Kellogg's Corn Flakes Touch of Honey

It was Marvo who brought the existence of these new corn flakes to my attention when he posted about them back in May .



As Marvo pointed out, corn flakes are boring. It's not that they don't taste good. But let's be honest; there is no "wow" factor. Yes, there is Frosted Flakes. And while I am a fan, on some days they are just too sweet for me.



Touch of Honey adds a welcome middle ground. To make life simple, the corn flakes taste like corn flakes. Nothing new, nothing interesting. The honey, however, adds a little something. I can't say that if I didn't know for a fact that honey was used, that I would recognize what was used as the sweetener.

The flakes are a little sweeter than regular corn flakes, but not nearly as sweet as Frosted Flakes. I can see this being a good alternative for people who want something sweet but not that sweet, or for parents who don't want to give the full-on sugar rush that is Frosted Flakes.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Kellogg's Star Trek Cereal (Limited Edition)

If you have read more than a handful of my posts, then it is only logical that you know I am a hugely geeky Trekkie (and yes, I prefer Trekkie to Trekker). It would also probably not surprise you to know that as soon as I saw on The Impulse Buy that there was a new cereal tied to the new movie (read Marvo's post HERE), I glued on my ears, tossed on my "I Grok Spock" shirt, and headed out on a mission to boldly go and find this cereal. It took a while, but I succeeded!

Once I locked my tractor beam onto the box, I dug in.



The cereal is a mix of semi-nutritious sweetened oat clusters and my beloved marshmallows.



I was expecting the oat portions to taste like Lucky Charms. Instead, the loose spirals (which are supposed to look like galaxies) taste like rice cakes...really BAD rice cakes. I don't know how that is even possible. (Replicator on the fritz, perhaps?) Once they soaked in some milk, the flavor wasn't quite as bad. But it wasn't good ,either.

The marshmallows were pretty tasty, though. To be fair, if you have had one cereal marshmallow, you have tasted these. I just happen to LOOOOVE cereal marshmallows. My only complaint about the marshmallows is that there are not enough of them.

As much as I love Trek, I can't say that I will be sad when this cereal is gone. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am off to listen to my copy of Leonard Nimoy's "Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy." (Yes, I actually do own it, along with "The Touch of Leonard Nimoy.")

Live Long and Prosper!



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Jumbo Multi-Grain Krispies Cereal

If Jerry Seinfeld and I were to ever hang out I wonder what we would talk about more? our mutual love for New York or our shared love of cereal?
While I am sure pondering that question keeps Jerry up late at night, in the meantime I have a new cereal to try.

Jumbo Multi-Grain Krispies are the big bad cousin of Rice Krispies. Bad being the prime word. These Krispies are much bigger then a normal Krispie but smaller then a Corn Pop. The Krispies have a light honey flavor according to the box.


Texture wise they are just weird. They are like cereal versions of Cheesy Poofs. If you eat them dry the texture is airy on the outside, yet weirdly powdery on the inside. Once they have been in milk, they get soggy fast but some of the 'dust' remains. It is a strange feeling.

Flavor wise, much like how the texture changed in or out of milk so does the taste. Eaten dry straight from the box the taste is sort of like a completely sub-par generic brand cheese puff. It's kinda cheesy, kinda peanut buttery and then the whole thing is covered in a sugar glaze.

In milk they go from zero to soggy in under five minutes. I like soggy cereal so if I liked these Krispies that would be a selling point for me. The thing is that the milk takes an already not great things to new lows. The flavor changes, this is about the only thing that improves. The flavor loses some of that cheesy, peanut butteryness and the only thing I could think to compare it to is Capt Crunch (thankfully without the mouth shredding sharp edges) The faux honey flavor because the main taste and there's a hit of an oaty aftertaste. In terms of texture if you have ever dreamed of eating soggy Styrofoam your day has come. You can kind of see how in the picture the pieces start to "glue" together into one big, starchy ball.

