Critic's Cupboard: Quaker Oats Simple Harvest Instant Multigrain Hot Cereal

Quaker Oats Simple Harvest Instant Multigrain Hot Cereal

Maple Brown Sugar with Pecans flavor

Box of 8 packets. $4.39

Spatula Up

Saimi Bergmann: As "instant" breakfasts go, this is one of the best. Faint praise? Perhaps. But I'm known for being anti-convenience food. The more someone messes with my food, the less I like it.

But I remember morning madness with children -- trying to get everyone to eat breakfast, pack their backpacks and make it to the bus stop on time. These instant breakfast packets pass muster for those busy mornings because they include oats, wheat, barley, rye and a sprinkling of nuts, and because children can make them in the microwave.

For less hectic mornings (or a filling bedtime snack), I recommend my version of multigrain hot cereal. I go to the bulk section of the health food store and buy 4 cups oat flakes, 1 cup wheat flakes, 1 cup barley flakes and 1 cup rye flakes. I mix them in a large container with pour spout. In the morning I cook it like regular oatmeal, then sprinkle with cinnamon, chopped pecans (or raisins) and just a bit of brown sugar. It has fewer calories and less sugar than the instant, and the grains are whole.

Spatula Down

Jennifer Mastroianni: Quaker's Simple Harvest Instant Multigrain Hot Cereal is something new and exciting in the hot cereal aisle.

The earthy box appeals to the eye, especially the transparent window on the front that lets you see the grainy goodness inside.

Of the three flavors, we tried Maple Brown Sugar with Pecans. Rich, authentic maple flavor wafted from the bowl, and each pecan-studded spoonful offered wholesome, hearty oatmeal deluxe.

So why the spatula down? Price. The packet only makes a modest serving for 55 cents.

With little effort, this breakfast could be created at home for a fraction of the cost.

Canton Repository