I am often wary of food that seems too simple. You mean it’s already mixed and only requires hot water? Skeptical! And I don’t even need a bowl? Well, you know what they say about things being too good to be true. But these made in America oats are just that – simple and satisfying. I heated up a small bowl of water in the microwave while I shook up the oatmeal goodness in my cup. After adding just enough hot water to cover the oats you have to replace the lid and … here’s the hard part, let steep for 3 minutes. Now I recommend you use the three long minutes for something productive. It was early and I was hungry, but rather than sulk while I wait, I used the time to make breakfast for my boys. Ironically, one of them requested a steeping cup of his own oats. So of course, I obliged while he sat much more patiently than me, telling me outlandish stories that could only come from a three year old.
Most prepackaged oatmeal has sugar listed as the first ingredient and then it appears multiple times again throughout the list in various forms. No wonder they were so tasty when I was a child. Another debatable culprit is soy. Usually appearing in various forms as either soy lecithin or soybean oil, there is a long-standing debate on how offensive soy truly is. But one thing we do know, most soy grown in the US is genetically modified. Umpqua Oats are GMO free, Kosher certified and include no gluten ingredients.
Of course, nothing is perfect. My problem with these oats is that I simply don’t want to share. Maybe we can work on making a double batch?