Snap, Krackle and Pop really need to whip me up a batch of proper Rice Krispies treats to make this up to me.

Albertson's Buttermilk Pancakes

I really like pancakes. I know I should try to make my own from scratch because I am sure they would worlds better then anything I could buy boxed or frozen-
But the thing is my pancake craving NEVER comes at a convenient time. I can go months without even thinking about them and since I don't eat breakfast on a daily basis I never think to keep the ingredients on-hand. Conversely, I really don't like the box versions. I am not sure what it is that I don't like about it I just know I don't like it. Really what this leaves are two options: go out for pancakes or eat the frozen kind.

Now, having had pancakes from one end of the country to the other and having had them homemade, from greasy spoons and from higher end places my all-time favorite pancake is still the old school McDonald's pancakes from back when they still made the batter in-store- sadly they stopped doing that in the mid-nineties. At any rate I hold the memory of those pancakes as my benchmark.

Because they were on sale at a ridiculously low price I decided to try the Albertson's store version rather then a name brand.

The pancakes themselves are portioned well, about the size of a saucer and thick enough to be fluffy but not so thick that they get gummy in the center. The recommended cooking time in the microwave (because I was feeling ultra-lazy) is 1 minute 10 seconds for three pancakes. Following the cooking time the pancakes came out hot and soft and managed to avoid turning into rocks (as microwaved pancakes can all to easily do) The texture was actually perfect- especially for frozen.
Flavor wise, they actually reminded me more of cheap frozen waffles then buttermilk pancakes. There's no real depth of flavor- but c'mon lets be fair we are talking about frozen pancakes. There's not really a trace of the buttermilk. If anything there is almost and eggy flavor to them. I have to say that flavor wise these are not quite as good as Eggo's version but they were passable, the texture was great and it was half the cost of the Eggo.


PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Cereality Cereal Bar & Cafe

So here I am wandering around DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) airport trying to kill the next 3 hours...
I know I should eat but I am not filling well and the thought of typical greasy airport food makes me want to yark... again (Lupus is just SO much fun). I know, I know, I should have packed my own snacks but as of this writing (in the terminal at DFW) I have been up since 11:00 am Christmas morning and honestly in the last minute packing and craziness food was not even a thought. Anyway- I had to pass the food court on the way to my terminal and what caught my eye?- a cereal bar!!

We all know I am a cereal freak of Seinfeld proportions- and not only does Cereality have around 16 different cereal choices they also have mix in's AND multiple milk choices!- this is important to me as I have to use non-dairy milk.

Ok, I did spend about what I would have spent on a box of cereal at my regular old grocery store for a rather generous portion of Cinnamon Life and Oatmeal Squares topped with an obscene amount of Lucky Charms Marshmallows- but let me tell you I would rather do that then pay double the price for a chain burger and fries. Yes, btw they did have much healthier options then what I got, but really how many chances do you get to have marshmallows at the airport? (OK, worst excuse EVER!)

No, this is not really a review, but should you be traveling through DFW's American Airlines terminal C at any point in the Near future consider this a heads up to a really cool snacking option (or if you are near any of they're other locations)

PURCHASED FROM:
Cerality Cereal Bar & Cafe DFW Airport Texas

Trader Joe's Mini Raspberry Jelly Donuts

I was wondering Trader Joe's and I saw these donuts for the first time.

I'm not sure if they are a new product or if I just hadn't noticed them before but into my basket they went.

All you do is leave the amount of mini donuts you want in a sitting out for about 30 minutes and then microwave them for about 30 seconds. What you get after that is a warn and sweet smelling teeny, tiny jelly filled donuts.

The other part of the donut looks lightly fried. The insides are soft and a little greasy. There is not really much flavor to the pastry. It's not bad but it is just sort of there.

The jelly I liked, there is not much jelly in the donuts but whats there is nice and sour- which is how I prefer my jelly/jam and it does taste like real raspberry, rather then something that is raspberry flavored.

