I was so excited this week because I found this new (or at least new-to-me) instant oatmeal that was hearty, delicious and - I thought - nutritious. I grew up on the Quaker Instant Oatmeal Packets and though I love them they're not all that reminiscent of true, whole oats. I've read over and over again how good oatmeal is for me and how it will actually stay with me longer than cereal will - I love it with strawberries, blueberries and all the great fruit that's in season right now so I thought this a perfect time to add oatmeal back in. Recall, however, that I am a lazy cook. So this Oat Revolution product looked perfect. It was even "eco-friendly" because you could measure out the water in the bag the oatmeal came in.
I made this is morning and was so pleased with myself. Not only did I get up early enough to take Scout on a 2-mile walk before cycling class on a Saturday morning I ate hearty, healthy oatmeal for breakfast after class. Or so I thought...
While I was happily chomping my oatmeal with strawberries and blueberries I glanced at the back of the package (to see just how healthy I was being). This is what I saw:
Hold on a minute, Did that say 13 grams of sugar? That's more than the Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch I caved and bought Maggie at the store yesterday (Cap'n Crunch claims 9). And guess what? My "not reminiscent of real oats" Quaker Oat packets has the same amount of fat, fiber and protein with only 9 grams of sugar too. What the hell?
Full disclosure - I did buy "Maple and Brown Sugar" oatmeal so I probably should've realized the sugar would be high, but I never thought that high. It's a good lesson for me though, to realize that though this option is definitely better for me than some I might have chosen in the past, processed, packaged food is just that - processed and packaged - not a nutritional powerhouse.
Lesson learned. But what am I going to have for breakfast tomorrow???
During the cold months, my go-to breakfast is instant oatmeal made with skim milk. After it cooks (60 seconds in the microwave), I add in whatever flavors tickle my tastebuds that day. It might be cinnamon and raisins or it might be a drizzle of maple syrup. Another favorite is fruit from the freezer, like cherries or blueberries. I also like to add in nuts and seeds for a little more protein, like slivered almonds or unsalted sunflower seeds. From start to finish, it takes me about three minutes to make breakfast.
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