August 30, 2010 (Updated March 9, 2023)

A Cereal Rut

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

70 comments

Well, it’s official. I’m in a cereal rut.

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Every time I go to the grocery store, I tell myself I’m going to try a different kind of cereal. And then… there’s a billion kinds of cereal and I don’t feel like looking through them to see what’s not massively sugary and gross… so I just buy my favorites.

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Oh, Kashi. How I love thee. My favorite bowl is about two parts Heart to Heart to one part Honey Sunshine. Topped with a sliced banana and berries.

Clearly I’ve gotten this down to a science.

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Breakfast is the one meal where I can eat the exact same thing day in and day out. When I was living in Prague last year, their cereals were all really sugary and processed (plus, I couldn’t read any of the labels to find out what wasn’t), so I decided Banana Oatmeal was the way to go.

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I literally had the same bowl of oatmeal, every single day, for almost the entire 9 months I was in Prague. Sometimes on the stovetop, sometimes in the microwave, but always:

  • Oats
  • Milk
  • Cinnamon
  • Sliced Banana
  • Frozen blueberries, added in half way
  • Yogurt and ground flaxseed, added in just before eating

I began to really look forward to my morning bowl of oats, although I found it didn’t really hold me over as well as my cereal creations. But it was comforting to have a bowl of something hot before heading out in the cold, gray weather.

But the second I came home — back to cereal it was.

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I’ve tried to break free, and even had a few brief flings with almond butter breakfast bars, pancakes, scrambled egg muffins, green smoothies, and omelet(tes), but I always come crawling back to cereal.

I need your help. What’s your favorite kind of cereal? If I’m going to be obsessed, at least I can try some different kinds. And if you don’t like cereal — what’s your favorite breakfast? Are you in a breakfast rut? I need some new ideas! 🙂

…

I have a busy day ahead — heading out shortly for a run (it’s beautiful out!) and then off to school from about 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Whew! First I have a lab/working session for Bio Statistics, and then from 3 to 8 is the first day of lecture and lab for my Food Science and Preparation course. I’m excited! We get to wear aprons during lab instead of lab coats 🙂

Have a great Monday!

