonseca?”

Ready those recliners and steady your novelty wooden back scratchers, because we want to share another hearty bunch of videos from Gabe Fonseca’s Cereal Time YouTube series. Speaking of bunches, Gabe has covered everything from Honey Bunches to Cap’n Crunch.

His show gives a nostalgic and fun exposé on a different cereal each week. For cereal junkies like me, it’s more addicting than, well, a bowl of Reese’s Puffs.

While we’re on the topic of peanut butter and chocolate (and when aren’t we on the topic of the greatest flavor combination ever invented? A big thanks to George Washington Carver and Montezuma for making it possible), let’s start with Gabe’s first video on E.T. Cereal.

Anyone who has seen the movie E.T. knows that the titular alien’s favorite candy is Reese’s Pieces. As a result, his cereal was given the same flavors. As Gabe mentions, E.T.’s favorite candy was originally supposed to be M&M’s, but the rights couldn’t be secured. While I’m sad that the movie missed out on a lot of good “Mars” puns, I’m glad we got a more interesting cereal flavor out of the deal than boring ol’ chocolate.

Besides, M&M’s don’t hold up well in milk. Trust me: I know. Continue reading →

Posted by dan g.. Categories: Specials. Tags: cereal time, general mills, post. Leave a comment

May. ’16

Spooned & Spotted: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes with Marshmallows

(UPDATE: We reviewed Frosted Flakes with Marshmallows!)

Welcome to the future.

Marshmallows have invaded almost all of our classic cereals, from Froot Loops to Fruity Pebbles and now Frosted Flakes. What’s next, Limited Edition Lucky Charms with an additional marshmallow stuffed inside the center of every existing marshmallow?

I suppose I shouldn’t complain until I try these new Frosted Flakes with Marshmallows. They were spotted at Meijer by Owen C. (thanks, Owen!), along with Kellogg’s recently debuted Raisin Bran Granolas.

But enough about the cereal. Can we talk about that Tony the Tiger? Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t really dig the outdated CGI look. This poor, polygonal Tony looks like he got lost on the way to a Jimmy Neutron audition.

More accurately, I’d say he belongs in a late generation Nintendo 64 platformer. That might not be a compliment to his looks, but hey: if we somehow get a cereal video game out of this deal, I’ll forgive Tony for his cringe-worthy tweets.

.@jtimberlake Hey JT saw myself at 1:15 but don’t think my 🔥 moves made the final edit. Here you go #yourewelcome pic.twitter.com/L1Qq22cSC7

— Frosted Flakes (@frosted_flakes) May 17, 2016

To all readers who would like to see their picture or thoughts featured on a “Spooned & Spotted” post, head over to our submissions page, or just email us at cerealously.net@gmail.com.

Posted by dan g.. Categories: Specials. Tags: frosted flakes, kelloggs, marshmallows, spooned & spotted. 4 Comments

May. ’16

Review: Quaker Corn Bran Crunch Cereal

Corn Bran Crunch may just be the most underrated cereal of all time.

There: that needed to be said. This cereal deserves more fame and attention. With an uninspired box design and a generic name that sounds like a bootleg arcade game at a rural Chuck E. Cheese, Corn Bran Crunch usually doesn’t stand a chance against others in the breakfast aisle.

Seriously, what kid would pick a smirking old dude with a bowl of raspberries over a lunatic cuckoo bird or a cannibalistic cinnamon square? Even Quaker’s Oatmeal Squares are more popular.

If Quaker won’t give Corn Bran Crunch the wisecracking, sunglasses-wearing corncob mascot it deserves (his catchphrase would be “Aww, shucks!” of course), I suppose I have to be the one to sing its praises.

Let’s dive in. Continue reading →

Posted by dan g.. Categories: Uncategorized. 47 Comments

May. ’16

Review: Nature’s Path Organic Sunrise Crunchy Maple Cereal

I can’t resist a maple cereal, especially one that’s made with real maple syrup like Nature’s Path Organic’s gluten free Sunrise Crunchy Maple.

