cereal killer.
if you have been reading my blog for longer than, oh, i don’t know, three days, then you know i have a slight obsession with cereal.
friends, i am a cereal killer.
not to be confused with a serial killer.
(swoon.)
like holly, i grew up eating bowl after bowl of cereal. our pantry was always full of at least 7 kinds of cereal. in junior high, i purchased the individual servings of cinnamon toast crunch from the a la carte line for lunch. when i lived in london, the hostel i lived in had complimentary rice krispies and corn flakes every morning.. i ate cereal for breakfast every day the whole time i lived there.
even today, at 27 years old, i eat cereal for multiple meals each day. in fact, i had two bowls of cereal yesterday. for my after work snack and for dessert last night. aren’t you glad i didn’t blog about all of my meals yesterday?
i often claim my favorite food is ice cream, but if i had the choice to eat only one thing for the rest of my life.. the answer would definitely be cereal. hands down. i am addicted.
when i was offered the chance to review three sisters cereal, you know i jumped at the opportunity. when the box of cereals arrived, i didn’t want to tell marshall what was inside. i am greedy. i wanted all of the glorious cereal all to myself.
first off, let’s talk about the brand.
three sisters cereal is sold exclusively at whole foods. they have a variety of cereals that will remind you of your childhood AND current favorites. but the difference between the cereals you are familiar with and three sisters cereal is that the three sisters cereal is all natural. that’s right—no phony flavors. their packaging even says so!
another cool thing about the company is that they use less packaging. just bags—no boxes. it reminds me of the malt-o-meal packaging.. only the cereal it contains is much better for you 
here is what the packaging says about packaging:
three sisters cereal is powered by renewable wind energy.
now.. onto the good stuff.. the cereal.
first up: cinnamon sweets.
if you are thinking “cinnamon toast crunch”, you are right. three sisters cinnamon sweets taste identical to cinnamon toast crunch.
how do i know? well, we happen to have some cinnamon toast crunch in my house right now, and i did a side-by-side taste test. i promise, buy the cinnamon sweets and you won’t miss any un-natural ingredients that you’d find in chef wendell’s cereal.
the fine print:
next up: marshmallow oaties.
these are like lucky charms.. but way, way, way better. i will be honest: i don’t love lucky charms. it’s the marshmallows. they are just weird. crunchy, dry, and then once they hit the milk they are slimy and too sugary. when my only option was lucky charms, i would just pick out the marshmallows and eat the cereal bits. to my satisfaction, the three sisters marshmallow oaties has much more oaties than marshmallows.
it wasn’t as hard to dodge the marshmallows! marshall has been eating these every day (yes, he got his hands on my precious shipment of cereal) and his review is: “these are way better than lucky charms! they got taste better. and healthier. and better. they are really good.” haha—thanks for the thorough review, marsh.
the fine print:
side note: any cereal that has the serving size as “1 cup” makes me smile. a serving size for me is actually around 2 cups (seriously.) so when i see serving sizes as “1/2 cup” or “2/3 cup” i just shake my head in disapproval. one cup is substantial.. unless you are a cereal killer, like me, then you gotta double it
next up: sweet wheat.
this is probably my favorite of the three cereals i received. the reason for this is that i prefer cereals that have just a hint of sweetness. sure, i am not picky, i will eat frosted flakes, fruity pebbles and cocoa puffs until i explode.. but if i have a choice, i gravitate towards the plainer cereals: bran flakes, original cheerios and—yes—frosted mini wheats. so naturally, i was excited to see the three sisters sweet wheat cereal on my doorstep.
a nice, fiber-filled nugget with just a sweep of sweetness on top.
the fine print:
only three ingredients. i like that.
you may have noticed that both the sweet wheat and the marshmallow oaties contained gelatin. i knew that the marshmallow oaties would (because of the marshmallows) but i have to say i was surprised to see that the frosting on the sweet wheat cereal was made from gelatin. this was news to me. i checked out the label on the frosted mini wheats box at the grocery store and it, too, contained gelatin (along with high fructose corn syrup..not necessary). i am not vegan nor vegetarian, so i am okay with eating gelatin.. but i just wish something else could be used it its place. i am sure those of you who ARE vegetarian check your labels religiously.. but just giving a heads up that these two are not vegetarian. the gelatin is derived from pork, as noted on the three sisters FAQ page.
that sums up the details on the three kinds of cereal i received for review.
while i could have poured each cereal back into the respective bag after photographing each one for this post.. that would have just been too much work. right?
breakfast.
i am not only a cereal killer, i also like killing multiple cereals at once. a serial cereal killer, if you will. i am a compulsive cereal mixer. why have only one kind when you can have three?!
some cereal purist have looked down on me for my mixing ways.. but i promise, once you try it, you will never eat a single cereal by itself again.
what can i say? i killed it.
guilty as charged.