Breakfast + Brunch Oatmeal
- anne

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70 comments
  • Jessica
    I love the Kashi Honey Sunshine! But I also really love Puffins or Peanut Butter Bumpers. So good! Have a great day at class - it sounds fun!
    Reply
  • katie didit
    You should go to Trader Joe's...a bunch of different healthy kinds there. There's one in Chapel Hill off of Franklin Street/15-501 (there are entrances on both sides).
    Reply
  • Lee
    I like cereal but am in a different type of breakfast rut. I eat an egg sandwich (egg, slice of cheese and sometimes a Morningstar Farms sausage patty on an Arnold's thin) like every morning. I just really like them!
    Reply
  • diana@mymarblerye
    do you like puffins? how about mixing a 1/4 cup of delicious cookie crisps with your regular cereal? Okay...I'm the devil
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Haha I do like puffins, but I've only had the peanut butter kind. I'm not sure about the cookie crisp, lol. I really don't like super sweet cereal!
      Reply
        • Anne P
          Heh is that a triple dog dare?! I might just have to take you up on this challenge... ;)
          Reply
  • Tina
    I feel ya on the rut! I get into food grooves too where I just won't eat anything else and don't feel like working to find something new that I love just as much. Lunch is where I tend to do it. My breakfasts do tend to be a variation of oats of some fashion or a wafflewich with egg and veggie sausage and tomato.
    Reply
  • Estela @ Weekly Bite
    I wish I could help you with your cereal rut.... I love all the Kashi stuff too! Kashi Triple Berry Crisp is my new favorite :)
    Reply
  • Evan Thomas
    Last week I ate the same combination of banana, oatmeal, Vega smoothie, and hemp milk at least 10 times. I ran out of vega smoothie I did it so much.
    Reply
  • Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman
    I'm in a breakfast rut, too. I eat pretty much the same bowl of oatmeal every day--and have for the past three years. I eat at my desk, so I need something I can make at work with only a microwave. I used to really look forward to my oatmeal, but now it's just something I eat in the morning. Kind of boring. Thank goodness for weekends that bring variety.
    Reply
  • Anne @ a daily slice
    Breakfast (and cereal) are my favorite meal!! I love to make a breakfast burrito with lots of veggies and egg. For cereal, Special K Vanilla Almond is my favorite!
    Reply
  • Michelle
    haha that's exactly like the schedule i'm going to have this fall :( does it feel like you have absolutely no free time?
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Well, I'm lucky that all the classes are packed into Mon, Tues, and Thurs. So while those days are going to be super long, I have Wednesday and Friday off for the most part to catch up on homework, blogging, etc.!
      Reply
  • jackie
    Breakfast is my absolute favourite meal, so I'll tell you my favourites. 1. Ezekiel English Muffin. Take 1tbsp of almond/peanut/sunflower butter and mix it with however much you want of organic non-fat yogurt. Mix them together really well, so you have a healthy fat/protein spread (greek is best) and then your english muffin tastes creamy and delicious. Feel free to adjust portions. Also, sprinkle with cinnamon! 2. Trader Joes high fiber cereal mixed with kamut puffs (amazing) and tons of fruit and even of synergy cereal if you wish. 3. Yogurt and oatmeal. Sense a trend? Either steel cut or rolled oats cooked with a little bit of vanilla, I always add pumpkin spice or cinnamon with a little bit of pumpkin puree sometimes. Ways a huge dollop of yogurt on top with frozen blueberries to melt until the hot oatmeal. Drizzle almond butter on top. 4. Overnight rolled spelt oats. Soak overnight in almond milk and spices, wake up and douse with chopped nuts/berries/nut butters/a drizzle of maple syrup if you wish!
    Reply
  • Lindsay @ The Ketchup Diaries
    Totally unoriginal, bt Cheerios are the way to go. You can add just about anything to spruce them up and they never disappoint. Although I've never had it, I've heard he Kashi Autumn Harvest (I think that's the name) is to die for! Oh, and I've been into the Van's frozen multigrain waffles...top one with cottage cheese and berries and the other with peanut butter, honey and cinnamon. Yum! Hope that helps :smile:
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Ooo I like the waffle ideas! I will try that :)
      Reply
  • Jayna @ Healthy Living Bites