Over all these weren't the most outstanding of Trader Joe's offerings but it was interesting and worth trying.


PURCHASED FROM:
Trader Joe's

Total Cinnamon Crunch Cereal

As we all know if a company makes a new cinnamon cereal I WILL be buying it.
So the first time I saw Total Cinnamon Crunch at the store I grabbed it.

The cereal it's self is made up of thick little squires made of wheat and rice and sweetened with just a touch of cinnamon. How could that not taste good?

And you know what?, it DID taste good! I think the easiest way to describe Total Cinnamon Crunch is to tell you that it both tastes and resembles a grown up version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (and since they are both made by General Mills it's not a big stretch) Unlike Cinnamon Toast Crunches lighter almost hollow squares, Total Cinnamon Crunch squares are slightly smaller but much more dense- and that means they are more filling. And let's face it sadly, on my average day I don't have time to eat multiple bowls of cereal I need more bang for my buck (so to speak) and that one bowl was satisfyingly filling.

I also liked that while the cereal was sweet it wasn't as sweet as Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It also had a nice warm touch of cinnamon but it wasn't over powering. All around this was just a good cereal. I have always liked Total flakes and while this is the first of the new expanded flavors in the line that I have tried it has made me want to try the others.


PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Frosted Mini Wheats- Blueberry Muffin

I know I am always saying there is not enough blue food...
I am torn about it if cereal makes me regret that or not.

We all know I love blueberry, I love cereal. The two of them should be pretty good right? Yeah, that's what I thought too.

Like the traditional frosted mini wheat the blueberry muffin variety has one "nekkid" side and one side that is frosted in a combo of sugar and blueberry. It DOES in fact taste like a blueberry muffin- a muffin that was designed by a food scientist that never actually ate a real muffin. For the first few seconds it's in your mouth it is pretty good. But the problem is that 'good' quickly becomes "chemical aftertaste from hell" And if you are the type who likes to drink your extra cereal milk be warned- it will taste kind of like grated Flintstones vitamins (only less good)
- but it is blue!

Great idea, could have been a good flavor but it just doesn't work.


PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Trader Joes's Greek Style Yogurt- Honey

I am thinking if the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee got a hold of some of this he would have a new breakfast staple.
I am also thinking "Did I just date myself by mentioning the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee?" do they even still use him in the ad's?

Possibly retired cereal spokesbee's aside. Trader Joe's Greek Style yogurt is definitely strong on the honey flavor. While there is no visible trace of the honey it is the dominate flavor. The honey is strong (very strong) with floral notes and it makes the yogurt very sweet.
The texture is that great, smooth, cool sour cream-like texture that I love in Greek yogurt. What I miss with this particular flavor is the tanginess that Greek Yogurt has. There is none to be found here. Since this is the first of the TJ's Greek yogurt I have tried I am unsure if they're version is always like this or if the intense sweetness of the honey does away with it.

If you are a fan of honey, you would love this yogurt. For me the honey was over powering but I like the yogurt it's self enough to want to keep trying other flavors.


PURCHASED FROM:
Trader Joe's

Cinnamon Life Cereal

Would I be compleatly dating myself to admit that I grew up in the Mikey era of Life Cereal?
Mikey and I had a lot in common. We were both picky, had annoying siblings and liked cereal. Mikey had the good fortune of not being sensetive to milk at a time when dairy alternatives or Lactose pills either weren't readily available or didn't exist.

The few times in my younger life I did eat cereal I loved life. The even slimmer times I got Cinnamon Life were indeed happy days.

Thankfully, these days between soy milks and Lactaid products I can eat cereal (and ice cream!) to my hearts content but Cinnamon Life is still one of my favorites.

The cinnamon flavor is exactly like that of a fresh cinnamon stick. Just a little firey, not sugary sweet and at the same time it's not overbaring.

I love the texture. Life has a kind of open basket weave to it, that helps trap the milk in but if you like your cereal soggy (and I do- I know I am weird) it also helps expediate that.

