Product Review: MixMyOwn Healthy Breakfast

Recently, Klara, a reader, approached me about a fantastic new company she and her husband launched called MixMyOwn Healthy Breakfast. The concept is simple: you choose from a ton of options to create your own healthy breakfast cereal (either a muesli or granola). The ingredient choices range from sweetened to unsweetened, organic to conventional, and classic to unique.

Klara gave me a wonderful opportunity to try and review my own custom-made cereal. Creating my mix started out a little overwhelming. I wanted everything, but I knew I wanted it to be a cohesive mixture. For example, I couldn't add chocolate to a tropical mix, and I wouldn't want mango in a strawberry-banana mix. This was the hardest part--but in a fun way. I also loved how I was able to choose organic and unsweetened varieties.

Eventually, I went the "strawberry banana" route (although it contained raspberries and goji berries as well). Choosing the base of my cereal was difficult. I initially chose muesli since granola can give me a stomach ache sometimes (all the sugar), but then it felt like a waste (since I make homemade muesli all the time easily). I chose the oil-free granola. This was "special" to me because I tried making an oil-free granola once and it turned out terribly, so I wanted the luxury of having someone else make it for me. :)

The packaging is fantastic. The back tells you the ingredients used, the nutrition info (even though it's a custom mix!), AND a QR code in case you want to order the exact same mix again without having to work through the options and lists again. Nice touch.

My package from MixMyOwn also contained this little baggie of goodies. I'm not sure if everyone gets the same thing, but it's cute. The coconut in there looks delish.

Throughout the entire ordering process, from first opening the web site to holding the actual package in my hands, I could see that this company has a passion for breakfast and pleasing modern needs. They recognize that there is a demand for information (clear ingredients list that says exactly which products are organic, for example), as well as a demand for the option of better-quality ingredients. As further proof, Klara passed on this list of 7 tips for healthier breakfasts, and I agree with all of them (although I believe all fruits and veggies are superfoods!).

7 Tips for Healthy Breakfasts that Combat Weight Gain During Holidays and Throughout the Year

1. Don’t skip breakfast - skipping breakfast leads to snacking and overeating the rest of the day - muesli, granola or multi-grain flakes cereal is quick, easy, low in calories and helps prevent snacking and overeating later in the day

2. Eat low-calorie and enjoyable breakfast foods - looking forward to breakfast makes it less likely to be a meal that gets skipped - with over 100 ingredients and a variety of options, custom-mixed cereals from MixMyOwn.com give customers a variety of combinations with their favorite flavors

3. Avoid foods high in cholesterol and fat like fatty breakfast meats and fried eggs - whole-grain foods like muesli, granola or multi-grain flakes have little fat and almost no unhealthy cholesterol

4. Eat foods high in fiber - fiber prevents some fats from being absorbed by the body and reduces risk for heart disease - MixMyOwn.com’s custom cereals have up to 4 grams of fiber per serving.

5. Include protein - protein builds muscle and staves off hunger - muesli, granola or multi-grain flakes with nuts and whole grains can add significant protein without adding excess saturated fat; MixMyOwn.com’s Tutty Nutty premix contains 3.9 grams of protein per serving.

6. For fast, portable breakfast make your own smoothie - homemade smoothies can drank while commuting to work and can contain fresh ingredients with less sugar and fat - muesli is a great smoothie ingredient as in this Banana Muesli Smoothie recipe from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/health/banana-muesli-smoothie-recipes-for-health.html?_r=0

7. Include superfoods - superfoods boost the immune system, aid with weight loss and lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer - favorite superfoods include nuts, seeds, berries, oats, and soy, all of which can be included in any custom cereal mix at MixMyOwn.com.

I was giddy as soon as I opened up my bag of granola. I saw the giant vanilla bean sitting amid all the other ingredients, and I knew it was going to be excellent (the vanilla bean is one of the choices in the final list of special add-ins; I highly recommend it). I picked out a clump of granola first, and--success!--it was crunchy. Already, it was better than the homemade oil-free granola I made once. ;)

My mix already contained dried bananas, but I added sliced banana to mine anyway because (if you haven't noticed from the majority of my recipes) I'm pretty adamant about starting my days with banana. :) I also know that a true "serving" of granola is pretty small, so I would need to bulk it up with fruit. I always eat granola with banana, so it was the obvious choice.

My mix was incredibly flavorful. Each of the ingredients had retained their individual flavors, so each bite had a different impact. I loved the bites with coconut in them--so nummy!

If you are interested in learning more about this company, here is more information directly from Klara:

About MixMyOwn.com 

Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, MixMyOwn.com is dedicated to promoting a wholesome lifestyle for customers by providing a way for customers to choose their own whole-grain and multi-grain cereal ingredients and have it delivered fresh to their doorstep. The MixMyOwn.com website offers nearly 100 responsibly chosen ingredients -- including many 100% natural, unprocessed, organic and non-GMO, preservative-free and sugar-free options*. Ingredients include 31 types of dried fruits, 20 types of nuts and seeds, and five whole-grain bases. Or customers can choose from one of eight pre-mixed breakfast cereals. MixMyOwn was created by entrepreneur couple Klara Charvatova and David Filipi in July 2013. The company uses U.S.-based suppliers only and ships orders to all U.S. states for a flat rate.

For more information about the advantages of custom cereal and MixMyOwn.com, please call Klara Charvatova at 702-354-1936 or send e-mail to klara@mixmyown.com.

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!