Turning a basic bowl of cereal into a bit of a dessert: Is this dumb or clever?

eric2light
eric2light Posts: 113 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I put a few tablespoons of Cranberry Almond Cereal (220 calories per cup without milk) into a bowl, poured some flavored seltzer on it then sprayed some Reddi-Wip on top of it.

I experience this as a real dessert (or nearly) but I think it might be just 100 calories. I could add some fresh fruit, I suppose.

I found a website that made it sound like the Reddi-Wip would not actually add many calories.

(Be careful, this is thedailymeal not The Daily Mail!)

https://www.thedailymeal.com/things-you-didn-t-know-about-reddi-whip

"A two-tablespoon serving (about a one-second spray) of Original Reddi-Wip contains just 15 calories and 1 gram of fat. Don’t down an entire can in one sitting, though: a whole can contains 600 calories."

Is that really true? 15 cals per second of spraying?

Replies

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,264 Member
    Never heard of reddiwhip.

    I suspect most people spray for longer than one second though.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited April 2018
    5 grams of Redi Whip is 15 calories (2 tablespoons), If you want to know the exact calorie amount weigh it plus the cereal and fruit (if you add).

    For me this sounds odd for dessert, but if the combination works for you then I guess its not so dumb.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I use cereal/granola as a topper on frozen yoghurt or icecream to add a bit of crunch... It's neither dumb or clever, it's just food, it's sweet, it doesn't need to be stuck in the am..
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    It's not dumb if you like it... sounds awful to me (the seltzer part). We often have cereal as "dessert". My hubby, who is also counting calories, will have a bowl of oatmeal with a few dark chocolate chips or Walden Farms no-cal chocolate sauce stirred in. I'm fond of 80 calorie Dannon Greek yogurt (tiramisu & strawberry cheesecake flavors are particularly good) with Cool Whip on top (the advantage of this is the 12g of protein that helps keep me full). Don't know what your calorie allowance is, but I would be weighing the cereal & Redi Whip. Really easy to misjudge the measurements of those things.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    Growing up, we ate cereal for a snack. Even now, I wouldn't eat cereal for breakfast. I prefer something a little more balanced.

    The seltzer is, well, different. You could almond milk, which at 30 cals/ cup wouldn't add many calories. Fat free cool whip is also very low calorie.
  • Leannep2201
    Leannep2201 Posts: 441 Member
    I don’t know what seltzer or reddiwhip is (must be an American thing, I’m across the other side of the world lol) but where I live, we have a breakfast cereal called “Weet Bix bites”. Basically wheat flakes sweetened, and made into little cubes with the addition of dried fruit pieces.

    I eat them plain for dessert- or a snack- regularly. Sweet and crunchy, satisfies all sorts of cravings!
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Seltzer is carbonated water. If it's not club soda, it's close. Reddi-whip is whipped cream from an aerosol can.
  • MichelleWithMoxie
    MichelleWithMoxie Posts: 1,817 Member
    Cereal with flavored seltzer water sounds really gross to me, but if it’s something you like and it fits in your calories, have at it.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    I have cereal with almond milk fairly often and sometimes more as a dessert if it is a sweet cereal. Most of the stuff I eat is 110 for the creal (29g) and I usually use 3 or 4 oz of almond milk, which is 30 cals or less. It's magically delicious!
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    Cereal as a dessert doesn't sound that weird--many cereals in the USA are full of sugar. When I eat my oatmeal in the morning I feel like it is dessert since it's sweet--I add fruit to it. I don't get the seltzer at all, and reddi whip, is fake whipped cream, so I wouldn't eat it. But if you like it, good for you! To make an actual dessert out of a cereal, I'd probably splurge on the calories and make a real whipped cream to put on it. I don't eat dairy, but a little bit of whipped cream I can handle. Yogurt seems like a more natural choice for that cereal dessert.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    Never heard of reddiwhip.

    I suspect most people spray for longer than one second though.

    Wikipedia says "Reddi-wip was co-founded in 1948 by Aaron S. "Bunny" Lapin (January 5, 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri – July 10, 1999).[1] and Aaron Block, in Jacksonville FL.
    Starting out during the food rationing era of World War II, Lapin invented Sta-Whip as a cream substitute using vegetable oil. After the war, he invented Reddi-Wip in 1948 with Aaron Block, using real cream, along with a new valve more suitable for whipped cream, with fluting to create a pattern and a tilt-to-open design that pops back to the center to preserve the propellant gases. "
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    If you like it and it fits your goals go for it. You might want to weigh your ingredients.

    It does not sound appealing to me with seltzer and whipped topping. I would probably just combine the cereal with some yogurt for a low calorie sweet snack.
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
    Ewwww
  • kpsyche
    kpsyche Posts: 345 Member
    I think I'd spray for about 30 seconds by accident if I had it around :(
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I have often said that every food combination has been tried by at least one person at some point in history and now folks we see seltzer cereal dessert. I think that wraps it up.
  • vegmebuff
    vegmebuff Posts: 31,389 Member
    boxed cereals are like dessert - the second ingredient of most of them is sugar in some form
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,264 Member
    i used to know someone who swore by Sultana Bran with orange juice - I mean orange juice in the bowl the way most people use milk with cereal.

    So, I guess whatever (and whenever! ) turns you on. :D;)

  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    i used to know someone who swore by Sultana Bran with orange juice - I mean orange juice in the bowl the way most people use milk with cereal.

    So, I guess whatever (and whenever! ) turns you on. :D;)

    That actually doesn't sound as bad as seltzer water ;) And why seltzer water? Why not just regular water (not that that's an improvement)?
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    It is interesting how we are okay with water for oatmeal, cream of wheat and grits but it seems wrong with other cereals
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    It is interesting how we are okay with water for oatmeal, cream of wheat and grits but it seems wrong with other cereals

    I think it's different when you're talking about cooking a grain in water. I guess I'm envisioning cold cereal in a puddle of water.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    try2again wrote: »
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    It is interesting how we are okay with water for oatmeal, cream of wheat and grits but it seems wrong with other cereals

    I think it's different when you're talking about cooking a grain in water. I guess I'm envisioning cold cereal in a puddle of water.

    Agreed. There's a difference between hot cereal/water and cold cereal/water. And then there's seltzer. I would think the carbonation would break apart the cereal a little, but I'm okay with not knowing for sure!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    It is interesting how we are okay with water for oatmeal, cream of wheat and grits but it seems wrong with other cereals

    Cold cereal is supposed to be somewhat crunchy. It is a feature of cold cereal.
    Cooked cereals are supposed to be very soft and somewhat sticky.
    Some people probably do like more mushy cold cereal whether they leave it sit in milk, water or orange juice to get the effect.
    I don't like potato chips with milk or soda poured on them even though I am okay eating mashed potatoes.
    Some things just are not appealing in another form.
  • ConnieT1030
    ConnieT1030 Posts: 894 Member
    Nothing wrong if you like it, but I would weigh whatever Im putting in as I did it. When I used some reddiwhip (generic usually - its a spray whipped cream) in my coffee or cocoa, I would have the cup zeroed on the scale and only add until i hit however many grams I wanted, I think the 15 calories are like 5 grams ? Dont quote me, I dont recall exactly, but that's how I made sure I logged the correct calories- trying to time "one second" just doesnt work, because it may come out faster or slower any given time.

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