Tag Archives: general mills

Review: Nature Valley Chocolate Oat Clusters Cereal

IMG_1295We miss you, Honey Bunches of Oats with Real Chocolate Clusters. We miss you and wish you would come home.

I’ve lost count of how many years have passed since Post took my favorite HBO variety from me (6 or 7, I think, though that’s like a lifetime in cereal years). That cereal and I were meant to grow old together, Post! We were meant to retire in the countryside and call each other “honey” and “sugar” and chuckle happily.

But instead, you took it to “a farm upstate” and tried the Poochie approach of “upgrading” it into the inferior Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy Chocolatey Almond Crunch (note: Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy Chocolatey Almond Crunch died on the way back to its home planet).

Why am I telling you this story? Because after seeing Chocolate Oat Clusters, one of three new Nature Valley Cereals, I’ve been forced to relive these traumatic memories. But can this cereal overcome the shadow of its spiritual predecessor (even though they come from different companies)?

Time to wipe away my tears (which have been falling like chocolate rain) and find out.

Continue reading

Cereal Time with Gabe Fonseca: Shrek Cereal and “Cereal of the Month”

Stop right there, dear reader!

Stop and check yourself!

You better check yourself before you…Shrek yourself!

And why is that? Because we would hate for you to miss the latest two entries in cereal maven Gabe Fonseca’s Cereal Time YouTube series. His videos have more layers of fun and nostalgia than an onion, a cake, and an ogre combined!

The first video we’d like to share details the rich and marshmallowy history of Shrek branded cereals. And while our days of seeing new movies featuring this ogre may be over, it’s fun to look back at just how many cereals he’s had his name attached to.

From the standard oats and marbits mix to a box of particularly green bootleg Froot Loops, Shrek has had some pretty appetizing cereals…which is surprising for a character who bathes in the swamp!

Continue reading

Review: Batman vs. Superman Cereals

IMG_1269There’s a war going on, cereal fans. A war on breakfast!

And no, I don’t mean the ongoing blood feud between Pop-Tarts and Toaster Strudel (though the latest news is that Kaiser Doughboy is attempting a surprise attack on a troop of Frosted Blueberry pastries just east of the toaster).

No, this new battle is one of superheroic proportions. Just in time for the upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie, DC Comics (which I can only assume stands for Delicious Cereal) has licensed a new cereal for each of the famous combatants.

Don’t ask me why, but Superman was bestowed the power of “Caramel Crunch,” while Batman pulled “Chocolate Strawberry” out of his utility belt. Which will be the hero of your tastebuds? Let’s wait for the artificially flavored smoke to clear and find out!

Continue reading

Spooned & Spotted: Nature Valley Cereals

IMG_0454

(UPDATE: I reviewed Chocolate Oat Clusters here and Baked Oat Bites here! I reviewed Honey Oat Clusters here!)

First of all, shoutout to the random, misplaced holiday cupcakes for photobombing this edition of Spooned & Spotted.

While on the prowl like a legendary Pokémon hunter for all the mythical new cereals that have been spotted at Walmart (my success was mixed; my prehistoric, local Walmart isn’t exactly hip with the times), I surprisingly stumbled upon three new (or so says Google) cereals from Nature Valley.

And when I say “surprisingly,” I mean it: picture a lanky man, arms full of cereal boxes, exaggeratedly gasping at a cardboard display like some bumbling cartoon character whilst everyone around him considers snapping a photo and submitting it to “People of Walmart.”

When it comes to oat products, Nature Valley is the GOAT, so it’s no surprise that each cereal here works in those little earthy nuggets somehow. Each will get its respective review in due time, but for now, let’s unfairly judge these boxes by their covers.

We have Honey Oat Clusters, which appears to just be another ho-hum cousin in the
“Honey Bunches of Oats impersonators” family of cereals. However, I’m going to predict that this cereal will be significantly more crumbly, like those crumb-exploding treats that Nature Valley calls “granola bars,”

Next we have Chocolate Oat Clusters. I’m praying to every great cereal deity there is that this cereal tastes like the amazing Chocolate Honey Bunches of Oats that have been long discontinued and not like the comparatively choco-lame Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy: Chocolatey Almond Crunch.

Finally, there’s Baked Oat Bites. This looks just like Cracklin’ Oat Bran but with an added, sexy drizzle. Oh, man, did I really just write “sexy?” Forgive me, but Cracklin’ Oat Bran is a spiritual experience, so the thought of adding more to that has me approaching nirvana at 88mph.

