Peace Cereals

When the dog days of summer arrive, one of my favorite go-to meals is a simple, refreshing bowl of cereal.  No cooking is required; just a dish, a spoon and some icy cold milk.  Like many items on my grocery list, I'm prone to grab the same crowd-pleasing choices in the cereal aisle week after week (the fattiest granola I can find for the little guy, Honey Nut Cheerios for the big guy, Kashi Strawberry Fields for me), but that is boring and unsustainable!  Our taste buds demand variety, and so I was especially excited when Hearthside Foods sent me two boxes of their Peace Cereals to try and review on Sweet Mama Jane.

I received one box each of their Walnut Spice and Blueberry Pomegranate cereals.  All of the thirteen cereals in the Peace line are GMO-free and feature natural ingredients and whole grains.  We loved the two that we tried.  I am a sucker for any cereal with "clusters", which are featured in the Walnut Spice cereal.  While my mom always said that "comparison is odious", I must say that the Walnut Spice reminds me of a healthy version of Honey Bunches of Oats.  This is a high compliment, as I loved that cereal until I started focusing on whole grains and high fructose corn syrup free foods.  The flakes are tasty, but the ancient grain clusters are the the slightly sweet, slightly nutty highlight.  You have to love a breakfast this healthy that almost tastes like dessert treat.  The husband especially liked this cereal, so much so that its only downfall was that one box only lasted for two days in the house!  The little man has been enjoying the Blueberry Pomegranate cereal, as have I.  It achieves a balanced fruitiness without being too cloyingly sweet.  It also has little rice clusters throughout for a satisfying crunch.

The cereals are high in fiber, but don't have that cardboard-y taste of many fiber rich cereals, and they don't leave your belly feeling overly full.  They are both a bit higher in fat than those I usually choose for the husband and me (6 grams per serving), but that could also contribute to the satiety they provide, and some healthy fats to start your day are a good thing.  All in all, I'd highly recommend both cereals to add some variety to your morning routine.  I can't wait to try the other flavors (Raspberry Ginger and Vanilla Almond are kind of calling my name).  I love finding a new product I can add to the mix and feel good about buying.

Thanks to Hearthside for the delicious samples!