OATMEAL?

When I was a kid, the word oatmeal sounded about as appealing as a bee sting. It looked nasty. Oat. Meal. The makers of oatmeal don't even attempt to glam it up with a cool name the way the makers of Wine Coolers had to in the late-90's ("Berry Blast!" "Tropical Breeze"). Oatmeal just is.

As I get older and my metabolism slows down though, I keep an eye out for any foods that promise to keep me "heart-healthy." So, it was with a hungry gut and wild pessimism that I recently purchased Trader Joe's Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal. I was buying a bunch of other things there that day and figured, why not? 


There comes a time in every person's life when you need to put down the box of any cereal that has the word "Crunch" or "Frosted" in the title, and get serious. The time to face my fears, as my hairline suggests, had come.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. I've learned that the trick is all about the amount of water you put in. So, if you're trying to eat healthy/healthier, just add small amounts of hot water - "water to taste" as it were - and let it sit.


Not sure if you like it pasty or mushy, but give it a shot. I never knew there was an option to how much water you put in - I always thought of it like "porridge" or "curds and whey,"both of which sound equally disgusting. Trader Joe's is a good choice in the oatmeal world, as is McCann's Imported Irish Oatmeal. Just make sure it's instant (do they make any other kind?), add hot/boiling water, let it sit for almost a minute and eat it up. It's good. I swear. 


Here's McCann's Site: http://www.mccanns.ie/p_Instant.html