The Buddhist kind, not the “A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido” kind.

If you’d like to see your picture 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.

Cereal Time with Gabe Fonseca: Honey Nut Cheerios with Florida Honey and Olympics Cereals

Are you hungry to unwrap a couple early Christmas presents? Well look no further than the latest two entries we want to share from modern day cereal Santa Claus Gabe Fonseca’s (by “cereal Santa Claus, I mean in terms of giving great gifts, not in terms of appearance, of course 😉) Cereal Time YouTube series. Cereal Time provides a list of nostalgic and fun cereal tribute videos that’s longer than Santa’s naughty list after Happy Hour.

The first video to share is about a very special box of Honey Nut Cheerios. And no, I don’t mean that lucky box of Cheerios that you ate for breakfast on the same morning you won $500 on a scratch off ticket.

I’m sure that video’s coming later.

No, this rare box of HNC was made with genuine Florida honey and was released as a tie-in with a recent campaign in which General Mills made a “living billboard” filled with bees (sounds like the start of a bad Nicolas Cage horror movie). These boxes were given out to a select few lucky recipients, including Gabe. You’ll have to watch to see what he thinks of this now mythic, one of a kind honey talisman!

Oh, and guess who’s still unhappily buzzing about not getting a box? Continue reading

Spooned & Spotted: Batman vs. Superman Cereals

12342375_10153867669759170_7649722801076126166_n

(UPDATE: I reviewed both cereals here!)

No Joker-ing around here, folks! Coming in just in time to promote the upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie, General Mills has released two new cereals, one for each of the two titular heroes.

So call Alfred over and have him pour you a bowl of Batman cereal, which has chocolate and strawberry flavored bats (even though they look more like brown X-wings!). I was wondering where Count Chocula and Franken Berry went now that Halloween is over: they must have merged their life essences together for this cereal. Somewhere, the left out Lex Boo-ther is brooding.

And speaking of Superman, the Man of Steel gets his own cereal, too, though it hopefully doesn’t contain any actual steel (35% of my daily iron will suffice). These little tan, Chaos Emerald-shaped pieces are caramel flavored. I can only assume their mission is to take down Cap’n Crunch’s current monopoly on the caramel cereal market. Look out, Cap’n: your empire is about to be…a-salted.

These cereals were spotted by Toronto Batman himself at his (presumably Gotham City-based) grocery store. I’m sure he pushed all of Superman’s cereal boxes to the back, too. I mean, a guy’s gotta get whatever strategic advantage he can when his opponent is nearly invincible!

If you’d like to see your picture 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.

Review: Holiday Sprinkles Cookie Crisp Cereal

IMG_4158‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house,

Not a cookie was baking, not even a Toll House.

Even the Oreos had been eaten (I licked them all so I wouldn’t have to share!)

But what would the kids leave out for Santa, who soon would be there?

The children searched their pantry, shoving aside the Wonder Bread,

While visions of a pissed off, hungry Santa clutched his stomach in their heads.

Mom and dad grumbled; they were tired of this crap,

So they threw a box of Holiday Sprinkles Cookie Crisp into the children’s laps.

“Santa doesn’t need real cookies,” Dad said. “They’ll just make him fatter.”

“Give him this cereal, but go easy on the milk; we don’t want a soggy disaster!” Continue reading

Review: Trix Cereal without Artificial Flavors & Colors

IMG_4153Times change, friends.

When they debuted in 1955, Trix were in spherical shapes. But in the 1990s, they became the fruit-shaped pieces that many today insist they always have been. It wasn’t until 2007 that Trix became spheres once more, and the fruit-shapes were left to populate every single BuzzFeed “Top 25 Foods from our Childhood that We Want Back NOW! You Won’t BELIEVE #12!” article from now until eternity.

Oh, and apparently fruit-shaped Trix are still a thing in Mexico. I smell a fruit-scented roadtrip!

And now that General Mills has removed artificial colors and flavors from Trix, some are, again, mourning the loss of a childhood staple. But wait! Back when they debuted, Trix only came in orange, lemon, and raspberry flavors! As these artificial color-free Trix adopt a similar color scheme, it can be said that the cereal really has come full circle.

Or should I say full sphere?

Either way, I’m here to answer the hard-hitting question that you, your family, and probably even the United Nations have been debating: will they taste the same as”regular” Trix? Continue reading