Buy One or 200 Boxes of Cereal for the Same Price

In 2004, a small piece of 10 year old toasted cheese sandwich sold at auction for $28,000 making it the world’s most expensive toast. The toast was believed to have a depiction of the Virgin Mary burnt into the buttery pours of the sliced bread. You may be surprised by the overpriced leftover and you may also be surprised by the seemingly ridiculous prices of other items like breakfast cereal.

There is no known instance of a cereal box bearing an image of Jesus Christ’s mother, but people are willing to pay inflated prices for other icons that sat face-to-face with them every morning in years past. What started as a marketing experiment has grew into a billion dollar industry and now a collector’s industry.

For several decades cereal was simply a meal of condensed nutrition with barebones flavor. But in the 1930’s manufacturers experimented with catchy names, packaging and brand characters. For almost 50 years , people started their day with cereal and when the box was empty threw it away. In the 1980’s people started to recognize the nostalgic potential of cereal boxes and saved them for resale. Now, we find antique boxes for auction online selling for upwards of $500 per box.

Several factors play into the potential sales price of an antique box, but ultimately it depends on the rarity. A rare box was usually made before 1980 and the older the more rare. Boxes featuring characters and celebrities are more valuable, especially if that character had a short life.

The next time you visit your grandmother’s house check the dark crannies of her old pantry. Hope you find a Post cereal from the 1930’s featuring Walt Disney characters like Mickey Mouse or Cherrioats from General Mills featuring Cheeri O’Leary.

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Breakfast Cereal is an Ingredient in the Perfect Dessert

In the 2001 animated film featuring Mike Myers as the voice of a large green ogre named Shrek, a miniature donkey character played by Eddie Murphy said to Shrek:

What about parfait? Everybody loves parfait!

Parfait’s gotta be the tastiest thing on the whole damn planet.

It may be hard to argue with the donkey, because the term parfait is a French word literally meaning “perfect”. As you will see in the following instructions, any parfait is perfectly made as a result of the process.

An American parfait describes a dessert made with layers of ingredients. The layers typically consist of a base layer of flavored gelatin, cream, yogurt or ice cream separated by varying layers of other ingredients like granola, nuts, syrups and fresh fruit.

You probably have half the ingredients needed for a perfect parfait. If you have breakfast cereal, then that is it. Since they usually combine several flavors in themselves, breakfast cereal makes an ideal ingredient in parfaits. They are especially good if they are nutritious cereals from Serial Cereals. Regardless, you can add more layers with different ingredients, but all else you need is a nice carton of yogurt or ice cream.

Parfaits are normally served in tall clear glass, so that all the layers are visibly enticing to the consumer. Half the fun of parfaits is seeing the beautiful contrast of delicious ingredients stacked against each other momentarily before a spoon dives through.

When creating a parfait, it is best to start with a solid layer first. Breakfast cereal makes a great solid layer. Then, top the first layer with a dollup of yogurt of ice cream, so it settles against the irregular layer beneath. Top the yogurt or ice cream with another solid layer of breakfast cereal or other ingredient. Then place another layer of yogurt or ice cream on top of that. Repeat the alternating layers until your container can hold no more layers. Finally, top off your perfect creation with a swirl of whipped cream if it is available.

Your perfect parfait is complete. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty of your creation. Then, dive through every layer with the first deployment of your spoon!

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Easy 15-Minute Bird Feeder with Cereal

Children will love to know that song birds love breakfast cereal just as much as they do. To consume an afternoon of worthwhile activity and teach them about birds consider this simple birdfeeder project. With this easy project you will create a birdfeeder in only 15 minutes with a short list of affordable materials. It only takes 15 minutes! 1. Prepare the Bird Food Pour a bowl of breakfast cereal with holes. Traditional cereals like Cheerios will work just fine, but if you anticipate your children will eat some of the “bird food” then consider premium cereals like Cascadian Farms Honey Nut O’s or New Morning Fruit-E-O’s which come in Serial Cereals packages. 2. Prevent the Cereal from Falling Off Tie one end of the yarn to a pencil or pen or bend the end of the pipe cleaner 3. Load the Bird Feeder String the yarn or piper cleaner through the pieces of cereal until you run out of cereal or the bird feeder can hold no more. 4. Tie Both Ends If you used a pencil remove it. Then, tie both ends together completing the loop like a necklace. 5. Feed the Birds Hang your new birdfeeder outside in a place high enough and far enough, so that cats, squirrels and other animals cannot eat the bird food or catch the birds. It will not take long for birds to find this delicious meal and it will not last long when they do. Get your binoculars and camera to snap a few shots to post on the fridge. Have fun!

