When I'm traveling I like to pack instant hot cereal for breakfast. Whether I'm at a hotel breakfast buffet or firing up a camp stove, I can get hot water, which means I can get a decent breakfast if I have my cereal with me. But my last few trips haven't been successful, breakfast-wise, because I've been unable to find single-serve packets of instant, gluten-free hot cereal. For awhile I was eating a quinoa flakes cereal, but I haven't seen it lately. Everything else I saw wasn't instant, or wasn't in single-serve packets (which really are the best for traveling). I was excited when I finally found Gluten Freeda's gluten-free instant oatmeal.
I bought the variety pack, which includes two packets each of the flavors Banana Maple, Maple Raisin, and Apple Cinnamon. I've been testing them at home this week in preparation for a trip to Kenya next month, part camping, part hotel stay. They all smelled great when opening the packets, so I was certain I'd found a substitute for my Quaker Oats instant oatmeal packets.
The actual taste wasn't as flavorful as the scent led me to believe. All I could taste was oats. No apple, no cinnamon, no maple. If I wanted plain oats, I would have bought plain oats. They definitely need a boost of honey, brown sugar, or cinnamon.
On the health and nutrition side, all three flavors have a good amount of fiber, 4 grams per serving, and they all contain flax. They kept me pretty full on both running and non-running days. I'll be having a bowl as pre-hike breakfast this weekend. And I'll be taking them along with me to Kenya next month. The convenience and the fullness factor more than make up for the lack of flavor (which is something I can fix on my own easily enough).
My sources indicate that Gluten Freeda's instant oatmeal is becoming more available in mainstream grocery stores. (Since I live thousands of miles from the nearest mainstream grocery store, I can't see for myself.) I ordered mine from Gluten-Free Mall.
No comments:
Post a Comment