    I'm a big fan of the Envirokids Peanut Butter Panda Puffs- they get extra bonus points for staying crunchy throughout the entire bowl!!!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Crunchy is KEY! Nothing worse than soggy cereal.
      Reply
  • Matt
    My two favorite cereals are Nature's Path Maple Sunrise and Peanut Butter Panda Puffs. Give them a shot :)
    Reply
  • Britt
    I am a cereal fanatic. Like you, I eat the same combination every single morning, though I switch it up every few months. Currently, my boyfriend has me hooked on Whole Foods 365 Honey Crunch and Oats. It's amazing and I have it in the same container as Kashi Whole Wheat Puffs. I always top it with: slivered almonds, chia seeds & 1/2 a peach. It's my favorite meal of the day :)
    Reply
    • Jessica
      Yes!!! Whole Food's 365 brand of Honey Crunches & Oats is like the healthy (happy ingredient) version of Honey Bunches of oats! You must try :) Puffins are always another go-to of mine, and lately i've been loving on the kashi strawberry fields!
      Reply
  • Renie
    I love your enthusiasm about school. I love steel cut oatmeal topped with cranberries, walnuts, cinnamon. I also love Cheerios with blueberries and 1/2 banana. On the weekend I splurge with a Renie McMuffin (scrambled egg,cheese and one slice Canadian bacon). Egg scrambled in microwave, English muffin toasted in toaster oven and Canadian bacon cooked with Pam in electric skillet.
    Reply
  • Heather C
    That "Honey Sunshine" looks like Just the thing to have a Rut with - I don't see a problem ;) My go-to is banana + pb + agave oats! Rarely changes - pancakes/waffles will make a weekend appearance now and then, or greek yogurt pops in for a visit.
    Reply
  • Kelly
    I can totally understand your rut, every time I go to look for new cereal that same thing happens! Its really frustrating when I really feel like I want to try something new but I take so long to try to make a decision that I end up just going with the same thing I always do. My go-to cereal right now is the original Special K.
    Reply
  • Owen
    I like raw oats, multigrain cheerios, 2 table spoons of mini chocolate chips, Handful of favorite dried or fresh fruit I like strawberries, and two scoops of low carb protein powder. Just add milk, and shake in a Tupperware container to mix the protein powder. It is my own creation, but a breakfast high in protein and some good carbs.
    Reply
  • Dorry
    I love cereal, too. I go through boxes of it so quickly that it shocks Billy - hhaha. I love Puffins - original, peanut butter, cinnamon. And I love GoLean (not the crunch, just the reg). There are many others but those are some my current faves. Always with banana or strawberries. :)
    Reply
  • Lauren @ 40Apples
    If you think 9 months is bad, try the 2.5 YEARS I spent eating the exact same bowl of basic oatmeal!! Haha how lame am I! Oats, banana, chia seeds, period. Just in the last year I've started branching out... but I find that a not-so-great breakfast is HUGELY disappointing (especially when I COULD have had my all-time favorite instead!), so I have to keep my "experimenting" kinda reigned in. But I have been getting back into cereals lately... my faves: Trader Joe's Morning Lite, Kashi GoLEAN Crunch, Kashi Heart 2 Heart, Uncle Sam's with berries.
    Reply
  • Marci
    I definitely agree that so many good sounding ones are full of calories and sugar. I love Heart to Heart too, and often pair it with Fiber One or Uncle Sams. Mostly for the fiber boost, and so low in the bad stuff. And I don't like mixing with milk, so I always put in yogurt. I also like Kashi Go Lean Crunch paired with Fiber One.
    Reply
  • Maren
    I love cereal, I can never just have one bowl. It's a problem. My two favorites (and all others can fall off the face of the earth, in my opinion) are Post's Honey Bunches of Oats and Kashi's Autumn Wheat!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Everyone seems to love this Autumn Wheat cereal... I need to try it! :)
      Reply
  • Beth @ DiningAndDishing
    I'm a big fan of Kashi Go Lean Crunch. It's quite hearty and filling and still healthy - which is pretty much all I ask of my cereal :).
    Reply
  • Katheryn
    I love cereal, but it doesn't hold me over at all. Unless I eat 6 bowls! For breakfast I usually trade off between oatmeal, green smoothies, or eggs with spinach and kale.
    Reply
  • Leah
    I eat cereal every morning too. I'm with you, I don't like ones that are too sweet. I love Nature's Path Heritage Flakes, Post Shredded Wheat and Bran, and plain old Cheerios. I like them with Silk Almond Milk and raisins, and sometimes a sprinkle of raw oats!
    Reply
