Post Punk Kitchen Forum

In the "practically vegan things you wish were vegan" thread, I admitted in tiny type that I will occasionally buy a box of ultra cheap (like, $1.29) cereal that contains D3. Usually I go without, but sometimes by brain shuts down and blocks "stop it!" receptors and I do it despite the weird feeling I get whenever I eat it.

Anyway, since publicly admitting it, even though PPKers are awesome and kept any judgements silent, I've felt even shittier about it and have been a search for inexpensive vegan cereals I can go to when I get weird, irrational, cereal times. While, I buy cereal rarely enough that buying a box of $3-4 Envirokids (those are vegan, right? I haven't ever actually bought it, so never ultra inspected it...) won't hurt me, it would be nice to know of some cereal that either contain more product for that price, or are just cheaper. (I don't mean styrofoamy puffed millet type cereals. While those are okay, that's not what I'm thinking of. Crunch! Crunch!)

Let me hear yo' secrets!

As far as I know, Enviro Kids is vegan...The Gorilla Munch is my favorite!!!

Do you live near a Trader Joe's? They sell some of that stuff for a more reasonable price. May I recommend Peanut Butter Panda Puffs? They're like peanut butter Kix, but with more sugar!

I think that the 365 brand Whole Foods version of some cereals are vegan*, like the Peanut Butter Pows and a few others. I think (this is from memory from a while back) the box was a decent size for the price.

*However, this may have changed- Cascadian Farms used to have organic kids cereal that was vegan and now has D3 in it, so make sure to always check!

Also, you can get Barbara's Puffins cereals at Trader Joes for awesome prices- the box size is huge (compared to the small size and big price you pay at a store like Jewel). Peanut Butter Puffins are awesome... although H-Dog will argue that the Cinnamon Puffin is the superior Puffin.

eta: Oink and I posted at the same time, but obviously have excellent taste in cereals and stores.

As far as I can tell, most Kroger brand cereals are vegan and they are way cheap. Corn flakes, coco puffs, etc. that all taste just the same as the kellogg/general mills varieties. Of course, this is only helpful if you live near a Kroger, but I thought I'd put it out there.

I'd love to know if such a thing exists. I basically get 3 bowls out of a box of PB Puffins. It's just not right.

The cinnamon are okay, but the peanut butter puffins are really delicious. I had to do a swap with someone to get them, since they don't sell them over here.

I'd found cheap bulk sources of Nature's Path stuff. I'm assuming that's probably available in Chicago too? Check the bins at health food stores!

sometimes really sugary granola does it for me, if that helps

I'd like to add Oat and Wheat Bran Swirls from Trader Joe's. Sometimes I eat it for dessert... soo good. I think it's under $3/box.

Also, I buy big containers of oats, raisins, nuts, etc. and make a lot of my own granola, so it's pretty inexpensive. You can follow a recipe and make adjustments to your liking.

Good suggestion! Then you can get only as much as you'd like. I think they have bulk Nature's Path granola at WF. But again, every WF varies their bulk bins, and some granolas have honey.

If you like granola, it's really easy to make your own. Rolled oats are super cheap, so I make huge batches every so often and then I have granola for weeks. Plus you can customize it with whatever flavors you like, and more/less sugar or more/less fat. :)

You can also mix homemade granola with cheap flake cereal from the bulk bins for a different low-cost option.

First of all, I don't think you should feel bad about the D3 issue.

That said, Quaker Oatmeal Squares is my cereal of choice and doesn't contain D3 (although I don't actually avoid D3 myself). There are probably others if you read lots of labels. I'll also second the suggestion of making your own granola - it's delicious!

i've been eating nature's path cereals, and a small bowl keeps me full for 5+ hours. so even though it's $9 a bag, it lasts two weeks. so it's like $4.50 a week. but that's prob still too pricey compared to your budget, so i will also suggest eating yogurt with granola. it's very filling and nutritious and cheap. what i've also done in the past is make baked granola and one batch usually lasts 3 weeks. all you have to do is throw a bunch of grains and seeds and a bit of maple syrup and cinnamon into a baking pan, bake for 25 minutes, and then cool and store in an airtight container. bam - breakfast for three weeks, just add some milk.

oh i don't know how you feel about hot cereal but i really like quaker's oat bran. i mix it with peanut butter, a bit of maple syrup and top with cinnamon and banana and i never get sick of it. it's like $3/box and will last 2-3 weeks.

i don't think you should feel guilty about the d3 thing, either.

yes! i live off the apple cinnamon morning-o's, and i also love the peanut butter pows, cosmic cocos, and rainbow rings.

I was so sad when I found out about D3. I love cereal so much and I used to eat Joe's O's every day.
Now I usually buy Barbara's Shredded Oats (or PB Puffins) from Trader Joe's.

If you want something cheaper and lower sugar, Post Shredded Wheat (and Wheat n' Bran) is vegan.

Those are really good. I went through a few weeks where I ate a big bowl with chocolate chunks mixed in almost every day.

I like that they're not too big. The Puffins are kind of annoying because they're so big. I prefer my cereal small to medium, like Grape Nuts to Cracklin Oat Bran sized. I'm not sure if those last to are D3 free (or even vegan?).

I too partake of the D3 when I'm at my parents' house, where there's always soy or almond milk but never fresh anything. I don't really understand about D3. Is it from linalool? Or is it one of those things where you don't know if it's from plants or not?

If you live near a Grocery Outlet or a similar discount grocery store, those places often have vegan cereal (Puffins, Nature's Path, Kashi, Annie's, etc etc) for super cheap.

I really like Kashi's various flavors of shredded wheat. It's a little expensive at regular grocery stores, but I find $1 off coupons online pretty often, which makes it more affordable.

I too have been known to eat D3 on occasion. If it doesn't specify what kind of vitamin D it is, sometimes I'll look the other way and eat it anyway, even though I know it's probably D3. I don't feel great about it, but there you go.

I buy the bags of the arrowhead mills excessively bland cereal (like brown rice puffs) and use that as a base for other more expensive cereal. While not really a cheap box of good cereal, it does make the good cereal last longer.

I heartily agree with the peanut butter panda puffs suggestion for my fav.

I just went through a box of special k red berries and it didn't have any d3 in it. Not my first choice, but tasty.

Kashi is often on sale or I find coupons. I like Strawberry Fields.

From what I understand, D3 is usually made from lanolin (from sheep's wool) -- VRG vitamin D info. I figure it's in such small quantities that it's not worth fussing over. If it's vegan enough for PETA, it's vegan enough for me.

I found Nature's Path Hemp Plus because it was labeled as vegan granola in the bulk bins at a local Whole Foods. I'm not sure if they still have that particular kind in the bulk bins, but I think the price isn't too bad. I usually find it at Trader Joe's. I'm seriously craving peanut butter cereal after reading through this thread though!!! I think the little store near me has either PB Puffins or PB Bumpers; I might have to check that out in the AM.

If you have a Big Lots nearby, they almost always have vegan-friendly organic cereals that are usually expensive for really cheap. I just got a bunch of boxes of Nature's Path for like $2/box.