Qs~
1. what was your favorite childhood cereal? what is your favorite cereal now?
2. are you a cereal purist or do you mix your cereals? do you top your cereals with anything aside from milk? speaking of milk, what kind do you like in your cereal?
clearly i could talk cereal all day.
xo. janetha g.
disclaimer: i received three sisters cereals free of charge for review on meals & moves. all opinions stated were my own and i was not compensated for my review in any way. for more information on three sisters cereal, check out their facebook page.
meals & moves 
I love their cereal. But I won’t buy a cereal that has less than 1 cup serving, just think its wrong. hehe. So not much granola in our house for that matter. I LOVE PUFFINS!!! Oh and KIX!! So crunchy and well, puffy.
:)
Dexter… hot. Even if he is crazed :D
Those cereals look gooood.
love three sisters!! i reviewed them recently as well!
omg i LOVE shredded wheat!!! ahh I even love them a little soggy, they are so good when it hits the milk!
I am not a huge fan of lucky charms either for the EXACT same reason as you…I just could never fgure it out…they were crunchy and small and tasted nothing like marshmellow! BUT cinnamon toast crunch and shredded wheat…BRING IT ON!
I have seen those cereals at whole foods, awesome review!!
The reviews on these cereals are AWESOME. I feel the need to try them. I love that they are healthier versions of the classics. As a child, Captain Crunch was my favorite (we were only allowed to have this at my grandmas house). Through my teen years, I used to a frosted mini wheats fiend and now I love quakers puffed rice. But you really can’t go wrong with cereal.
Here’s my issue…no matter how healthy a cereal claims to be or by what healthy brand a cereal comes from each of these all contain WAY TOO MUCH SUGAR! Sugar is the main reason why America’s waistlines keep on growing and growing. As a nutritionist, I can tell you that for someone on a 2000 calorie diet…32g of sugar a day is reccomended. So the serving size for EACH of these cereals has 10+ grams of sugar…that’s PER SERVING! I’m sorry but no matter how health friendly a cereal or company claims to be this is completely WRONG to put copious amounts of sugar in their product. I get so upset because people think they are making healthy choices and really these aren’t. Think of parents who see this cereal and think they are making a good choice because it comes fromWhole Foods and it “all natural”…so sad.
That’s a really good point, Kelly! Thanks for your comment. I usually try to buy things that have 7 grams or less per serving. In fact, as I said in my post, I prefer the cereals that aren’t very sweet. That’s why sticking to homemade muesli is the way to go most days. I didn’t know that the recommended grams for a 2000 calorie diet was 32g–I think I need to tell Marshall that (he drinks 2 or 3 sodas a day.. at 40g of sugar a pop, that adds up!)
I do think that sugar is jsut not good for you. But, I mean, a little sugar in some cereal isn’t going to hurt ME. I don’t eat sugar in tons of other places and if I want a sweet cereal with a little sugar–I’ll take it!!
But, for people who eat cereal plus tons of other sugary things during the day–yes, it does add up!
Yeah…32 grams for a 2000 calorie diet. That is roughly 8 teaspoons. Anything that has 5 grams or less of sugar per serving will NOT spike blood insulin levels…so I tell my clients to look for foods with 5 grams or less. It is much more difficult than one would think! Sugar is a sneaky little substance and it can show up in a lot of places. But food companies are sneaky and don’t always write sugar on labels. Here are code names for sugar:
Agave Nectar
Brown Sugar
Corn Syrup
Demerara Sugar
Dextrose
Fructose
Galactose
Glucose
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Honey
Invert Sugar
Lactose
Malt
Maltodextrin
Maltose
Maple Syrup
Molassess
Panocha
Rice Syrup
Sucrose
Sugar
Treacle
Sorry I don’t me to be preachy…I am just kind of passionate about the whole sugar issue. I can (and do) make the arguement all the time that sugar is the culprit behind our obesity crisis. Sugar is so much more dangerous and addicting than fat. So many people are on these low fat diets…but when you look at labels you will find that lowfat and fat free foods always contain more sugar and empty carbohydrates than their full fat counterparts. We haven’t gotten bigger and bigger these last 30 years from fat but by following low fat diets enhanced with tons of sugar. I just feel like sugar is so overlooked. I didn’t mean to lash out at you or anything….
