Three Cheers for Cereal !

I haven't done a Top Ten in a long while, so I thought today I'd pay homage to the humble box of breakfast cereal. I grew up eating cold cereal. My kids eat cold cereal (on a rotating basis with toast, English muffings, whole wheat waffles and fruit) - but most school mornings, mainly due to the time constraints and a sleepy mom - they eat a bowl of cold cereal and a banana. So, without further ado, here are my TOP TEN ALL TIME FAVORITE COLD CEREALS: (and I dedicate this list to my sis-in-law Audrey, who is the biggest cold cereal lover I know)

10. Lucky Charms - C'mon, you know you've done it. You've eaten all of the "healthy"cereal part and had nothing left in your bowl but floating marshmallow hearts, stars and moons at the end. And you know the tune too . . . fill in the blank: "Frosted Lucky Charms, they're magically __________ !" Who doesn't find a little joy in a spoon full of wet, slimy marshmallow shapes with an Irish leperchaun mascot?

9. Rice Crispies - I know they get soggy fast, but there is something strangely satisfying about a cereal that makes noise when the milk is poured on it. The key is to just eat them really fast to avoid the sog factor. I've also always loved the Snap! Crackle! and Pop! guys - they're like three brothers out convincing the world to eat cold cereal.

8. HoneyNut Cheerios - This goes way back to my childhood when I thought this cereal was a "Sugar Cereal". It was the only sweetened cereal my mom ever bought us. (Until Matt was an only child, which is when she went soft.) I still love a big bowl of these, and so do my kids, probably because they were a Sacrament Meeting snack for all three Lee Kiddoes in their infancy.

7. Honeycombs - Affectionately called "Yellow Cereal" by Soren, this stuff is like puffed air. I don't know why I like it. Every time I eat it, my stomach still feels empty. But I do enjoy it, and it tastes even better when I'm eating it sitting next to the RedDog, who claims it as his very favorite breakfast ever. (He doesn't get Lucky Charms very often, obviously.)

6. Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats - Loved the original for awhile, but then they stepped it up a notch and started offering flavors. This cereal is filled with fiber and at the end of the bowl I get a little pool of pink tinted strawberry milk! (Kinda like Cocoa Crispies or Cocoa Puffs, which give you chocolate milk, but I would NEVER buy those!)

5. Granola (any kind) - It tastes good for breakfast, on yogurt, or even on ice cream (if you're a freak and skipped the caramel and hot fudge). It reminds me of growing up in Germany where everyone ate Mueslix for breakfast. Also, it is the number one fave of the Hubby, so of course it is on my faves list too.

4. Raisin Nut Bran - Okay, now I'm getting down to it and it's a little hard to rank these last four. Mostly what I love about this cereal is the covered raisins. In fact, I would eat a cereal that was just the covered raisins and nothing else. But the almonds and flakes are good too. I'm always looking for this one on sale, since it and the three other cereals on left on the list are EXPENSIVE!!!!!

3. Quaker Oatmeal Squares - These are soooo good! There is the barest hint of brown sugar on these plump little squares. It's sweet, but I still feel like I am eating something sort of healthy. And they hold their crunch for a while - I can leave a bowl sitting when a kid has an emergency and come back to unsoggy cereal! A huge thanks to Audrey, who introduced me to this one.

2. Raisin Bran Crunch - A lot of my cereal likes have to do with my childhood. We had regular old Raisin Bran a lot growing up. Did my mom try to pass it off as a Sugar Cereal because the raisins were sweet? Maybe, but I didn't love it. But now, this cereal with the little crunchy clusters of oats - man is it good! I have been known to buy up to eight boxes of it at a time when I find it on a really good sale. Yum. Yum. Yummy.

1. Cracklin Oat Bran - (see picture of honor above) When I found this at Target this week for $1.50 off, I filled my cart. The Hubby saw it in the pantry and said, "We're going to be loving breakfast for the next little while!" As I sat down to eat my first bowl in a really long time (expensive stuff) Soren said, "Mom, why are you eating dog food?" It does. It really does look like dog food. And I don't care. It's crunchy, which is apparently a trend in my cereal preferences, it's full of fiber, it's just sweet enough and my kids don't want to eat it because it looks like dog food. I really, really enjoy sitting down in the morning to a bowl of this stuff. Don't ask why. Just accept.

Now loyal readers (or should I say loyal commenters) please, tell me what I've missed. What cereal do you love that I should try and maybe add to my list - keeping in mind that Rice Crispies will be the first to go.