Friday, November 15, 2013

A New Cereal Love


As far back as I can remember, I have been a lover of breakfast cereal. Growing up, we never were allowed to have sugar cereals*, but that didn't stop me from falling in love with cereal. In recent years, I haven't been eating as much cereal, and months might go by with no cereal in the cabinets. At VidaVeganCon, one of the sponsors was Erewhon/Attune Foods. I hadn't ever heard of them, or tried their cereals, but there was a full-sized box of Buckwheat Hemp cereal in every swag bag. I liked that cereal a lot... but I wouldn't say it was love at first sight.

tiny boxes of sugar cereal at camp

*the one exception to the Sugar Cereal Rule was when we went to Family Camp every summer in the foothills of the Sierras. The camp served those little mini boxes of Kellogg's cereals, and it was a big thrill. My brother's favorite was the fruit loops, and my favorite was Corn Pops. :) 

These are not the actual boxes that were sent to me, which are long gone. 
Those boxes have been replaced, many times over, with new boxes of cereal love

About a month after VidaVeganCon, I got an email from Attune Foods asking if I'd like to try their new cornflakes - with just two ingredients: Organic corn and salt. To be honest, even after a no-sugar-cereal childhood, I wasn't sure if I would love such a simple recipe - but my love of breakfast cereal was strong enough that I was curious to find out. Attune also asked if there were any other flavors I was curious about, so I checked the website and asked to try the Strawberry Crisp. 


corn flakes = yummy heart bubbles

Well, guess what? I am IN LOVE with those cornflakes! They are just magically delicious, and are perfectly, naturally sweet all on their own. They've got a great texture, with just the right amount of crunch... and they never get too soggy. They really are so delicious and great.



And, as for that Strawberry Crisp cereal? I love it too!! There used to be something like this made by Special K (or something like that), and Mr VE&T and I really loved it. I'm so happy to find a new version with fewer and more-wholesome ingredients. The flakes have a nice crispy crunch to them, and have a touch of sweetness. On mornings when I want something a little sweeter, this cereal satisfies my inner kiddo, without going overboard. Also, I must say, there are SO MANY dried strawberries inside! At first, there were so many that I was afraid I was somehow getting all the berries in the whole box in my first bowl of cereal... but upon inspection, the entire box was chock full of little ruby-colored bits. That is so awesome that they haven't skimped on the berries!


The only bummer about these cereals is their price tag. They aren't cheap - probably because of having so many organic ingredients. One local store sells them for $6.50 per box! Whoa. That said, with some careful snooping, I'm often able to find them on sale and stock up. They are definitely my two new favorite cereal flavors - and the cupboards are that much less likely to be cereal-free than they were before.

13 comments:

  1. ha! we weren't allowed to have sugar cereal growing up either...except for summer vacation at the cottage, when we got those little kellogg boxes too! Unfortunately my brother and I fought over the Corn Pops every time.

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  2. I've always loved cereal. Have you ever tried Food for Life's Ezekiel 4:9 cereal? It's really good, and it's made from all sprouted grains like their bread. It doesn't contain any added sweetener, so I like to add a tiny bit of pure maple syrup and some fruit.
    I've had Erewhon's brown rice cereal and the buckwheat hemp flakes. The corn flakes look good, so maybe I'll try that next. I haven't had corn flakes in so long!
    I'm so envious of your VVC mug! What were you drinking, cocoa?

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  3. I just realized yesterday that I haven't eaten cereal in months! I have an unopened box on my counter which has been there forever. I do like cereal and certainly it's the only thing I ate for breakfast when I was younger but I find that most brands are filled with crappy ingredients and the decent ones are, like you found, pretty expensive.
    My favourite is Nature's Path millet flakes. Sounds boring but it's really good! http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/603558_Nature_s_Path_Millet_Rice_Flakes_375g.html

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  4. I LOVED the buckwheat cereal at VVC. We bought several boxes until the price really started to rattle me. Now I want to try the corn flakes and the berry bits. They both look great. I remember Erewhon from the way back, when I first became interested in natural foods. You know, I can't remember the last time I had cereal.

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  5. susan7:13 AM

    I was allowed to eat all the sugary cereal I could until the box was gone! It's even funny seeing the way you wrote the two names. Fruit loops is "froot loops" and corn pops were "sugar corn pops" when I was a fan. No fruit in there and those little yellow puffs were covered in sugar!

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  6. That strawberry crisp cereal looks wonderful :)

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  7. Haha, Amey. We are total opposites. I grew up eating tons of that crappy, sugary cereal. My parents did not know very much about nutrition. Now I cannot stand eating cereal. Even healthy cereal [though I am sure the ones here are fabulous]. I just think I ODed on them!

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  8. susie4:28 PM

    "I got an email from Attune Foods asking if I'd like to try their new cornflakes - with just two ingredients: Organic corn and salt."
    yeah just, 2 ingredient,s one is highly processed corn and the other is salt, which is not harmless.
    To much salt in a diet is a killer, ask any heart doctor.
    I will stick to the oat meal and add fresh fruit and berries, takes less than to make and cost pennies to make, I never get sick of it and it has been prove to be heart healthy.
    "Soluble fiber appears to reduce your body's absorption of cholesterol from the intestines. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber that reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol that can increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes"

    Please don't fool yourself. Cornflakes = vegan junk food, there is no way of getting around it.

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  9. Anonymous11:32 PM

    Oh nice to know. I too go on cereal eating sprees and then don't for awhile. My favorites tend to be the grape nuts type, raisin bran, or frosted mini wheats - whee! sugar!! And Trader Joe's ones are gelatin free, yay!

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  10. There nothing quite like a yummy cereal, thank you :)

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  11. Corn Pops were my favorite food as a kid! Oh my god I would kill for them right now.
    I actually really liked the Buckwheat Hemp cereal in the VVC swag bag. At first I was thrown because it is super earthy, but it really grew on me and now I'm obsessed!

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  12. Totally LOVING your website! HOLY COOKIES, btw! :) Strawberry Cereal sounds good to me!

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  13. Looks good! And gluten free! Double bonus. I'm going to check them out. Yoda is getting better. I think potty training has finally begun to sink in for him. I couldn't be more thrilled. He's been going to work with me and stay in a crate in the car. Then every couple hours he gets a potty break. It the only way I could think of doing it. He's got his first private obedience lesson on Monday and then his doggie obedience class on Monday. We are making progress! It was wonderful to see you at Christmas. Love you lady! Sandy

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