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Breakfast for Dinner on National Cereal Day in 7 Steps

In the late 1800’s William and John Kellogg completed the last round of laboratory tests in their Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. The result from countless rounds of mixing, baking, tasting and refining was the development of corn flakes that they called Sanitas Toasted Corn Flakes. Thousands of variations have been made from this original recipe, which finds its way into over 90% of American households in the form of breakfast cereals.

To commemorate the Kellogg’s invention we find National Cereal Day on American calendars. This special day lands on March 7 each year and offers us an opportunity do more than pour a morning bowl of cereal in a mad dash to work or school.

On this National Cereal Day consider an elegant dinner with family or friends featuring breakfast cereal. Put an asterisk next to milk on your grocery list the week before and grab a handle of high quality milk instead of your standard dairy. While you are there buy a few pouches of premium dried fruits or exotic nuts to use as toppings. And if you don’t receive premium cereals delivered to your door from Serial Cereals, then try to find something special amidst the plain options on the cereal aisle.

As you prepare your meal, place your cereal options in the center of your dinner table surrounded by nice bowls of the dried fruits and nuts with serving spoons. Transfer your milk from the carton to a nice carafe or pitcher. Then, dust off your rarely used china bowls and set one out for everyone with a large spoon. Let everyone make their own mixture, eat and repeat. Have fun!

1. Buy at least one premium cereal and a carton of premium whole milk.
2. Find or buy some toppings like dried fruit, candies and nuts.
3. Pour milk into your nicest carafe.
4. Place toppings into individual serving bowls with large serving spoons.
5. Place the breakfast cereal, milk and toppings at the center of your dining table.
6. Give everyone a nice bowl and spoon. Use your fine china if available.
7. Have dinner! Have fun! Celebrate National Cereal Day!

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Limited Edition Christmas Holiday Cereal Spin-Offs

In an effort to boost sales of baseline brands, several mass manufacturers of breakfast cereals have issued special limited editions. Christmas is one of those occasions for Kellogg’s, Post, Quaker and General Mills to change shapes, alter colors, introduce additives and redesign packaging of popular products. Here is a funny look at their efforts. See if you recognize any from years past and be sure that you will not find hyped spin offs like these in packages from Serial Cereals.

	Winter Fruity Pebbles A spin-off of Fruity Pebbles from Post where the traditionally multi-colored pieces where altered to only red and green pieces.
	Polar Crunch This limited edition variety of Captain Crunch from Quaker featured red and green pieces of “wholesome” sweetened rice cereal.
	Polar Express A limited edition cereal from Post based upon the 2004 animated holiday movie “The Polar Express”.
	Iceberry Pebbles A spinoff of Fruity Pebbles that consisted of sweetened rice cereal with artificial strawberry flavor from Post. The cereal pieces were green, orange, red and yellow featuring a snowboarding penguin on the box.
	Holiday Lucky CharmsA twist on Lucky Charms from General Mills where the marshmallow pieces were changed to red and green holiday shapes.
	Holiday Rice Krispies A variety of Rice Krispies from General Mills where some rice puffs were green a red.
	Ho Ho Holiday Rice Krispies A variety of Rice Krispies from Kellogg’s with green and red colored pieces.
	Holiday Fruit Loops A limited edition of Fruit Loops featuring red, green and purple pieces coated with white dots representing snow.
	Christmas Crunch A variation of Cap’n Crunch from Post featuring red and green “crunch berries”.
	Christmas Cookie Crisp A variation of regular Cookie Crisp where pieces were colored red and green with white dots representing snow.
	Beckrock Blizzard Cocoa Pebbles A limited edition of Cocoa Pebbles from Post featuring white dots called snow sprinkles.
	Winter Lucky Charms A variation of Lucky Charms from General Mills featuring marshmallows shaped like pine trees, stockings, candy canes, snowmen, ornaments, wreaths and presents.

Sources:

Mr. Breakfast – http://www.mrbreakfast.com

The Impulsive Buy – http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com

The Boxtop – http://www.lavasurfer.com/boxtop/boxtop-112.html

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How to Choose the Healthy Breakfast Cereals

“The cereal aisle is a long one, full of contradictions”, says Elaine Magee, MPH, RD. Over the years breakfast cereal has evolved from a food focused on nutritional content for meal replacement to a treat rivaling junk food. The selection you make for breakfast can make a difference in a meal full of nutritious content or completely devoid of it.

According to Sandra Affenito, PhD, RD, CDN, an associate professor in the department of nutrition at Saint Joseph College, Americans of all ages do not consume enough fiber and consumers should look for high fiber cereals made with whole grains. Whole grain cereals lower the risk of heart disease, reduce weight gain and raise BMI (body mass index).