I could never think you were being preachy Kelly ;)
hey kelly :) does sugar from fruit count in the 32 gram total? if so, i may even need to cut down on my fruit consumption!
Just like most foods, not all sugar is created equal. The good sugars that you don’t need to worry about are the ones that occur naturally in foods and also supply key nutrients. Examples include:
•Low-fat milk (skim milk, soymilk, 1% low-fat milk)
•Fresh and frozen fruits (apple, blueberries, orange, pineapple, strawberries, banana, cantaloupe, etc.)
•Most Vegetables (carrots, tomato, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, cucumber, etc.)
Those sugars are good…it is the processed (or not natually occuring) sugar that is bad. With that said, I usually advise only 2 fruits a day and more vegetables. Fruit sugar is not the bad sugar but in excess is can still cause insulin levels in the blood stream to spike. Kind of the same with fats…I mean we all know that almonds and nuts are are a good source of healthy fats but in even healthy fats in excess aren’t good for us. Make sense?
mmmmm dex. my fave cereal as a kid was life cereal. before i cut grains out of my diet i loved cinnamon harvest (ala kashi). now i make my own faux cereal with ground flax or porridge with warmed pumpkin and chia
Those cereals sounded great, except for the fact that the cinnamon sweets contain maltodextrin, which is basically MSG. That gives me really bad migraines and I don’t know why companies insist on using the stuff.
My favorite cereal growing up was probably Cocoa Puffs. Now, I stick with Barbara’s Puffins. It is one of the FEW cereals that don’t contain MSG or “natural flavors.” Sometimes I will mix those with some organic shredded wheat. Yummy.
That cereal looks awesome.
I’m definitely a cereal monster. If I don’t have a boy, I’m always like…wow, I don’t have ANY food :)
So I am totally weird and love dry cereal or cereal with greek yogurt but that’s it. I’ve never been a fan of milk in my cereal. Gets too soggy! Unless it’s Kashi Go Lean and it is so hard it almost breaks my teeth…
That cinnamon crunch is calling my name! I need to try! YUM. Now all I want to do is eat cereal. I love Captain Crunch and peanut butter puffins the most.
Do you remember that Cookie cereal? That looked like tiny chocolate chip cookies? I used to really like that. Gross. KIX was also a favorite and still is. And cheerios.
OK I could talk about cereal all day too obviously. NERD
I’m the same way, i love dried or with greek yogurt. people used to tell me that was “eating disorders” but I learned many people eat it dry! I like it dry, like my humor!
First, thanks for including my man. ;)
—my fav cereal growing up was apple jacks, frosted flakes, fruit loops and golden grahams!
and yes–I love mixing cereals now!
My parents didn’t buy the “sugary cereals” but they did let me get mini wheats (to them, at least it had a decent amount of fiber) toasted oatmeal squares, and of course, cheerios (plain! not honey nut). I never liked milk as a kid, so my parents let me have chocolate milk with it or orange juice (i know, gasp, but its actually really good with certain cereals!). I dont have a problem with cereals having too much sugar, sometimes, I like it as my dessert!
I used to mix cereals all the time cause I was so indecisive about which one to eat! but I would get really OCD about it and I’d always have to have the perfect ratio of each cereal as I was eating it. Anyhow, this got to tiring for my brain, so now i stick to one. I like it dry but i sometimes have it with yogurt or kefir and cinnamon.
Mmm I want some cereal now! Those Cinnamon Squares are calling my name – must go to WF!
As a kid I liked shredded wheat and cheerios. My mom didn’t buy sugary cereals so I’ve never had an affinity for the uber-sweet stuff. Occasionally we’d have life, but that’s as sweet as we got haha! As for mixing, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t!
Have a great weekend Janetha!
This post made me crave cereal so I just went upstairs and had some for a snack! I love mixing cereals too! My favorite childhood cereal was Blueberry Muffin Tops. Now my favorite cereal would have to be Oatmeal Squares! Have a great weekend. Oh and P.S. no I didn’t get to go see Tosh when he was here…we were out of town. Did you go?