  • Jean@RoastedRootsandPumpkinSpice
    I'm pretty much the same way. I always like to have oatmeal and/or yogurt every morning. I switch up on the toppings though, and usually use granola instead of cereal. I like starting my day off with a runny semi-liquid breakfast, so I tend to avoid pancakes, waffles, eggs, etc.
    Reply
  • Laurab @ foodsnobstl
    You should try Kashi Go Lean or Go Lean Crunch. I am a fan of smoothies, t turkey bacon and eggs too.
    Reply
  • Lauren
    I tend to gravitate towards the same cereals too, but my favorites are Millet Flakes and Kashi Go Lean. I always mix about 3 different kinds into one bowl to make it more exciting.
    Reply
  • Kris S
    I like Kashi Autumn Wheat. It's like Frosted MiniWheats but.. no frosting! touch of cinnamon instead :)
    Reply
  • Olivia @ Blissful Runner
    I'm a HUGE fan of Grape Nuts (though my grocery store also sells the generic and Kashi's version--I get whatever is cheapest). Sometimes I'll have a bowl of just those crunchy little nugats, but usally I add them as a topping on my oats. I love the texture and it's not sweet at all!
    Reply
  • DHP
    That's a great rut to be in! Looks terrific. Hope the run and classes were great, too!
    Reply
  • Tay
    I get in cereal ruts too - same things for months and months, and then can't eat it again. Not sure if I'll be much help, because those are 2 of my fave cereals as well! I also love Kashi Golean, Cinnamon Life. Trader Joe's has some good kinds as well - their high fiber cereal, and then some cinnamon swirl thing. I'm more of a yogurt mess person with fruit, yogurt, nut butter, and maybe a tiny bit of cereal for crunch!
    Reply
  • S @ extremebalance.net/blog
    I can't call it a rut because I never get tired of it... but I eat a bowl of 1/3 All Bran Buds + 2/3 cup Kashi Go-Lean with 1/2 c berries on top (and chia seeds if I have them). But if I go out, all I want is WAFFLES!
    Reply
  • Katharine
    I'm in a BIG breakfast rut. Lately nothing is appealing when I get up, so I love reading these comments for new ideas!
    Reply
  • Elli @ 16 and Losing It
    I'm always in a breakfast rut! I don't want to have to think about what to have fro breakfast! I change it up every so often but I can have the same breakfast 6 days a week for months! Right now its Kashi GoLean with dried cranberries, blueberries, and a drizzle of honey. Delish!
    Reply
  • Mara
    I love the original Puffins or cinammon Puffins. But I do love Kashi as well, i'm going to have to try that honey sunshine. And I love cereal...eat it every day. My son, who is 8, can finish off a whole box in the morning before school if I let him. We **heart** cereal!!
    Reply
  • K
    My favorite breakfast for the past 6 months or so is greek yogurt with fruit (blueberries, strawberries, peaches- whatever I have on hand) and low fat granola from trader joes! If I get plain yogurt I sometimes add a little honey.
    Reply
  • Kerrie
    I go for a serving of Kashi Go Lean and a 1/2 serving of the new Quaker Oatmeal Squares (the blue box) with blueberries and milk. I liked the Honey Sunshine but I felt like there wasn't much to it. I like the protein in the Go Lean.
    Reply
  • Heather
    Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Kashi Island Vanilla and Cheerios are my faves...
    Reply
  • Annie@stronghealthyfit
    I had cold cereal for the first time in awhile today- I mixed Kashi shredded wheat with Kashi go lean and loved the combo! I like your choices too- Heart to Heart is my fav. Kashi cereal :-)
    Reply
  • Erika @ Food, Fitness, & Fun
    I cannot eat the same thing everyday. I never even have the same thing two days in the row! Haha! I do have cereal every once in a while and my favorites (in no particular order) are Fiber One, Honey Bunches of Oats, Kashi Go Lean, Special K, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. <3 :-)
    Reply
  • Tanya @ Life with the Kummerows
    Hey! I just found your blog via the front burner! So my favorite cereal of the moment is Puffins. Any flavor! But I always love any granola soaked in almond milk! I can't wait to hear more about your program at Chapel Hill. That is a program I have been looking at and someday may decide to do! Thanks for your blog its great!
    Reply
  • Laura (Blogging Over Thyme)
    My favorites are a mixture of Nature's Path multigrain flakes, Kashi puffs, and some of those fiber worm-like lookin cereals! :) The mixture adds a lot of texture and fun change with each bite, so it's worth the extra effort. I also love English Wheetabix (which you can now find here) with a little bit of sprinkled brown sugar on top. Yum yum! My only vice is that it gets soggy too quickly.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      I always want to love Wheetabix, but I can't get past the almost immediate sogginess!
