An Ode to Breakfast

In all my *cough* 38 years, I have only ever skipped breakfast if I have been too sick to eat.  In fact, I really cannot function without eating at least a small breakfast each day.  Some people need caffeine in the morning . . . I need my breakfast!  Since breakfast has been a trusted friend to me throughout my whole life and is now the same to my beloved family, I wanted to express my gratitude . . .

Ode to Breakfast

My dear breakfast, you never fail

To help my family's day start.

Whenever we feel tired and frail

You boost us body, mind, and heart.

You are so tasty, never boring.

Before school, soccer, and dance,

You make us each feel like a winner

When all our energies start soaring.

Anytime you have the chance,

I'd love your company for dinner.

All survey statistics come from the Kellogg's Breakfast in America Survey by The NPD Group (December 29, 2010 - January 24, 2011).

To find out more information and tips about breakfast and your family, visit LoveYourCereal.com.


This post has been written as part of a paid campaign through TheMotherhood on behalf of Kellogg.

Holiday 2011 Giveaway: Green Lantern Figure & 4 DC Super Hero Comics

Our nearly 8 year old son is no stranger to the members of the Justice League.  Between our 3 children, we have multiple Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman action figures, and now we have added Green Lantern to that collection.  One thing our oldest son has not experienced is the art of DC comic books.  He has read a small handful of children's graphic novels, but none of them offer the do-good action of the Justice League.

Our son's first four DC comics are exclusively found in specially marked boxes of Big G cereals.  Of the four, he said his favorite was #4 "Breakout!" because Aquaman and Batman prevailed against the bad guys even though they were outnumbered.  I like the fact that he is pleased when the good guys win.

If you think your child would enjoy these comics, for a limited time, you can find 1 of the 4 in each specially marked box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, Trix, Golden Grahams, Reese's Puffs, and Cocoa Puffs.  Your children can collect all four and trade with their friends to complete their set.

For more information about these DC Comic books, visit BigGCerealHeroes.com.

Product, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills and DC ENTERTAINMENT through MyBlogSpark.

Good luck in the drawing!

General Mills Star Wars Panoramic Cereal Boxes

We have Star Wars fans ranging from preschoolers to adults in our household and every single one of them thought these special edition Big G cereals featuring a panoramic Star Wars scene on the back were pretty darn cool.  These specially marked General Mills cereals are only available at Walmart and were created to remind everyone that Star Wars:  The Complete Saga is now available for purchase on Blu-ray.  Chances are that you have at least one person on your holiday shopping list who is a Star Wars fan.

The three brands of cereals included in this commemorative collection are Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Lucky Charms . . . 

Of the three varieties, it is a draw between Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch as the favorite among our three children.  I personally am a marshmallow-lover, so Lucky Charms gets my vote.

To learn more about General Mills cereals, visit Whole Grain Nation.  These specially marked boxes are only available at Walmart, where you can also purchase Star Wars:  The Complete Saga on Blu-ray.


Thank you to General Mills for providing a sample prize pack and product information through MyBlogSpark for us to base this review upon and for providing a second prize pack for our contest prize.

Good luck in the drawing!

My Photos (W/E 10-1-11)

Last week was the first time I missed a Weekly Winners post in quite a long time.  When I realized my photos folder was empty on Saturday night, I was too tired to do anything about it.  Shame on me!

Well, here's what I have to offer for this week . . .

(Click any photo to enlarge)

"Simple Pleasures"

"Staying Organized is Exhausting!"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.

Kellogg’s Breakfast in America Survey Results

It's been almost a year since a friend and I hosted a Kellogg's "Love Your Cereal" Breakfast for several of our fellow-parents.  During our mini-event, we learned about common misconceptions about breakfast cereals.  The discussion we had was quite engaging.  That is why I found some of the key findings from the recent Kellogg's Breakfast in America Survey to be quite interesting.



These are the results of the survey I found to be most relevant to families like mine and many of our readers . . . 

• While more than half (54%) of all adults would like to eat breakfast every day, in reality only one-third (34%) actually do.
• Nearly all moms (89%) want their kids to eat breakfast every day. However, 40 percent of moms report their child doesn’t eat breakfast daily.
• Although moms report a desire to see their kids relax in the morning and concentrate on eating breakfast, many kids are too busy watching television, getting their homework done or getting ready for school to do so.
• When asked about which vitamins/minerals they hoped their children obtained with breakfast, they both preferred Fiber (Mom’s 94% and Dad’s 99%). For Dad’s, the next most important was Protein (84%) and for Mom’s it is Fiber (84%)

To learn more about how ready-to-eat cereal offers a quick, nutritious, and convenient breakfast for children, especially during the school year, visit LoveYourCereal.com.


Thank you to Kellogg's for providing the information shared in this article.  No compensation was received for sharing this information with our readers.