Mmm…cereal. I’m a cereal fanatic as well! In fact, as I browse blogs this Saturday afternoon, I’m munching on a mug full of my husband’s sweet cereal (this week it’s Reeses Puffs). Nom. :)
For serious cereals, I love Nature’s Path Red Berry, and Puffins…really…any flavor of puffins. LOL And I have an unhealthy obsession with Cinnamon Toast Crunch or any variety that’s similar. As a kid, though, I stuck with cheerios (honey nut and regular), frosted flakes, etc.
I am kind of a cereal purist…I don’t like mixing mine! But I do love them with milk (except Oatmeal Squares, and Cheerios on occassion, which I adore dry). I’m a 1% milk kinda gal :)
I don’t have a Whole Foods anywhere within 100 miles of me, but these cereals still look delicious! ;)
GREAT review, J! Those look amaze. My fave cereals as a child were cap’n crunch and cinnamon toast crunch. What can I say? I’m a crunch girl.
Now I LOVE puffins… and kashi go lean crunch. yum!
I like to mix my cereals, sometimes. Sometimes I like a whole lots of one thing. Usually I use almond milk or greek yogurt to mix!
xo
Kris
You are so funny… cereal killer! The cinnamon one looks delish! I love CTC, but I prefer a healthy alternative. Nowadays I only eat plain Cheerios or Puffins… Puffins are my FAV!
Okkkkayyyyy, so jealous of the lucky charms/frosted mini wheat-esque ones. Was never a CTC fan, but I am really wishing I had the other two!
my mom used to mix my cereals and it drove me bananas. now i am a mix master!
aaahhhhh! what a great post because 1) i could TOTALLY live on ONLY cereal, i love it so much – if i was stranded on a desert island with one food, it would be cereal 2) i mix multiple types together all the time; a good bowl MUST have at least four cereals in it at once 3) i often have more than one bowl at a time, too!
have not heard of this brand…are they in canada?
now, i have cut back due to the high sugar and sodium content of my favourites…but there is still nothing like cereal!!!
thanks for the fun read, janetha! and so glad you are such a fan, too!
mixing cereals are the bomb! i like cinnamon quaker oat squares, puffins, shredded oats, go lean crunch…..so delicious :)
I used to LOVE Lucky Charms as a kid. I actually tried out the marshmallow oaties over the summer and LOVED them too, but I’m disappointed to hear they have pork gelatin in them…I guess I thought a healthier version would find a different way to do it!
You crack me up. :) I’m definitely a huge fan of cereal, too. I haven’t been eating much of it lately, though, and I think that has to change. I’m more of a cereal purist. I think its a texture thing. I have weird texture preferences and consistency is one of them. :)
I grew up LIVING on cereal!! I posted this on holly’s site when she did her review. I grew up in MN the land of General Mills and the groc stores there are hotboxes for every kind of brand new off the presses cereal and it’s a taste tester market so my mom would buy anything latest and greatest.
I did love the marshmallows in lucky charms, i am not surprised you thought they were too sweet tho :)
Good old fashioned multi grain cheerios i think sustained me…for years…after sports practices, at night, during the day, i grew up addicted to cereal!
I wonder if all that gluten is why I can’t eat it now…food for thought…the high high amt of gluten i consumed sensitized me for a lifetime, I ponder this always….
I would CRUSH that bag of cinnamon sweets! I think my favorite cereal growing up was Golden Grahams. Now, it’s probably kashi go lean crunch, but seriously, it’s still golden grahams :)
just to clarify, by “crush” i meant, take it to the face, eat the whole thing, pour it down my throat. (not to be confused with crushing it up into smithereens for no reason)
Yes! I always enjoy cereal posts because I too am a cereal killer. Grr.
1) Favorite cereal as a child was definitely fruity pebbles. Favorite cereal now is probably honey nut cheerios with sliced banana.
2) I am a chronic mixer, guilty as charged. I prefer mixing three cereals at minimum to amplify the flavor experience. And as far as milk goes, I most often use skim but also enjoy the taste of light vanilla soy and unsweetened vanilla almond depending on the cereal.
i was a fruity pebbles girl, too! yabba dabba doo!
There is NOTHING better than cereal with ice cream!! (or pudding/yogurt)! I love mixing it in!!!! This made me crave Cinnamon Toast Crunch so badly! Great review!
