Oatmeal all but disappeared from my life once I hit the teenage years, and it was not until I came to the U.S. that I suddenly remembered the joys of oatmeal. Yet while I tried many of the Quaker instant varieties - so ubiquitous in American grocery stores - none of them quite satisfied me. Perhaps it was my cooking method, but they often ended up gluey in texture, and just too sweet for my tastes. The other week, however, I came across the oatmeal collaboration between Dr. Weil and Nature’s Path Organic, and happily picked up a box of each variety - Chocolada Almond and Veri-Berry.

Over the years, quite a few posts on this website have exalted oats for their ability to lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease and colon cancer, for containing all sorts of beneficial minerals and phytonutrients, and for being rich in fiber. Many delicious-sounding oatmeal recipes have also been put forth, and yet as a time-poor college student heading into Finals, oatmeal that I can make quickly with hot water or in the microwave is quite alluring. Each Weil by Nature’s Path Hot Oatmeal variety is vegan, organic, free of GMOs, and has between 26-27g whole grains as well as 4g of fiber per serving. More importantly, they taste good.

Veri-Berry contains dried cranberries, cherries, and raspberries, and is my preferred choice in the morning. Not too sweet, with a nice tang from the berries, a bowl sustains me quite nicely until lunch time in a way that no other instant oatmeals have yet managed to do. The Chocolada Almond does, in my opinion, have a slight edge, in large part because of the plentiful and delicious almonds that impart a nice crunch to the experience. If I had access to my lovely pantry (or someone else’s lovely pantry, for that matter), I’d love to add a pinch of cinnamon and chili, but the flavor is certainly enjoyable as is. This oatmeal has become one of my go-to snacks for afternoons of studying. It’s got chocolate, almonds, and is healthful - sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Photo courtesy of www.naturespath.com

Southern Alps is promoting its Fruit Mixes, and in particular, its No. 25 Slow Fruit Gift Box, as “healthy decadence” fit for a Mother’s Day present. While I have not tasted every fruit in the line-up, I can nevertheless say I’d be pleased to give my mother any of Southern Alps’ sweet and tangy treats. However, seeing as said mother lives a good nineteen hour plane flight away, I think I’ll just enjoy them myself for the time being.

I was sent two packets each of the No. 7 Slow Fruit Mix, which is comprised of “slow mango, slow apples, slow pineapple, slow strawberries,” and the No. 17, which is “slow white mulberries.” Having never had mulberries before, and being intrigued by the website’s description of them as tasting like “small drops of honey,” I tried these first. To my surprise, the white mulberries do taste like concentrated jolts of honey, but not the one-dimensional mass produced honey you find in the supermarket. No, these have a depth of flavor to them that is hard to pin down; the best I can say is that these dried white mulberries have a complex, almost dark, layered sweetness. In fact, I think these could very well vie with dates for the title of “nature’s candy.” I was also surprised by how dense each little berry was; when I saw that the 1.4oz packet was listed as two servings, I chuckled to myself. However, after tasting them, I believe a few could satisy a sugar craving (although I should admit that I ate them in one go quite happily). I can imagine these being delicious on a cheese platter, or with a good quality dark chocolate.

Being very pleased with the mulberries, I moved onto the No. 17, and found myself enjoying the fruits in this mix even more. While the sweetness of the mulberries is lovely, I am particularly enamored with the tanginess of the fruits in the Slow Fruit Mix (which is, of course, due to the natural flavors of the fruits; as I’ve mentioned, there is no added sugar in any Southern Alps’ Slow Fruit). Each “slow” fruit piece seemed to have had its pure fruit flavor distilled; the fruit tasted so strongly of itself that I again found myself wondering why, particularly with strawberries and mangos, some companies feel the need to add sugar to dried fruit. The apples tasted far better than the spongy dried specimens found at supermarkets, the strawberries were wonderfully tangy and the mango made me feel a bit naughty for not having sent them to my mother. She loves fresh mango and, I’m sure, would love these. My personal favorite, however, were the pineapple pieces. Chewy, sweet and tangy, I can see myself picking up a packet of these in the future. Oh, but I also want to try the yellow figs, and the nectarines, and the muesli mixes look really good too…

Photo courtesy of www.southern-alps.co.uk