Living Green With Jerinda: Design Your Own Organic Cereal with Me & Goji

Me & Goji is a unique and innovative company that allows you customize your own all natural cereals on their website. You can choose from hundreds of combinations of cereal to suit your needs and lifestyle. Me & Goji was nice enough to let me create and try out my own custom cereal, which I called “Choc-A-Lot Mix”. My mix included chocolate granola, wheat germ, cocoa almond, choco cranberry, choco goji, chocolate chips, cherry, coconut, acai powder, and flax and it was delicious! I had just enough chocolate flavor to offset the wheat germ, acai powder, and flax.  I wanted to have those included because they are very good for you. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like my selection, but it is very good. I have eaten it with milk as cold cereal and put it in vanilla yogurt to add a little heartiness to it. Even my kids loved it, which they didn’t think they would.

Me & Goji has so many creations and even ready-made cereal recipes to use, that you are sure to find something for anyone. Their fresh-made cereal tubes keep your cereal fresh and can be personalized with phrases, names, and pictures. They even offer a Cereal Club, where you can do an automatic shipment each month so you can keep getting their fabulous cereal.

Visit www.meandgoji.com to see all their cereal recipes and to create your own artisanal cereal. You can also find Me & Goji on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you to Me & Goji for sending us a complimentary product sample to base this review upon.

Moms Gather for a Kellogg's "Love Your Cereal" Breakfast

Last Saturday, a group of local moms gathered together to enjoy a little breakfast and some honest conversation about breakfast routines in their busy households. A good friend of mine was nice enough to open her home to these moms for this special event. I acted as the liaison between these moms, all with children of varying ages, and Kellogg's. Since the launch of their informational website LoveYourCereal.com, Kellogg's has made it their goal to clarify what are facts and what are myths about children's breakfast cereals.

The guests were served three different varieties of Kellogg's Brand cereal along with fresh blueberries, strawberries, yogurt, two types of juice, milk, coffee, and tea.

In addition to the above, the guests were offered two easy to make treats made from Kellogg's cereals . . . Dark Chocolate Pretzel Treats made from Rice Krispies and Chocolate-Dipped Almond Toast made from Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Apple Jacks.

After everyone got ready to sit down to enjoy breakfast, all the moms chatted about how crazy things have been since school began . . . from breakfast to the unpredictable school bus schedules.

Then we were joined by the Kellogg Company's Senior Brand Manager via Skype, who engaged this group of moms in an enlightening conversation about the nutritional and economic value of breakfast cereal.

The video below gives a sample of the dialog which took place between these real moms and the Kellogg's Senior Brand Manager . . .

Some of the surprising facts we learned:

• Children's breakfast cereal only comprises 5% of the average child's daily sugar intake.
• In general, children and adults who eat breakfast cereal have a healthier body weight.
• On average, the cost of one bowl of cereal served with milk is approximately 50 cents.
• Kellogg's is the company behind Kashi.
• Several varieties of Kellogg's children's cereal contains added fiber along with other nutrients.

To learn more about the studies and sources behind these facts, visit LoveYourCereal.com .

This event was part of a paid campaign for TheMotherhood.com on behalf of the Kellogg's Brand Company, who was nice enough to provide the goodie bags of swag and informational booklets for our guests to take home.

Easy Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Almond Toast (Fall Colors)

I recently had the challenge of coming up with a recipe using breakfast cereal. You know me . . . if it is not easy to make, then it is unlikely that I will make it. So I came up with these tasty treats that anyone can make. All you need is a mallet, a microwave, and some wax paper. I chose Kellogg's Apple Jacks and Frosted Flakes cereals to use in this recipe because I thought the colors would be great for Fall. For a colorful confetti look for a children's party, you could use Froot Loops or for Christmas colors, you could use just the red and green Fruit Loops pieces. I do want to point out that the oat cereal does not remain crunchy in the final product, but the flakes do.

Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Almond Toast (Fall Colors)

INGREDIENTS:

Stella D'Oro Almond Toast (approximately 18)

8oz Dolci frutta microwavable chocolate

2 cups Kellogg's Frosted Flakes or Apple Jacks cereal

Step 1: Pour the breakfast cereal into food safe storage bag. Lay the bag flat on a cutting board. Hold the opening closed with one hand. Use a mallet to break the cereal into crumbs-size pieces. Pour the crumbs into a flat-bottomed bowl.

Step 2: Microwave the chocolate, following the instructions on the package. Be sure not to overheat the chocolate.

Step 3: Tip the container of melted chocolate slightly and dip one end of an Almond Toast into the chocolate, covering the entire tip on all four sides. Then press the chocolate-covered portion of the toast into the cereal crumbs, coating the entire tip and all four sides with crumbs. Place on a sheet of wax paper to harden.

Step 4: Repeat Step 3 with the remaining Almond Toast.

Once chocolate has completely hardened, store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Rice Krispies Treats Recipe Challenge

I was invited to take part in a Rice Krispies Treat Recipe Box Challenge! Along with 9 other moms, I received a mystery package in the mail, which included a clue. My clue was "rice". After all 10 moms collaborated, we came up with the clue . . . "Make your Rice Krispies Treats Recipe an after school conversation starter." So this was my challenge. I already had it in my head to make Rice Krispies Treats with crumbled chocolate-covered pretzels. Doesn't that sound good? Well, then I found out that, for this particular challenge, I was required to use a fruit or a nut, so I altered my plans and swapped my pretzels for chocolate-covered peanuts instead, so that I could keep that salty sweet taste combination. Perhaps I will try the chocolate-covered pretzels as a party favor for my Kellogg's Mom's Breakfast I am planning for later this September?