Barbara
i looove cereall!! i wish i could get my hands on this cereal….for free, of course :]
I’ll admit it. I’m a cereal killer too!! I also LOVE to mix cereal together. I usually have a bowl of cereal every night before bed, and it almost always involves mixing cheerios with a sweeter cereal! :)
That is ridiculous that 3 Sisters uses gelatin. I can understand in the marshmallow cereal, but why does shredded wheat need it? And for that matter, marshmallows can be made vegan. I’m sure there’s an alternative. I only say ridiculous because I wanted to try the cereal but now I don’t think I’d be able to with the knowledge that is has gelatin! Oh well, more 3 sisters cereal for you, I guess?
Mixing cereal is the way to go!
Until I got married, I didn’t know that you weren’t SUPPOSED to eat cereal out of a large mixing bowl. Thanks, Dad. :)
i just got those cereals to review too…after reading all the sugar comments though im not as stoked. hmmm…i guess ill see for myself. i was a cereal freak growing up too. wait. i still am. i just know better now and dont buy them so often because i eat entire boxes as a single serving.
im already drooling thinking of the cinnamon toast crunch…
hope you like the pumpkin banana bread (but i know you will)
oh and i forgot to comment on dex. im so freakin’ obsessed. starting season 3 soon!
Ooh! Lovin the looks of these cereals. I grew up in a family of three sisters, so it’s inevitable that I try them sometime, right?
Favorite cereal as a child was probably Honey Nut Cheerios or Kix. So good, particularly together–which answers your other question–major cereal mixer here.
I will have to check out three sisters cereals. Trying to stay away from anything but fiber one cereal at the moment. I am using Almond milk in my cereal.
Mixing cereal is awesome!!!
I’m going to have to check out this brand of cereal! I love cereal. I could eat it by the box-full. I used to eat a couple of servings for dinner no problem and was totally content. I generally eat it dry, but if I use milk it’s 1%.
Lucky Charms and Honey Nut Cheerios are my two favorites. I actually used to eat Lucky Charms whenever I would come into work hungover or exhausted (and would drink a 20oz Diet Coke on the side…holy sugar overload!). I mean, they ARE magically delicious (and full of crap, but delicious).
I haven’t been eating it as often because it doesn’t fill me up quite like oatmeal or egg sandwiches or yogurt and granola…but I may have to go pick some up.
In my group of friends mixing cereals is called “cereal suicide.” It is my fav way to enjoy cereal. I currently have a mix of Raisin Bran, Kashu GoLean, Cinnamon toast Crunch, multi grain cheerios, sliced almonds, dried blueberries, and sunflower seeds. I enjoy it with a banana sliced on top and milk. YUM! Cereal is the best!
OMG, I’m a cereal killer too, and that cereal you reviewed looks AWESOME!! Makes me want to eat some cereal right now. I love to mix mine up and add chopped nuts and berries. I could eat cereal at every meal too. I try not to eat it too much though, because I find it’s hard to stop when I do! I definitely have to watch my portions — I could eat bowl after bowl after bowl as well….
These days we are eating a lot of cereals found at Trader Joe’s, because it is around the corner from us, and we love’ em Whole Foods is all the way in Manhattan, so not as convenient. My son is a cereal addict too, so I have to make a distinction between “snack cereal” and “breakfast cereal”. He knows the difference. Right now the snack cereal we have is Cocoa Pebbles. I don’t want to deprive him like my mom did— and probably contributed to my addiction to cereal!! For breakfast he loves Trader Joes High Fiber O’s with chopped up strawberries. For some reason he eats his cereal without milk just like his dad. They are crazy. Ok that’s a novel. I can talk cereal forever too!!! :)
It’s not the same, but as a healthier alternative to chocolate cereal, I’ll eat some TVP with some stevia, cocoa powder, and milk, and it is totally close to Cocoa crunchy cereal but not as sickeningly sweet and higher in protein!
I will say, even though I love marshmallows I do not enjoy lucky charms. I just cannot approve of fruit flavoured marshmallows.
1. Favourite cereal growing up was Cinnamon Mini Buns. But my mom refused to buy it. I grew up eating Just Right, which as a child, was horribly boring. Favourite cereal now is any kind of granola. Something that gets a little crumbly in milk, but still big and chunky. No Kashi Go Lean Crunch, too hard.
2. Cow’s milk scares me. Vanilla soy milk all the way.