Nature's Path Crunchy Maple Sunrise

This is how they had it packaged at Costco.
Packaging will likely look different if you
purchase it elsewhere.

I have a strange relationship with breakfast foods. I love them, I really do, but I don't often get to really enjoy them. The thing is I'm not really a morning person. I never have much of an appetite when I first wake up in the morning. This certainly sounds odd coming from someone who otherwise loves to eat (with a passion!). I may certainly feel hunger as I grudgingly roll out of bed, but appetite? It just isn't there. Yet I still manage to always make myself eat breakfast. Mostly because I know that if I don't, I might be way too hungry later on and in a situation where food isn't readily available. Besides, breakfast is supposed to be a healthy thing to do! 


So here I will do my first cold breakfast cereal review. You may also start noticing a pattern here. Maple flavored food again? Why, yes! I absolutely freakin' love maple! I don't think I've had a maple-flavored-something yet that I didn't like. 


So here we have Nature's Path Crunchy Maple Sunrise. Cute name. Delicious cereal...Ok, to be honest, I don't think I've had a single cereal from Nature's Path that I didn't like. And a good majority of their stuff is vegan to boot! 


Moving on to the review... after the break!

Packaging. I purchased my box of Crunchy Maple Sunrise from Costco. As typical with cold cereals purchased from bulk stores such as Costco, you get two bags of cereal in one box. This is really a pain, I must admit. Unlike a typical box of cereal, this means you have to remove an individual bag from the box to pour your cereal from an individual bag. Once you remove the first bag, it's nearly impossible to get back in. So I do the lazy thing and don't even bother trying. I just clip the bag with one of my handy dandy Ikea bag clips and store the bag where ever is most convenient. For me, that's usually the top of the refrigerator, with the rest of my breakfast fare.


Double bag package aside, the packaging for this was pretty standard for cereals. A plastic bag inside of a cardboard box. For what it's worth, the box was made from 100% recycled paperboard, and once I'm done with it, it'll get recycled again, huzzah! :)

OMG I LOVE those bag clips!

Cost. I'm sorry, I truly am! I have misplaced the receipt from when I purchased this cereal from Costco, and I don't remember what I paid for it. I just know it was somewhere in the range of 'more expensive than free' and 'cheaper than a decent convection toaster oven'. 


Good news everyone! There are places online where you can purchase this delightful breakfast nourishment that include prices! From Amazon you can purchase a package of three 10.6 ounce boxes for only about $11 (at my time of writing this post).  Or if you prefer, you can purchase this cereal directly from Nature's Path in single box or 12-pack options. 


Health/Nutrition. This stuff is pretty decent as far as breakfast cereals go. It's sweet without being too sugary, it's loaded with a fun variety of grains/seeds, but it isn't fortified so the micronutrient department is pretty lacking. It only has 110 calories per serving, but I find the serving size to be pretty meager. Even if you double up the serving, 220 calories is pretty decent still. 

• Fat: Only 1 gram per serving, and none of it is saturated, very nice! Zero trans fat as well. 
• Carbohydrates: 25 grams overall. Only seven of which are sugars, which is pretty good for a sweet cereal. It's certainly less than your average super sweet kiddie cereal. While this cereal touts itself as being a good source of fiber, it comes in at only three grams, leaving this vegan unimpressed.
• Protein: It contains a pathetic 2 grams, not that I was really expecting much to be honest. Chances are if you're topping this with soymilk (as I did), you'll get more protein out of your breakfast from that. 
• Sodium: Only 130 mg (5%) per serving. Sounds good to me!
• Micronutrients: As previously mentioned, this stuff isn't really fortified, so prepare for disappointment in this category. Although I would like to note that I don't personally mind to see stuff like this unfortified, especially with breakfast cereals since so many companies love to use D3 which usually isn't vegan. Anyway, of the four common micro nutrients tracked on every labelled food product sold in the US, the only one that doesn't get a zero is iron, coming in at 4%. The ingredients mention added vitamin E, but an actual amount in any form is not given. 

Sensitivities. Judging by the package and Nature's Path's site, a big selling point of this cereal is the fact that it is (certified) gluten free. Celiacs, enjoy! It is noted as being produced in a facility that also handles peanuts, tree nuts and soy, though. 

Yum Factor. From the very moment you open the bag, you will be greeted with the delectable aroma of maple. The maple flavor in this is just right; not overpowering, not too subdued. It's pleasantly sweet to boot, not overly sweet as to induce a sugar coma. The cereal has a good variety to it's composition. It's got crispy flakes, crunchy balls (they kinda remind me of Kix), puffed grains, and intact toasted grains. Overall it makes for a very good texture, one that even manages to stay perfectly crispy/crunchy in soy milk! This is definitely one of my favorite cold breakfast cereals.

Crunchy Maple Sunrise, bathing in Trader Joe's
Soy Essential soymilk. 

Other Tid Bits. Crunchy Maple Sunrise is organic and certified non-GMO! Yay! It isn't certified vegan, but none of the ingredients are of concern at all. Nature's Path is HQ'ed in Blaine, WA, right on the Washington/Canadian border. Only about 300 miles away from me, which is local as far as I'm concerned. Heck, anything in the Pacific Northwest is local to me!