There is a reason this is a classic breakfast staple. It's simple, there are no wacky flavors or dried fruits or super vitamins. It just tastes good- and I like it! I like it!


PURCHASED FROM:
Publix Supermarket

Froasted Mini Wheats- Cinnamon Streusel

MMMmm Cinnamon!

We all know I love cinnamon and this is no exception.

I haven't been too fond of the new Mini Wheat flavors but they did a great job with this one. Cinnamon Streusel is basically the classic Mini Wheat with the addition of a healthy dose of cinnamon.

The cinnamon adds a nice warmth to the cereal. This has definitely made my list of comfort foods.

Cabot Greek Style Yogurt- Chocolate

No I am not obsessed!

OK, I kind of am.
Another day, another Greek yogurt.
Chocolate was today's choice. I tried to get a good photo of the yogurt it's self but my camera was not working with me. It is a beautiful milky cocoa color.

The tanginess that was so overt with the vanilla is just as strong here. Honestly I didn't care for that at first- just like with the vanilla. But it grows on you and you find yourself dipping back into the container as easily as singing along to "Copacabana" at the top of your lungs when you think no one is looking.
The chocolate flavor reminded me of dutch cocoa powder. Had the yogurt not been tangy the chocolate wouldn't have been sweet enough. It would have been like eating melted baking chocolate. But everything balances out for the better.

The peach is still my favorite but all three flavors will work they're way into my cart again.

Cabot Greek Style Yogurt- Peach

There is not enough bandwidth on the entire internet for me to say how great this is!


Really I can't remember having ever had a better yogurt.

Just like with the vanilla the texture and mouth feel is just out of this world. After having yogurt this smooth and creamy I don't know if I will ever be able to go back to regular old yogurt.
The peach flavor is natural, not too sweet with a tangy finish. There are also small bits of peach floating in the yogurt.


Outstanding!

Cabot Greek Style Yogurt- Vanilla flavor

Creamy and tangy!

I was thinking about it after I had eaten the container that I can't recall ever having eaten Greek style yogurt before.
I knew of it of course, being the good foodie I am. Just for one reason or the other I just had not tasted it... Until today.

Lurking on my local Mega-Mart yogurt shelf tucked in amongst the Yoplait and the Fizzix was the Cabot Greek Style yogurt. While they had several fruit flavors I went with Vanilla because I LOVE me some vanilla yogurt.

I would be lying if I said it was love at first spoonful. The yogurt was a creamy white that was studded with vanilla bean. The texture was rich and creamy- it actually reminded me more of sour cream then yogurt (since I also love sour cream that was a highlight for me). It had a great coolness on the tongue.
No, the texture was outstanding it was the taste that took awhile to win me over. At first the prominent flavor is actually kind of tangy. To put it bluntly it reminded me of vinegar and Miracle Whip. You would think that such a fabulous combination would have me swearing off Greek yogurt for life but I liked the mouth feel so much I kept eating (yeah, I don't know why I do some of these thing's either)

A few spoon fulls in the weirdest thing happened- it went from tasting like vinegar salad dressing to a nice balance of sweet and tart. The vanilla starts to come through and when it did it was a pleasant surprise to find it was a natural vanilla taste and not the usual super-sweet fake vanilla you tend to find now-er days. I may have a new addiction!

If you see this on the shelves get some!

Blueberry Monster Crunch Cereal

First person to bag on me for eating Disney brand kids cereal meets my Smurfy wrath!

YES- there are cartoon monsters on the box. NO- it did not come with a cool toy- But I liked it anyway! (would have liked it better with a toy...)

I think the best way to describe it would be to tell you to imagine Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Instead of ribbons of cinnamon it's the same faux "toast" studded with "blueberries" and covered in sugar!

As far as the blueberry flavor goes I will give them points. It's not exactly a natural blueberry but it doesn't have the super sweet fake flavor of say "Boo Berry"

Not the best cereal ever but I would buy it again.