Tag: Cheerios

What is Multi Grain Cheerios with Real Strawberries Cereal?

As we gear up for New Year Resolution season, General Mills is coming in hot with a new version of the popular Multi Grain Cheerios. This variety of the 5 grain, lightly sweetened cereal includes bits of real (freeze-dried) strawberries.

How is it?

As a larger person who grew up in the 90s, I am no stranger to the boom that happened in the category of “diet cereal.” I vaguely remember when General Mills introduced Multi Grain Cheerios, but we weren’t a cereal family, so I don’t recall ever having it. That being said, I was interested in trying this variety. I’m a fan of Special K with Red Berries (strawberries) and was curious how this would stand up to that.

Upon the first sniff, it smelled like…well, really nothing. However, the overall taste was quite good. The oat and grain flavor of the cereal itself is perfectly serviceable (albeit a little bland), but the added fruity sweetness of the strawberry pieces made the flavor far less boring.

Speaking of the strawberry pieces, they were small enough to blend well with the familiar O-shaped cereal that allowed for an even distribution of flavor in each spoonful. Oftentimes with cereals that have extra elements, the ratio tends to be off. But in this case, they were perfectly balanced; just enough strawberry in every bite.

My only real complaint would be that, by the time the strawberries rehydrated, the cereal itself was far soggier than I personally care for. Letting the strawberries rehydrate in the milk certainly makes their flavor much more pronounced, so it was almost worth the trade-off.

Anything else you need to know?

According to the General Mills website, these are a permanent addition to the Multi Grain Cheerios line. The nutritional stats of this and the original Multi Grain Cheerios are almost exactly the same.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a new cereal to add to your morning rotation or possibly to get a kick start on those resolutions, this feels like a good option. It’s nice to see a little variety with this line. If this sells well, it could potentially lead to more Multi Grain Cheerios flavors. Fingers crossed for the return of the Berry Burst Triple Berry Cheerios under the Multi Grain brand.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 11.5 oz box
Purchased at: Winn-Dixie
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/3 cup) 140 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

What is Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey?

Debuting as the second member of the brand’s Oat Crunch family of cereals, Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey features honey-sweetened clusters of multigrain Cheerios and whole-grain oats.

How is it?

One thing’s for sure – General Mills really nailed the crunch factor here! I personally have never found regular Cheerios to be particularly lacking in the texture department, but this variation definitely has an edge in terms of crunchiness. It’s not quite on the level of Cap’n Crunch, but it’s certainly got enough heft to it that holds up well in milk.

The oats are bound to the Cheerios themselves using a delicious coating of sugar and honey. This causes the formation of little cereal and oat clusters that have a striking similarity to granola, making this perfect for topping yogurt.

Taste-wise, Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey isn’t much to write home about. It’s much more muted than its cinnamon sister cereal, but still not bad in its own right. It comes across as notably less sweet than Honey Nut Cheerios, which I found rather odd considering both variations have about as much sugar as one another on a gram-per-gram basis. But that’s part of what makes it a great option if you’re in the market for a hardier breakfast that’s not going to cause a 10 a.m. sugar crash.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Calorie counters should remain conscious of their portion size here since this cereal’s similarities with granola don’t end with its consistency. A single serving of this has more than twice the calories and fat than most other members of the Cheerios family, and it’s way too easy to power through two or three servings in a single bowl.

Conclusion:

If you’re in the market for a cereal to hold you over until lunch, or if you’re looking for something a little more wholesome to top off parfaits, I’d say to give Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey a shot. If nothing else, you can always use it as an excellent base for homemade trail mix.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 15.2 oz box
Purchased at: Food Lion
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 230 calories, 5 grams of total fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of total carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 15 grams of total sugars, 15 grams of added sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

What is Limited Edition Toasted Coconut Cheerios Cereal?

Fall might have begun on September 23rd, but it seems like neither the weather, nor General Mills got the message that summer is said and done. Promising to pack a tropical, toasted coconut punch, and sporting an island-inspired motif, Toasted Coconut Cheerios are here for a limited time only to bring the beach to your breakfast bowl.

How is it?

Unassumingly similar to Honey Nut Cheerios in size and appearance, the main aesthetic setting these toasted oat o’s apart from their famous predecessor is the slight coconut-y aroma. Even so, it’s quite light, and I can easily imagine sleep-deprived individuals overlooking it while they devour a mound of whatever cereal falls out of their cabinet, eagerly awaiting their initial fix of freshly-brewed caffeine.

Falling in line with their subtle coconut scent, these Cheerios are similarly light on any kind of tropical taste. There’s a slight hint of it if I chew slowly – intentionally – and really hunt for it, but it doesn’t really jump out at me and make me recognize that I’m eating anything more unique than, say, Frosted Cheerios.

Even so, I don’t really fault General Mills for that. I imagine tackling coconut is tricky business in food science. Too little flavor and nobody will even taste it; too much and the resulting creation could become more reminiscent of a bottle of sunscreen than of the famous hard-to-crack drupe. For once, I actually applaud General Mills for exercising restraint, as I thoroughly enjoyed being able to finish a box of coconut-flavored anything without getting sick of how they taste.

Is there anything else you should know?

Eating these in a bowl of regular milk erases any and all coconut flavor to be had, but recent innovations in the non-dairy milk industry have got coconut-lovers covered. Just substitute your normal moo-juice with any one of the countless coconut milk beverages in your grocer’s dairy cooler to boost this cereal’s flavor.

Conclusion:

Even though I liked Toasted Coconut Cheerios well enough, I just can’t seem to get behind them enough to give a solid recommendation. Maybe they’re not eclectic enough to stand out against Cheerios’s other offerings, or maybe they were released after my interest in summertime seasonal flavors waned, but I think I’ll probably stick to Honey Nut Cheerios from here on out.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 10.8 oz. box
Purchased at: Food Lion
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 110 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 65 milligrams of potassium, 23 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 9 grams of total sugars, 12 grams of other carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.

What are Blueberry Cheerios?

After decades of Honey Nut and the occasional new flavor of Cheerios, it seems like we’ve gotten at least 20 new varieties in the past couple years, with Blueberry being the latest to hit shelves.

How are they?

Blueberry Cheerios are not quite up to snuff with the previous fruit inspired flavors, but that’s not to say they’re bad.

First off, the scent is pitch perfect. I bet you could name this cereal in a blind sniff test with no hesitation. The cereal pieces appear to be caked with a purplish dust with little bits of actual pureed blueberry.

The flavor is not as strong as I expected. The first few bites give you a quick blueberry hit, but it soon fades as the dust dissipates into the milk.

There are no artificial flavors, which I assumed and appreciated. That said, when it comes to blueberry, I think I prefer a regrettable sugary start to my morning. This is the adult’s Blueberry Toast Crunch, which is odd considering a toddler could master the games on the box.

Is there anything else you need to know?

It’s almost two cereals in one. You start with purple o’s and white milk, but within a minute you have an almost normal looking bowl of Cheerios floating in a purplish run-off.

The milk ends up being the tastiest part as the cereal pieces get blander. I drank the second half of the bowl, cereal pieces and all.

Conclusion:

I’ve tried most of the fruit Cheerios (Banana, Peach, Berry, etc.) and I honestly think they’re all superior. Blueberry is still a solid cereal, but I’d put it near the bottom in terms of Cheerios flavors.

I know we’ve had Fruity Cheerios in the past, but I would love a “Fruit Medley” mix consisting of all the previously mentioned flavors. Blueberry would make a great supporting player.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 10.9 oz
Purchased at: Shop Rite
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup) 110 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 125 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.