How much do I love maple syrup?

Well let’s just say that I would willingly abandon my human body if it meant transplanting my brain into a robot that runs on a syrup and oil mixture. Especially if that robot were a futuristic police android that patrols the Vermont-Canada border.

Can you tell I’ve thought a lot about this?

But I’ve been burned by some maple cereals in the past. They claimed to have bold maple flavor, when really they just tasted like a maple leaf briefly photosynthesized in their general direction.

I can’t resist the allure of that sticky tree sap for long, though. I’m willing to open my syrup encrusted heart once more for you, Sunrise Crunchy Maple. Don’t let me down. Continue reading →

Posted by dan g.. Categories: Reviews. Tags: 7 rating, gluten free, maple, nature's path. 10 Comments

May. ’16

Three of the Best Cereal Commercials on TV Now

Cereal isn’t all about the sugary flakes and crunchy rings. It’s about the culture, too. Of course, since you’re reading a cereal blog, I probably don’t need to tell you that.

From the colorful characters to the mail-in premiums and games on the back of the box, there’s a good reason breakfast cereal has stood the test of time and become a full-on lifestyle for nostalgia-holics like me.

Growing up, my favorite part was always the TV commercials. Only on Saturday morning could you slurp down a bowl of Golden Grahams, binge watch Pokémon, then see a commercial about Toucan Sam’s deep sea adventures that makes you forget the Golden Grahams and inspires you tow your mother to the grocery store for a fresh box of Froot Loops that will fuel the exact same process the next weekend.

But as we grow older and start to substitute Cartoon Network with CNN and such, we see way fewer cereal commercials. I guess it’s hard to bookend Wolf Blitzer with Chip the Wolf.

That’s why I still purposely tune into Nickelodeon most mornings while I chomp down Raisin Bran Crunch or Cheerios. Aside from the sweet, sweet SpongeBob re-runs, I get to see that cereal commercials are still alive, well, and awesome.

Here are three of the best. Continue reading →

Posted by dan g.. Categories: Specials. Tags: cheerios, cocoa puffs, commercials, general mills, lucky charms, special. 3 Comments

May. ’16

Review: Coffee Cereal — Original & Café Mocha

Now this is a fun one, cereal fans. I’ve been meaning to try Coffee Cereal for a long time: long before I even knew it actually existed.

See, back in high school, I was given one of those clichéd school projects, the kind you see Urkel and the Olsen twins struggle with on ’90s sitcoms. My challenge was to think of and prototype an invention, an invention no one had thought of before.

Since I ate cereal and drank coffee every morning (and ate lunch alone, probably because of the whole coffee snobbery), I had the genius idea of inventing a coffee cereal. I was all prepared to start designing “Cappuccin-O’s” boxes and rolling Cheerios in espresso powder, but then I found out that Coffee Cereal already exists, made by a small company in Missouri.

Into the metaphorical and literal trash my idea went.

Years later, I’ve finally gotten over my bitterness (though I still drink bitter coffee), and now I’m ready to review the real thing. Continue reading →

Posted by dan g.. Categories: Reviews. Tags: 7 rating, 8 rating, coffee. 3 Comments

May. ’16

Review: Kellogg’s Frosted Crush Orange Pop-Tarts

I wish Kellogg’s two new “Soda-licious” Pop-Tarts (Crush Orange and A&W Root Beer) were released in 2020.

Why?

Because that’s when the new Godzilla vs. Kong film is set to debut, and these two flavors would be the perfect movie tie-in. I can see it now: Kong’s Gorilla Sarsaparilla Pop-Tarts vs. Godzilla’s Atomic Crush Orange Pop-Tarts.

Batman vs. Superman, eat your hearts out.

That “Atomic” label is especially appropriate, because as I quickly found out when eating these toaster pastries, Kellogg’s didn’t just go orange. They went explosively radioactive orange. Continue reading →

Posted by dan g.. Categories: Reviews. Tags: 8 rating, kelloggs, non cereal, pop-tarts. 3 Comments