The trick in choosing healthy breakfast cereals is to find those that are low in sugar, high in fiber and has no saturated fat or trans fat. Kristie Leong, MD states, “some commercial cereals are no better than better than a candy bar when it comes to sugar content”. So you have to be careful when choosing. Fortunately, services like Serial Cereals offer easy options for high quality cereals that are typically healthier compared to commercial alternatives from Kellogg’s, Post and General Mills.

Sometimes the most nutritious cereals are lacking in flavor. One way to spruce up taste while adding proper nutrition is to pick cereals mixed with dried fruits and nuts. Alternatively, you can top you favorite cereal with your own assortment of nuts and fruit, both dried and fresh. Serial Cereals offers tasty cereals in their Fruit & Nut package.

To recap, look for breakfast cereals and granolas that are high in fiber, low in sugar and are low in saturated fat or trans fat. Be sure to check the nutritional facts on each box for the nutritional content and ingredients. Rather than wasting time at the cereal aisle you can view nutritional facts at Serial Cereals website. There you can save even more time with sugar, fiber an protein adjusted to a 1 cup serving size.

Eating for Two? Cereal is a Clue

For some women pregnancy is a free pass to feast on anything that satisfies newfound cravings, and an excuse to classify previously forbidden treats as a craving. Why not? After all the baby on board needs that extra food to flourish and thrive inside. Think again!

Surprisingly, a pregnant woman only needs an additional 300 calories per day. Consider that a snack compared to the average diet consisting of around 2000 calories per day. Betsy Berthin puts it this way, “It’s really just a snack. You’re growing a tiny baby, not an elephant.” To consume 300 calories you could eat 2 apples, 3 bananas, an avocado or half a pineapple. For more examples view a pictorial guide by clicking here.

The bottom line is that 300 calories is not very much. Editors at WebMD recommend higher quality food instead of high quantities of food. So instead of thinking your baby needs a pint of “death by chocolate” ice cream after dinner, choose quality foods packed with nutrition that your baby will benefit from. Look for opportunities to consume nutrients vital to your baby’s health like folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids.

With a lot of time devoted to reading baby books, doctor visits and nursery preparations the key is to find simple sources for these nutrients. A quality breakfast cereal is a great option for getting a variety of nutrients from various sources in one easy-to-eat package. Be careful when selecting cereals because not all are created equal in terms of nutritional value. Check the nutrition facts on the side of the box, or get premium options delivered to your door from a service like Serial Cereals. If you would like to research cereals online before your next trip to the grocery Serial Cereals offers an online view of nutrition facts, ingredients and nutritional breakdowns.

Colonial Corn Pops-America’s First Breakfast Cereal

Historically a product called Granula takes credit for being the first ever breakfast cereal, but was it?

In the 1860′s many people started their day with a hefty portion of pork or beef which led to Dr. James Caleb Jackson to develop a breakfast option easier on the stomach and digestive system. In 1863, a product composed of dense bran nuggets was invented and called Granula.  The nuggets were so dense they must be soaked overnight to make them soft enough to eat without breaking teeth.

Many historians credit Dr. Jackson and Granula for being the first breakfast cereal, but many people disagree.

Colonial families may have invented America’s first breakfast cereal. With milk, popcorn and sweeteners on hand Colonial moms served their kids a real bowl of corn pops. It was simple and easy to make.  They would pour milk over popcorn in a bowl then top with sugar or honey.

If that description has you licking your lips, then try it out. Popcorn.org recommends topping it off with dried fruit, fresh fruit or nuts.

Cereal

Serial Cereals Product Catalog Available Online

Serial Cereals launched a full feature product catalog on June 30, 2009. The online catalog allows customers to view in depth information about the products that are shipped with each package from Serial Cereals. A useful resource for any concerned consumer, the online catalog shows images, nutrition facts, ingredients and additional information for over 200 cereals and granolas.

To use the Serial Cereals online catalog:
1) Go to SerialCereals.com
2) Select one of the many packages available
3) Click the link to view a sampling of products for that particular package

Online customers can also browse the catalog by Bakeries

Introducing Serial Cereals

On April 1, 2009, the first cereals of the month club is now available to American consumers by the name of Serial Cereals.  Featuring premium cereals and granolas from the best bakeries, Serial Cereals delivers packages containing three boxes of quality cereals to your doorstep.  Packages are available in a variety of flavors and special dietary considerations.

Anyone looking for a super simple breakfast option should consider the wide variety of packages from Serial Cereals.  Imagine starting your day with a good meal from your pantry stocked with cereals and granolas you can trust.  It is all possible with a package from Serial Cereals.  Select from monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly deliveries to accomodate the eating habits of your family.

With Serial Cereals you can skip the cereal aisle, be confident in your breakfast and snacking options and start your day smooth with a wholesome meal. Check out the wide variety of packages now!

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