Re: A nice simple dinner

songbird wrote:

Carol wrote:
...

 

We found a surprising winner for us both.  Now I know instant
oatmeal isn't nearly as good the old fashioned kind but Don's never
going to be the sort to make oatmeal on the stove first thing in
the morning.  For all these years (39 years now), Don has made our
breakfast unless I was on a night shift or something.  I usually do
dinner (about 5 times a week) and we combine on stir fry style
sides with me chopping and him cooking.
 
So the surprise is the instant oatmeal packets are tolerable!  It's
fast enough to be workable and with added fruits (dried or fresh) to
suit.  I'd tried them long ago and they were nasty.  They've
improved.
 
I'll try it later using the rice maker and rolled oats but suspect
Don likes the speed more and considers it a workable tradeoff.

 
  i tried them many years ago too and ended up going to
making plain ones instead because i like more texture
and less salt and other odd things.

Actually these have more texture than when Mom made old fashioned oats
for us kids at times.

I'll have to do my own comparison but I'm happy and the ingredient
lists are clean.  The sodium is 150-160 mg (well in acceptable range)
depending on version.  There's a lot of versions and I've found a good
use for all the dehydrated apple chips I've made from my own trees.  I
like the Brown Sugar and Apple one very well but there's a cinnimon one
for variety.  Don already knew he liked the Strawbery and there's more
than one type.  Right now, he's adding fresh sliced strawberries to it.

Lot's of flavors to try.  Probably 20 or so between Quaker and the
store brand.  Here's an oddity, the store brand is healthier and
BETTER!  That may not be true where others shop but hey, I'm happy.

Price: All the HT ones have 10 packets and 1.5oz, Quaker is .99oz and
flavored ones are 8 packs.  Quaker is literally 2/3 product per packet!!

(I'm going to see if HT has a strawberry version and if Don likes it).
It doesn't break the piggy bank either way but Don's are 43 cents each
and mine are 20 cents each so if they taste as good in strawberry for
the store brand, we'll swap his.

  if it is time involved in making oatmeal that he objects
to i've found that i can measure things and use the microwave
to start the oatmeal and then after it reaches a boil i can
turn it down to a lower power level for however long to
finish.  so there's actually very little time i'm having to
do much of anything other than waiting for it to finish.
 
  the first stage for how much i normally cook is 2 minutes
or less.  after that it is a few seconds of putting in the
new power level.  and then waiting 8:11 for them to finish.
i can easily do other things while the 2 and 8:11 are
going so it's really not a lot of time involved at all.

It's the speed.  As he boils water for his Tea, he's also doing the
water for his breakfast bowl.  You can't speed that up ant more so
tinkering with microwave levels (my base model doesn't have those)
doesn't fit.  Sorry but I know that without asking.

While the Quaker one has a preservative, the store brand doesn't.