At least two or three times a week I like to eat cold cereal for breakfast. One of the cereals that I’ve always liked very much is Lucky Charms, made by General Mills. Yesterday, I finished-off a box of Lucky Charms and there is a full box sitting on a kitchen shelf.
Recently I had the opportunity to eat a Malt-O-Meal brand cereal alternative to Lucky Charms and I’m glad I did so. In my opinion Malt-O-Meal’s lower-priced alternatives to name brand cereals are just as good as their higher-priced counterparts.
Having purchased and enjoyed eating several varieties of Malt-O-Meal cereal previously I was thrilled to see a Malt-O-Meal alternative to Lucky Charms, named Marshmallow Mateys.
Presented here is an article which compares General Mills’ Lucky Charms cereal and Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow Mateys cereal.
Size The net weight of the standard large-sized box of General Mills’ Lucky Charms is 11.5 ounces. The box holds about twelve 3/4 cup servings.
The net weight of the package of Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow Mateys being reviewed here is 19 ounces. The box contains approximately twelve servings.
Price The regular retail price charged for one 19 ounce bag of Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow Mateys at Hartford, Connecticut area supermarkets is approximately $3.49.
The regular retail price charged for one 11.5 ounce box of Lucky Charms at Hartford, Connecticut area supermarkets is approximately $3.99. That is also the sale price that I recently paid for an 11.5 ounce box of Lucky Charms at CVS Pharmacy.
Texture / Consistency These frosted oat cereals are very similar in texture. Comprised of small pieces of toasted oats intermingling with small pieces of different-colored marshmallow ‘charms’, each of these cold cereals provides a satisfyingly crunchy and pleasant mouth-feel.
Nutritional Facts Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow Mateys cereal straight from the box contains 120 calories with 10 calories from fat per one cup serving. This tasty cereal also contains 0 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of total fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 220 mg of sodium, 60 mg of potassium, 25 grams total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 13 grams of sugars and 2 grams of protein per one cup serving.
Lucky Charms cereal contains 110 calories with 10 calories from fat straight from the box. This cereal also contains 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 1 gram of total fat, 0 mg of cholesterol 170 mg of sodium, 50 mg of potassium, 22 grams total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 10 grams of sugars, 10 grams other carbohydrates and 2 grams of protein per 3/4 cup serving.
Taste / Flavor Ever since I was a child I’ve enjoyed eating Lucky Charms cereal and that’s mostly because of its excellent flavor. The little pieces of oats are lightly frosted and the colorful marshmallow ‘charms’ marry well with them. Besides being a tasty breakfast item they are also fun to eat.
How serious can you be when you’re eating brightly colored moons, clovers, balloons, hearts, stars and rainbows ?
So far, I’ve eaten two bowls of the Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow Mateys and have enjoyed eating them very much. To my tastebuds the Marshmallow Mateys taste very similar to Lucky Charms but I thiink they taste a little bit sweeter. Although I’ll always be partial to Lucky Charms I would and hopefully will purchase and eat the Marshmallow Mateys again.
Packaging General Mills’ Lucky Charms cereal is packaged in largely red cardboard boxes that feature an illustration of an elf and a closeup shot of the cereal in a bowl of milk on the front. Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow Mateys cereal is also packaged in largely red boxes with a closeup illustration of the cereal on the front.
Overall Rating If you’re a fan of General Mills’ Lucky Charms cereal and you’d like to save some money I would definitely recommend Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow Mateys cereal. The two cereals are so similar I almost can’t tell the difference.
Sources : Personal experience with eating General Mills’ Lucky Charms cereal and Malt-O-Meal Marshmallow Mateys cereal
