30 Comments
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Brooke Shorey's avatar

special K as a vehicle for consuming berries is delightful.

I'm also a big fan of great grains with raisins, dates, and pecans.

when I as a kid? Frosted Flakes.

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Maile Silva's avatar

Brooke, I love the idea of cereal as a vehicle for consuming other things. Muesli is my go-to, berry-bearing vehicle. And depending on the day, it can be my chocolate vehicle as well.

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Gigi's avatar

Frosted Flakes growing up was my favorite, but now its Raisin Nut Bran. Who am I ?

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Maile Silva's avatar

I hate to say it, Gigi, but you're a grown up. That's what happens. You get sensible, and your tastebuds follow suit. Fruity Pebbles was my favorite for the better part of my adolescence and early adulthood. And then I think my brain fully-matured. While I still enjoy a bowl (or two) of the pebbles, I'm even happier with a bowl of muesli now. I think my body is probably grateful for that, but it doesn't keep me from feeling like an old fuddy-duddy sometimes.

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Natalie Nyberg's avatar

My dad worked for Kellogg's as I was growing up, so that specific brand of cereal was always plentiful in my house, and my go-to cereal was Frosted Mini Wheats. In adulthood, my staple breakfast is toast and egg, but if I do return to cereal it's back to Frosted Mini Wheats or Raisin Squares for me!

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Maile Silva's avatar

I think having a parent who works for a cereal company would be most kids' dream come true! (I know it would have been mine:)

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Kristine Neeley's avatar

I love this idea!

I think Reese’s, Captain Crunch, and Apple Jacks are my fave. I found myself throwing a box of each in my cart (after YEARS of not buying cereal like that) the day our county called to say school was “closed for the weekend” when the first Covid case was reported in our area. It was like my brain went back in time thirty years for a bizarre form of comfort 🤣

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Maile Silva's avatar

Ha, Kristine! The things Covid drove us to, right?!?

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Holly's avatar

I do this during Eastertide with jars of Nutella! It always leads to too much bickering and sugar-high shenanigans to have regularly (plus it’s spendy), but as a special seasonally-bounded treat, it’s a winner.

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Maile Silva's avatar

Oh, Holly, my kids would definitely be down with that tradition. They love them some Nutella, but the only time I have it around is when one of them asks for Nutella crepes for their birthday breakfast. Then the jar lingers for a day or two and I see them putting it on absolutely everything and at every meal.

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Kendra S's avatar

This is brilliant! I love it. We got to splurge on sugar cereals on our week of family vacation as a kid. Lucky Charms was my fave, along with Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

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Maile Silva's avatar

Yes, Kendra, vacation is another great time to splurge with the sugar cereals!

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Annelise Roberts's avatar

I can’t really eat cereal anymore, but back in the day I really loved Honey Nut Cheerios — they’re just sweet enough that you can eat a lot of them 😆

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Maile Silva's avatar

Yes, Annelise, HNC is a solid choice. It walks that thin line between excusable and inexcusable cereals in our house.

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Melodie Davis's avatar

I love your fun and light writing style, it always surprises.

And hoping the agent who is taking a serious look surprises you one of these days. You deserve a publisher!

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Maile Silva's avatar

Melodie, you are too kind...but I'll hope along with you in regards to the publisher!

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MJ Lau's avatar

My childhood favorites were Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch – I often ate the entire box myself, and I have the scars on the roof of my mouth to prove it. Nowadays, I am borderline obsessed with Catalina Crunch (are we sensing a theme here?). Unsurprisingly, the chocolate peanut butter and the cinnamon varieties are my favorites, but I also enjoy the honey graham and dark chocolate flavors. The fruity one (which taste very much like Fruit Loops, actually) is acceptable only if there are no other options. Whichever one you choose, make sure you let it soak in the nondairy milk of your choice for at least 20 minutes before consuming—the crunch is quite intense otherwise.

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Maile Silva's avatar

Matt, you always show up here throwing new ideas at me. I've never heard of Catalina Crunch but now it looks like I'll have to search it out. And I will be sure to heed your soaking advice. I, too, have suffered the roof-of-the-mouth ravages of Cap'n Crunch through the years. Thanks so much for sharing!

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Eddie Becker's avatar

Pretty sure our teenage girls would be asking for a family-sized box of Pop-Tarts. They KNOW they'll never have those except on special occasions.

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Maile Silva's avatar

Eddie, I like this idea. If my kids every tire of the sugar cereal, I'm switching to Pop-Tarts. They always look at them longingly in the grocery aisle but dare not to ask. Thanks for a back-up!

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Lisa MacKenzie's avatar

I love the Easter cereal idea! I would choose original Cap'n Crunch - you know a cereal is good when it leaves a greasy film on the milk. 😋The orange cookies look delicious!

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Maile Silva's avatar

Lisa, you are absolutely right--there IS a greasy film on the milk after eating Cap'n Crunch! I'd never thought about it until reading your comment!

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Suzanne's avatar

What a fun idea!

I love Fruit Loops and Sugar Smacks (or whatever those sugary oat puffs are called). I don't buy sugar cereals often but those are my go-tos when I do.

I do enjoy Grape Nuts, but mostly as an ice cream topping.

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Maile Silva's avatar

I have never tried Grape Nuts on ice cream, but I wonder if I may need to give it a try. And, Suzanne, you're in the same boat as my mama--she loves Sugar Smacks!

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Melodie Davis's avatar

I was really onto Kashi cereal, but now they have gone and ruined my plain type with sweeter types which I don't like. So I mainly make my own granola now. I confess there were some years when I loved eating Capn Crunch along with our daughters.

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Natalie Nyberg's avatar

I am also bummed with Kashi's change. What's the point of having a "health food" cereal if you completely morph it into the usual sugary nonsense?

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Maile Silva's avatar

Too true, Natalie, too true.

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Maile Silva's avatar

I'm with you, Melodie. I usually eat my "compost muesli" while everyone else indulges in their sugar cereals. But every once in a while I let myself indulge in a big ol' bowl of Fruity Pebbles. And then I pay for it with a massive headache afterwards.

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Jody Allen's avatar

Such a fun read. My favorite sugary cereals are Fruit Loops, Crunch Berries, and Frosted Flakes.

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Maile Silva's avatar

Frosted Flakes are a staple at my in-law's house. Even when my kids are denied sugar cereal at home, they know they can get a FF fix at their meme's house. Thanks for sharing, Jody!

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