WHAT: Dole Fruit & Oatmeal
STATS: Vary slightly by flavor. A container of the Blueberries & Cream has 170 calories and 2 fat, 35 carbohydrate, 4 fiber and 4 protein grams. More information at dole.com.
THE SKINNY: A common excuse for not eating breakfast is not having enough time.
But a whole-grainy, fruity (and, well, sugary: about 15 grams per portion) start to the day is a mere 45 seconds away with Dole Fruit & Oatmeal, microwaveable instant oatmeal sold in two-packs. Well, make that 90 seconds. It takes maybe five seconds to walk to the sink, five seconds to add water to the cup's fill line, 45 seconds to cook, five seconds to stir in the separate cup of fruit, and then another 30 seconds to wait so as not to burn one's tongue.
Dole's Fruit & Oatmeal is available in three flavors: Blueberries & Cream, Apples & Brown Sugar, Peaches & Vanilla Walnut. We weren't entirely enchanted with the Blueberries & Cream, which featured a cup of liquidy fruit that made the oatmeal too soggy (even after we spilled much of the fruit "juice," making a purple mess on our mouse pad).
We would prefer mixing our own plain oatmeal, fresh fruit and sweetener (it would be less expensive, too). But Dole's product definitely doles out quick-grab portability.
-- Jennifer Christman
Slim Pickings is a weekly review of light foods. Email:
jchristman@arkansasonline.com
ActiveStyle on 09/01/2014