Millville Pumpkin Spice Instant Oatmeal

This is a guest post by Claire.

Tis the season for seasonal pumpkin products at your nearest Aldi.

Perhaps one of the healthiest items in this category would be Millville’s Pumpkin Spice Instant Oatmeal. One bowl of this tasty oatmeal is only 160 calories yet still manages to be very flavorful and satisfying for a quick breakfast.

Each box has eight 1.51-ounce oatmeal packets. The ingredients consist of whole grain rolled oats, sugar, nonfat dry milk, salt, spices, guar gum, and natural flavors.

Every serving of oatmeal contains 2g of fat, 190 mg of sodium, 32g of carbohydrates, 3g of fiber, 11g of sugar, and 4g of protein. There is also 1.3 mg of iron and 140 mg of potassium.

There are two recommended methods for preparing your meal:

With hot water:

1. Empty packet into bowl.
2.  Add up to ½ cup of boiling water (or hot milk) and stir.
3. For best results, let stand 1-2 minutes before serving.

Microwave:

1. Empty packet into a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Add up to ⅔ cup of water (or milk) and stir.
3. Microwave the uncovered bowl on HIGH for 1-2 minutes or until oatmeal begins to thicken.
4. Carefully remove hot bowl from microwave oven. Stir and serve.

All microwaves are different and cooking time should be adjusted as needed.

I used the microwave method and prepared my oatmeal with ⅔ cup of almond milk for some creaminess. This would have been decently filling by itself (especially considering the low amount of calories), but I also grated a carrot into the bowl to bulk it up and added extra cinnamon.

I recommend only microwaving any kind of oatmeal for 1 minute before stirring. Afterward, I microwave in 20-30 second intervals to avoid an oaty explosion. Besides that, the cooking instructions were accurate for me.

The Verdict:

I really enjoyed the Millville Pumpkin Spice Instant Oatmeal. It was quick to make, a low-calorie option, and it tasted really good! It wasn’t an overpowering, artificial taste, but you could definitely taste the pumpkin and spices used. I didn’t need any extra sweetener, but this could also taste good with a bit of maple syrup if preferred. There is already a buttery flavor to the oatmeal and it doesn’t need any extra.

I will buy this product again. I think it works great for breakfast, a quick snack, or even a low-key dessert. I also think this would be a safe bet for kids.

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Claire Tadokoro works in publishing in New York City. Her writing can be found at www.clairetadokoro.com. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @ClaireTadokoro.