Finally, a company for picky eaters like me!
I love buying granola and having it for breakfast or as a snack, but the problem is that no matter which kind I try, there’s often something in the mix that I could do without. For example, I like Feed’s cranberry coconut granola, but I’m not a huge fan of the coconut flakes. (Their blueberry granola, on the other hand, is perfect.) I also like Bear Naked’s Continental Divide mix—chocolate granola plus nuts and banana chips—but I hate how the banana chips sometimes overpower everything else. Well, to all of you who are as picky as me, I have good news—finally, there’s a company that lets you put what you want into your granolas and cereals.
Me and Goji to the rescue!
The company is called Me and Goji, and here’s how it works: You go to their Web site, and you design your own cereal from 40 organic ingredients they have available, including corn flakes, rye flakes, oat flakes, dried cranberries, cacao nibs, pecans, brazil nuts, flax, soy nuts, and, of course, goji berries. Then, they make it for you and send it to you in the mail.
Their Web site is fun and interactive—you can see little pictures of the ingredients, and to select one, you drag it into your virtual bowl. The Web site is also very helpful because it shows you nutritional info about the ingredients and about your total combination.
The cereal starts at $4.90 (the price changes depending on the number of ingredients), and you get a container of it (they call it a “capsule”) that has about 600 g (21 oz). That’s not that expensive, considering the fact that I’ve been seeing a lot of $7 to $10 artisanal granolas at my local market these days. If you get a few days’ breakfasts or snacks out of the capsule, then it still comes out to be cheaper (and a heck of a lot healthier) than if you were to buy a $3 or $4 pastry from Starbucks every day.
(For those of you who are not good decision makers (ahem!), Me and Goji’s Web site does offer some suggested combos, such as the San Marino Sunrise, with artisanal cereal, corn flakes, crunch granola, banana, apple, strawberry, pecans, and pumpkin. These combos might at least give you some good ideas, even if you want to alter them a little.)
This new company reminds me of a breakfast cafe I’ve heard about called Cereality (a chain, but only a few locations across the U.S.), where customers pick which cereals they want mixed together, and then they choose a kind of milk, and then they get to dig in! (It’s sort of like going to a salad bar, but for breakfast.) I always thought that was brilliant, because sometimes I want to try a little cornflakes or something, but I don’t necessarily want a whole huge box of it. Cereality lets you try just a little of however many kinds you want. But I don’t live near a Cereality, and even if I did, I wouldn’t have time to stop there every morning. Me and Goji is more convenient because you can have your own mixes delivered to your door, no matter where you live.
Parents, this is a good way to get your kids to eat healthy stuff…
Parents, it might be a good idea to get your kids involved in trying Me and Goji, too. You want your kids to eat healthily, and kids are much more likely to do that if they think that it’s fun, and that they get some choices or some ownership in the matter. Let the kids go on the Web site and pick which fruits, etc. they want, and drag them into their “bowls,” and then they’ll be more excited to eat it. It’ll seem so fun that they made their own snack that they won’t even realize it’s a healthy one. And if you don’t like ordering things online, you can do a similar thing with your kids just by buying separate containers of ingredients such as walnuts, plain flakes, dried fruit, etc. and then let your kids mix their own combos. (Or, you can get fancy and make real granola in the oven, but that’s not necessary.) The ingredients your kids don’t choose don’t have to go to waste—you can eat them yourself or put them in a savory dinner recipe (cornflakes on chicken, walnuts in pasta, cranberries in salads…).
I think I’ll give Me and Goji a try and make an autumn granola with apples, walnuts, and more… or maybe a chocolately one with chocolate-covered cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and almonds… hmmm. Leave a comment and tell me your favorite combos.
—Lauren
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1 response so far ↓
1 SB // Nov 4, 2008 at 7:01 am
I have purchased me and goji cereal, and I recommend it highly. You can personalize it by actually naming your personalized healthy cereal creation.
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