Review: Healthy Oatmeal

The Towpath Turtles are past the base-building section of their training season.  This means that there will be miles, many more miles.  Recently (the night before the Jim Klett 10k) one of the Turtles posted a question about pre-run fuel to the whole group.  The responses ran the gamut of fuel choices, but the answer that intrigues me the most is oatmeal.

Do you get the symbolism here?  Are you sure?

I like oatmeal.  I do.  I just never eat oatmeal, but I always think I should.  I know that in theory oatmeal is super-healthy for me, but I can't help wonder how many extra calories I add to it in my toppings.  The answer to my dilemma:  Healthy Oatmeal/ myoatmeal.com.    The website is user-friendly in the way it allows you to choose exactly what kind of oatmeal you like.  There are so many choices: oats, flavoring, fruit, nuts, sweetener.  I chose Banana Bread flavor with brown cane sugar, crystallized ginger, and pecans.

Because I didn't choose an instant oats grain, the preparation takes a few minutes longer than pouring cereal, but really, the whole process doesn't take more than nine minutes.  I have to say that the oatmeal smelled fantastic as I cooked it, and it tasted just as good.  The dry oatmeal smelled strongly of banana bread with hints of ginger, but the taste was more subtle.  I would say the strongest taste was of the brown sugar and pecans.  I still liked it.

The oatmeal, if you prepare it with water, is only 156 calories a serving, which is pretty good not only for breakfast but for a snack later in the day (I sometimes get the 3:00 grumbles).   I would say the calorie and nutrition information is one of the most appealing aspects of this Healthy Oatmeal.      I definitely need to rely on measurements to portion my food because my eyes are bigger than my stomach (and my stomach is pretty big).  I know that I can prepare this oatmeal for a nice treat, and it will stop me from opening the ice cream container.  Probably.

My next two tests with this oatmeal will be as granola and as Mason-jar breakfasts.

Great.  Now I have to buy Mason jars.

Note:  Myoatmeal.com sent me the oatmeal in exchange for a review.  I only paid for shipping.  Believe me, if I didn't like the oatmeal, I would have said so.  Do you think I can be bought for oatmeal?  Heck no!  Beer. . . maybe.