Thinking Outside of the Box Tops

This week's cereal is my all-time favorite.



Raisin Bran Crunch is good for you, or at least, it makes you think it's good for you which works for me. Unlike other cereals that are good for you, this one tastes really good and is fun to eat. There is a raisin surprise in every bite, and the granola clusters are sweet but not overpowering. The granola (as well as perhaps a light sugary coating) is the difference between regular RB and RBC, which is important to know because it's important to know what is in your food. The original Rasin Bran is also good, but I never buy it anymore because why would I? It's all about the clusters.

I find that two medium-sized bowls is the perfect amount, because I feel full but not puffy or sick. Sometimes, I will also add a little of my own granola (Vanilla Almond at Fred Meyer or the #1351 bin at New Seasons) for extra fun.

Since we're focusing on Raisin Bran and its derivatives, I think it's a great time to share some tips from a very dear friend of mine, Omar Jones. Omar was lactose intolerant as a child, and this obviously limited his cereal options, or so he thought.

Mom had the answer: orange juice! Yes, OJ! Omar tells me that orange juice is a very tasty accompaniment to the following cereals:

Rasin Bran
Corn Flakes
Special Honey Bunches of Oats
any granola

You'll see that Raisin Bran and granola of any sort are both on the list, so RBC is an obvious OJ-approved choice! However, one should be weary of OJ and any of these cereals (Omar's OJ, No Way! list):

Cheerios
Count Chocula (*sadly, they no longer manufacture this classic, delicious cereal. A favorite of mine well into adulthood.)
Frosted Flakes
Frosted Mini-Wheats
Froot Loops
Lucky Charms
Rice Krispies
Life Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Omar also cautions readers to stay away from Grape Nuts, OJ or not. He says, "I would not put orange juice in grape nuts only because it would be a waste of orange juice. There may be uses for grape nuts, such as soaking up oil spills, or acting as emergency kitty-litter, but eating them even pisses off starving people."

You will have to sample these on your own. I cannot weigh in because I no longer enjoy orange juice. I used it as a chaser to mushrooms and/or whisky a lot in college and now it tastes like either of those things to me. Also, I have never tasted Grape Nuts but am now not eager to.

Feel free to discuss. Do you have any fun cereal tricks? How do you feel about Grape Nuts?