I’m trying to snack healthy at work; it’s something I’ve always tried to do. I find the mid-morning ther worst time for me. Breakfast has worn off and I feel like I’m literally starving…or as close to that feeling as I can imagine. I always keep packets of instant oatmeal at work, and a container of some homemade ‘trail mix’ which is basically seeds, nuts and dried fruit. I recently saw Quaker Instant Hot Cereal “Hearty Medleys” at the store and thought, OK I’ll bite, I’ll try this! I was expecting something more like a Red River type hot cereal of my youth- hearty, thick and somewhat old fashioned. It tasted like instant hot oatmeal so on that front I could have saved about 50 cents! But to be honest, the Cranberry and Almond flavour I had was pretty good. It had chunks of fruit and nuts I could actually see and taste. Once I added MY TRAIL MIX, it made up a fairly substantial, high fibre snack. But I couldn’t really tell the difference between the Quaker Hot Cereal *new product* and the tried and true Quaker Instand Oatmeal. So my thoughts to you are go and buy the plain instant oatmeal’s (not the ones laden with sugar) and load them up with your choice of healthy toppings and enjoy a good-for-you snack any time of the day.

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Yes, I say I am a cereal lover…I don’t hide this fact. Lately my cereal choices aren’t really that EXCITING because I’m exploring the world of bran. You heard right…Bran. I know it’s not exactly one of those sexy ingredients like say, quinoa or tapenade…but I need the stuff. I want the stuff. One of my fave companies, Natures Path Organic have a pretty simple cereal I happen to love. It’s called Smart Bran. I tried some while visiting a relative and while there are no bells and whistles, it’s just simply tasty. And tasty is good in a cereal! I loaded on fresh blueberries because they happened to be in season at the time and I looooove them…but I’ve even had it with plain raisins. It’s just that good. *Update: I just saw the Love Crunch granola and I so want it.*

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Holy Crap Cereal:  I’m soooo sorry to disappoint everyone who asks me about this cereal but I have NOT TRIED IT YET. Money is a little tight for me lately and I can’t justify this purchase right now. I usually get 1-2 questions a day asking me how it really tastes and do I recommend it? I would love to say “It’s great and yes I do!” but I honestly can’t. I can only go by what I’ve read online on their site, the fact the Dragons bought into it and other reviewers comments. I hope one day soon to tell you all how much I love it!

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NEW CEREAL REVIEW! The fine folks over at Kellogs sent e a FREE sample of a new cereal, FIBRE PLUS (Canada link w/ coupon) or visit the US site. I chose the Harvest Brown Sugar flavour, but was a tiny bit disapointed  because I swear I tasted maple and I loathe artificial maple flavour! But setting that aside…this cereal is GOOD. It stays cunchy in milk – huge bonus – and provides almost 25% of your daily fibre requirement in one serving. The shape is also unique; like little ‘pockets’, similiar to the shape of Corn Bran but smaller. There were little granola clusters mixed in, but honestly I didn’t get many of those. Maybe in the regular sized box there would be more…Overall, I would buy this cereal- and lucky for me the site has a $2 off coupon! Woooo!

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Kashi Go Lean Crunch: Now I’ve said it before and I stand behind these words…”I could live on this stuff.” It’s seriously tasty and it STAYS crunchy. It’s packed with tons of grains and has a light cinnamon sweetness to it. Just make sure not to get the regular Kashi Go Lean, the box must say Crunch…I’m not sure what happened with the regular one but it reminds me of what gerbil food looks like…and those little pellets in the Kashi (regular box) taste like sawdust. Do the Crunch and do it NOW.

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Vitalicious, the makers of VitaTops (thank you Tania!)…a chocolatey-goodness treat that is full of fiber, 100 calories a pop and oh, did I mention CHOCOLATE? Yes…I think I did. But seriously, it’s a smart little snack to have on hand as long as you eat it responsibly. (You know make sure and snack on fruits and veggies too!)