I have a new love in my life. A totally new product that hardly no one has heard of.
It’s called Bran Flakes.
Last week I was making a new crockpot recipe, Sweet & Saucy Meatballs, and it called for “all-bran cereal.” So I put that on the shopping list, and Sir Monkeypants bought me a small box of Bran Flakes.
Then I went to make the meatballs, and I thought, ew, flakes of pure bran? Do I really want to be feeding this kind of crap to my kids? Wouldn’t it be better to replace these with something more nourishing like Cap’n Crunch or Froot Loops?
So I tried one, just to make sure it didn’t taste like sawdust. And it did not taste like sawdust.
Rather, it overwhelmed me with waves of pure deliciousness. Then I ate handful after handful before I finally had to stop myself so that I would have room for dinner. Although to tell you the truth, the Bran Flakes were better than the meatballs.
The next morning I got up and I eyed the box of Bran Flakes and I remembered that Mrs. Carl Sagan has them like, every morning for breakfast, with frozen blueberries added. And hey, what do you know, we had some frozen blueberries in the freezer! So I threw some in the bowl and heated them up, then put in the Bran Flakes, and some milk, and voila…
Best. Food. Ever.
I’ve always thought if I were ever on death row, that my final meal would be either my mom’s lentil soup, with tea biscuits and marbled cheddar cheese on the side, or perhaps some Kraft Dinner with chips on top. But now, there’s no question. I’d want it to be Bran Flakes with blueberries. Did you know that the blueberries turn the milk a superfun purple colour? It’s like a party in my bowl and everyone’s invited!
When I was in my final year of university, I lived with SmokingToaster, and she was a Bran Flakes fan. She used to buy the really, really big boxes and have it every morning, and when she finished a big box she’d put the empty box up on top of our kitchen cabinets until the entire kitchen was encircled like a four-year-old’s birthday party with a Bran Flakes theme. University guys have piles of empty beer bottles in their kitchen, with fruit flies buzzing around them, like a monument to debauchery. We had a neat circle of Bran Flakes boxes in our kitchen, like a monument to regularity.
It’s a little hazy but if pressured, you could get me to confess to the fact that I may, MAY, have bugged SmokingToaster about the Bran Flakes a little bit. I may, MAY, have accused her of being an old lady. A really, really regular old lady.
I’ve been having Bran Flakes every day, sometimes twice a day, since last week. Now it seems I am a really, really regular old lady.
TurtleHead 
I may have to try these Bran Flakes. I tried All Bran and just couldn’t eat them. Do they stay fairly crisp for a while? I hate mushy cereal.
Are you sure you’re not thinking of me and not Mrs. Sagan? I’ve been having that for breakfast for a few years now. I think I was eating it even when I lived with you guys.
Anyway, Fitness is constantly toting this as the breakfast of champions (1 cup bran flakes, 1 c blueberries, 1 c fat free milk). Despite my need for constant variety in my food, I never get sick of this meal. It’s always my first thought when I open my eyes in the morning!
The PC Bran Flakes are not only tastier than the name brand stuff but I believe they have a bit more fibre, too. Plus they’re way cheaper.
… Bran Flakes are okay n’ all, but I’m here to say that All-Bran Buds are even better. It’s hard to believe, I know, but it’s true.
I can’t imagine my life without them. They’re about as dear to me as my children. And that’s saying something. 😉
I used to eat All Bran all the time. It tastes like unwoven shreddies!
I must admit I usually have about 3 minutes in the morning to eat my breakfast so I can’t say how long the flakes stay crispy. But I also hate mushy cereal and so far I have been pleased. They definitely don’t become a mass of mush at the bottom of the bowl like, say, Rice Krispies, and they definitely have more snap than simple Corn Flakes.
Plus, the deliciousness. Oh, the deliciousness.
In other news, I’m glad to hear you are feeling a bit better…hope this week brings you some cheer.
Hm, I had forgotten that you, too, are a Bran Flakes afficianado. Have you tried it with the blueberries? SOOOOO good.
Thanks for the tip about the PC brand…I’m ALL OVER IT.
Do you actually have a whole bowl of the Buds? I’ve never tried them but I’ve eyed them in the store for sprinkling over my usual cereals (say, Count Chocula) but I couldn’t imagine eating a whole bowl. Do you have to work yourself up to that level of bran?
Again I ask, a whole bowl of All Bran? That’s some tough colon action. Did you have to work up to it or did you just crack out the Bran one day, and all was well?
I don’t think it’s something you need to work up to. I just eat the recommended serving size. It’s 1/3 cup, and I top that with another kind of cereal. My husband likes it with Multigrain Cheerios, I like it with organic granola.
Yup, blueberries on it every day. I actually don’t like typical blueberries and instead opt for No Name Wild Blueberries, which are smaller and tangier than fresh ones.
Apparently you haven’t noticed that I’ve been crowing about Bran Flakes for many years. I think I’ve documented on LJ more than once that I have to keep hunting down new sources for my favorite brand of Bran Flakes, because, frankly, eating something else for breakfast is just not an option. I usually buy every box in the store, typically about 10 at a time. They never go stale on me.
Anyway, I’ve been eating them every single day for breakfast for (I’m pretty certain) nearly 20 years now (I’m pretty sure I discovered them before I started university). I’m fairly certain I knew that was into them too. I agree with you it is more than just the Best. Cereal. Ever. — it may in fact be the Best. Food. Ever.
BTW what brand were you eating when you had your epiphany? I’ve been eating Kellogg’s “Complete All-Bran Wheat Flakes” but I’m fairly sure that’s just a fancy name for plain old Kellogg’s Bran Flakes (in the blue box, IIRC), which isn’t available down here.
I’m not into fruit with my cereal, but another one of my all-time favorite foods is a Tim Horton’s blueberry bran muffin. It’s a pity that despite being all whole-grain-y and fruit-y they’re probably really not all that good for you. But the bran flakes sure are — yay for one food that I love that is also healthy!
I cannot believe the number of people who have apparently be telling me about Bran Flakes for years, only to have me completely ignore them. I think I must have heard the words “Bran Flakes” and figured that such a cereal was something one ate because it was good for you…there was no way it could actually be tasty. But I was SO wrong.
We have Kellogg’s All-Bran Bran Flakes here. It’s a white box, but I think Kellogg’s recently rebranded all their bran products to have the “All-Bran” banner on it — these are really just the classic Bran Flakes.
tells me that the PC kind are actually yummier (as if that could be possible) and cheaper to boot, so I’ll be trying those out next time.
Nah, I just started eating it. I have a pretty tough colon. I’ve been building it up by eating paper recreationally most of my life.
Thanks! (For both the info and the good wishes.)
thats for sure, man