      Reply
  • Adventurer
    Yes, I'm in a rut with you -- though not in one that's quite as healthy: a pop tart (not frosted, though) and fruit! Will try your solution... :-)
    Reply
  • Pavla
    Hi Anne, I am from the Czech Republic so I know what you mean about sugary cereal. I have trouble finding ones that have less sugar (the best bet are honey nut cheerios...) although there are some new ones on the market that I think you would approve of. Whenever some of my friends go to the States I have them bring me American cereal. These are usually boxless bags of crumbs after the journey but still delicious. Right now, I'm enjoying Kashi Honey Sunshine (delicious) and Kashi Island Vanilla (in which I really cannot taste the vanilla :-( ). P.S. I've been reading your blog for a while and love it!!!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Hey Pavla! Where are you in the Czech Republic? How fun! I miss it there, except for the sugary cereal... and goulash ;)
      Reply
      • Pavla
        I'm with you on goulash even though I'm native! I live and work in Brno, I've lived here all my life except for few years when I lived in the States. It's nice to know someone from the blogworld knows this little country :-).
        Reply
  • Sarah @ Sarah's Shaping Up
    I think I've been in a breakfast food rut in general here lately! :/ I've been eating dark chocolate vita muffins and a banana for the past month or so it seems and it's definitely starting to get a little stale. I need some variety in my life stat!
    Reply
  • SallyH
    First visit to your site (from The Front Burner) and I love to talk breakfast! My fav cereal is Nature’s Path multigrain flakes with flax served with blueberries and almond milk. My second favorite (I've gone thru 3 boxes lately) is a suggestion from KathEats: Quaker Oatmeal Squares. Also good with blueberries & almond milk. I do eat oatmeal bowls, but I can barely eat them two days in a row. Very heavy to me. I also like Nature's path flax waffles or Van's multigrain waffles as a quick to-go breakfast.
    Reply
  • marykate
    i've never posted before (i don't think...) but i've been reading and love your site! i am in love with cereal (perhaps to a fault) and my (current) favorites are weetabix (i agree it's too soggy in milk but i love it in yogurt and on top of smoothies!), kashi golean crunch, archer farms high-fiber cereal, ezekiel 4:9 whole grain cereal, chex, and 365 brand peanut butter puffs. i have far more cereal than that... but those win. well, if i didn't care about health it'd be cinnamon toast crunch, all the time :-p
    Reply
  • Ben
    That first picture of the blueberries in the bowl is great! Nice depth of field. I think if you find a way to take more pictures of your food with an interesting backdrop that is farther away (allowing separation of the subject [your food] and the background) you'll get more visually interesting pictures! I know that's not an easy task when you're taking photos by yourself. Maybe you should hire a hand model to hold all your food. Especially the oatmeal. Bare hands.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Haha Ben, would you like to be my hand model?
      Reply
  • CookTeen
    Fiber one is really good mixed with special K with strawberries and either puffed brown rice, kamut or corn :)
    Reply
  • maren
    i LOVE cereal too! could eat it any time of day. i have some various favorites, depending on what i'm in the mood for i guess, more/less hearty or crunchy or whatever: Trader Joe's Oat n Wheat Bran Swirls (similar to Cracklin Oat Bran which is also delish), Zoe's Granola, Cinnamon Life, PB Puffins, homemade granola, Kashi U... hmm im sure there are more but those are all yummy!
    Reply
  • Anonymous
    It IS kind of expensive, but at http://www.meandgoji.com/ you can make your own custom cereal and have it shipped to you. You can even customize the can it comes in. There are about 15 servings per 21oz cereal-tube-thingy (check out http://www.meandgoji.com/Images/Design/cereal-comparison.png) , and they're $10-$15 for the premade recipes. I haven't ordered it myself, but it looks awesome. There are also other websites where you can order custom chocolate bars (!), like http://www.chocomize.com/ ....... as well as options such as.... Custom Ice Cream/Gelato (not sure how they ship this...?) at http://www.ecreamery.com/
    Reply