Recipe: Salty Sweet "Interrogative" Rice Krispies Treats

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp butter or margarine

10oz package of white mini marshmallows

6 cups of Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal

(2) 3.5oz boxes of Goobers (chocolate-covered peanuts)

2 or 3 colors decorating gel

Step 1. In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the butter or margarine over low heat.

Step 2. Add mini marshmallows and stir continuously until completely melted and blended with butter.

Step 3. Add 2 cups of Rice Krispies cereal and then 1/3 of the chocolate-covered peanuts. Repeat this 2 more times.

Step 4. Remove the pan from heat. Then stir until the cereal and chocolate-covered peanuts are completely coated with the melted marshmallow.

Step 5. Transfer entire mixture into a 13" x 9" baking pan, casserole dish, or plastic storage container coated with nonstick cooking or baking spray.

Step 6. Using a folded piece of wax paper, press the mixture into the pan, packing it as evenly and tightly as possible.

(Click on any image to enlarge)

Step 7. Allow the pan of Rice Krispies Treats to cool completely before cutting into rectangles approximately 3" x 2".

Step 8. With your decorating gel, write one interrogative word on each rectangle, using only words that can be used to begin an open-ended question (a question that cannot be answered with a "yes" or a "no").

Store your treats in an airtight container. It is best if they are consumed within 2 days or so. (Please do not serve these treats around any child that may have a nut allergy.)

When serving these Salty Sweet "Interrogative" Rice Krispies Treats to your child, have your child select the treat they like. Then you are allowed to pose one question about their day starting with the word on their treat. Invite your child to have seconds so you can ask another question. To make it fair, choose a treat for yourself so that your child can ask you about your day too.

I was inspired to create these treats because getting details about my own children's days are like trying to extract military secrets. If this is true with your children, I hope this tactic will help get your after school conversations going.

Our treats were served while still slightly warm because I crumbled under the pressure of 3 adorable children asking, "Are they ready now?" Even though my oldest was skeptical about peanuts in his Rice Krispies Treats, there was a general consensus among all 3 children that the treats were "Yummy!"

To find more fun recipes, visit the Kellogg's Recipe Box. If you end up trying this recipe, I would love to know how both the treats and the conversation turned out.

This has been a paid campaign led by TheMotherhood on behalf of Kellogg's Rice Krispies brand cereal, who also provided product for us to create this recipe and for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a pair of Kellogg's cereal bowls.

Limitations:

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing. If you have won this prize on another site during this campaign, you are not eligible to enter. Please click here for official contest rules.

How to Gain Entries:

Leave a comment telling me a question you would ask a child to learn more about his or her day at school. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2)

For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND Rice Krispies Recipe Box Challenge . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4)

For 1 extra entry each, if you are a Friend of mine on Facebook and/or if you have "liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 1 extra entry, "Like" Kellogg's Rice Krispies on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

6)

Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7)

Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8)

Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9)

Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10)

Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

<br /> <a href="http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd206/Busymonkeez/Graphics4Me/NEWBlogButton125x125.jpg" /></a><br /> <br />

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

BlogHer 2010: Kellogg's Mom Breakfast Club Event

One of the events I was most looking forward to at BlogHer 2010 was the convening of the members of the Kellogg's Mom Breakfast Club with representatives of Kellogg's Brand Cereals. This meeting marked the launch of Kellogg's new website LoveYourCereal.com, a site designed to educate consumers on the benefits of, as well as the misconceptions about breakfast cereal.

This breakfast took place in the Jean Nouvel Building on W. 20th St and 11th Ave. This high rise of luxury condominiums is constructed of glass and steel and is still under construction. We were extremely fortunate to be able to enjoy the view of both the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty from this penthouse space.

I hope you'll enjoy these photos from this memorable event . . .

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

Meet the Kellogg's Mom Breakfast Club Team Members:

Amanda of Mommy Mandy

Audrey of Mom Generations

Caryn of Rockin Mama

Cooper of TheMotherhood

Elizabeth of BusyMom.net

Emily of TheMotherhood

Jennifer of Mom Bloggers Club

Julie of Mommie Cooks

Karen of 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires

Liz of This Full House

Melanie of ModernMami.com

Nicole of Momtrends

Robyn of Robyn's Online World

Tricia of Once a Month Mom

Vanessa of ChefDruk Musings

It is an honor to be part of the same team as these outstanding bloggers.

The Kellogg's Mom Breakfast Club is a paid campaign led by TheMotherhood.com . Thank you to TheMotherhood and Kellogg's for a wonderful breakfast, cereal samples, cereal bowls, and an exciting kick-off to this campaign.