Reviewing yummy cereals...and being thankful.....

Okay, so the title is not very original.  You can blame the chilly weather down south on my brain freeze.   But, I do have some fun things to talk about today.

 First, I joined up with the girls at Paisley Print Shoes to do their Thankful November Challenge:

Basically, each time I post this month, I'll post something I'm thankful for.  This will be a way for me to remember what this time of year is all about and what is most important.  If you are interested in doing the challenge yourself, check it their site and link up! 

For my first post, I am thankful for growth, both spiritual and emotional.  Recently, I've been doing a lot of work on myself...figuring out who I am, what I want, and how I want things to be.  Now, I'm not going to lie, this has sucked at many points this summer/fall....caused me to question my relationships with people...and made me challenge A LOT of my deepest, darkest fears.  This has made me angry, hurt, cry, scream, panic, and worry.  But, its also made me express my emotions, smile, laugh, love deeper, and be more real.  

I will tell you what is going on...I just can't right now.  I know you understand.  =)

What I can tell you about though is this fun cereal I received in the mail..........

The great people at Attune Foods sent me 2 boxes of Uncle Sam cereal.  

Now, you know how I feel about cereal.  And if you don't know, then I'm going to tell you.  I LOVE CEREAL.  I'm not talking just about fleeting love that comes and goes.  Oh no, it runs WAYYY deeper than that.  I grew up on the stuff and its more comforting to me than a bowl of mac and cheese or a baked potato ever was.  

But, I'm not gonna lie...cereal doesn't love me back as much.  Once I start eating the stuff, I can't stop.  My bowl is never the standard "1 cup serving".....its a MOUNDING bowl of cereal (usually more like 2-3 cups...I'm not kidding).  With cereal, I punch my one way ticket to carb heaven.  And that leads to the station at gain weightsville.  


But, I wanted to try this cereal.  The more I read about it, the more people raved about it.  It has lots of fiber, is very filling, and can even be used in baked goods as well.  I was intrigued...and excited to find a cereal which is much healthier than some of the other products I eat on a regular basis (hello artificial sweeteners, and processed grains). 

I received a box of the original flavor and strawberry.  There are other flavor options too, if these flavors aren't your favorites (if you're partial to Honey Almond for instance).  I fixed both of these options with as part of my yogurt bowls I typically make.  These consist of cereal, yogurt, and some kind of fruit (in my case, its usually a banana).  I wanted to get the flavor of both on its own and as part of the mixture as well.

Original with plain yogurt and sliced bananas

Strawberry flavor with plain yogurt and sliced bananas

I kept the cereal all separate and then mixed it all together to consume.  =)

Here's a close up of both cereals for your viewing pleasure:

Original

Strawberry

The verdict:  Yummy!!!  Here are my thoughts by flavor:

Original:  I enjoyed its crunchy, hearty texture.  It tastes like toasty oats cereal with flaxseeds (hence what it says on the box haha).  On its own, its was kind of dry.  But, when mixed with the yogurt and banana, the dryness went away and was just crunchy and filling.  This cereal mix kept me full for 4.5 hours (which is a record for me!).  I was impressed.  After the initial taking of the picture, I discovered that the original, for me, is best with some sort of flavored yogurt (I've used coffee, key lime, and vanilla).  It gives it a little bit of sweetness and flavor, but still has that hearty crunch I'm looking for when it comes to breakfast cereals (I dislike sogginess of cereal after its been swimming in milk or yogurt for a while).  So, all in all, I'd say it was a winner.

Strawberry:  By far, it was my favorite.  Just those added berries gave it a bit of sweetness and flavor the cereal needed to be consumed either on its own, or as part of yogurt bowl.  I enjoyed this one dry and with yogurt.  The flavor was the same...hearty, crunchy, and filling...and again, it kept me full for 4.5 hours.  This cereal option was a tad more caloric (I'm assuming from adding the berries), but sooo worth it!  I adored this flavor.  

Overall:  I loved the texture and crunch each cereal provides.  I loved the fact that you could pronounce the ingredients....and that you could recognize what each ingredient is!  I will definitely buy these when I go to the store.  Did you know that they are available at Walmart?  Well, they are.  Its nice to know a company is trying to sell products to us folks who can't afford to go shop at a high end grocery chain.  

Go out and try a box.  You won't be disappointed.  I'm sad I didn't bake with these...but with my next box, I will bake some muffins or bread out of it.  These 2 boxes just didn't stick around long enough to be baked.  =)

Thanks Attune Foods for the samples!  

**Note:  The opinions in this post are all mine.  I was sent the products to review in exchange for a post.  

Have a great Wednesday!
See ya'll Friday~
B