Confessions of a Processed Food Kid

Those of you who know me personally can attest to the fact that I appreciate candor. So to be candid: No, steel cut oats do not appear to be what Starbucks is using.

Okay, so now that we have that aside- let's talk about THE AMAZING SUBSTANCE known as STEEL COAT OATS. I mean wow- this stuff is oatmeal???? Where has it been all my life?

I grew up in a pretty typical Canadian middle-income household prior to the 'Nutritional Information' awakening. In other words- I grew up on processed foods. Instant oatmeal with the squeeze-package of jam-like substance in the morning for breakfast. Chicken Noodle Soup (notability sparse on both) with four soda crackers and margarine for lunch. Shake n Bake chicken (or Pork Chops coated in garlic powder and seasoning salt) with minute rice and frozen corn for dinner. We hit McDonalds once a week, the only fresh vegetables around were carrots and celery, and the only fruit that graced the house was grapes- when they were on special. Fruit was sort of treated like a high end, unnecessary commodity despite the 20/20 retrospective truth: We had the money, and fruit & veggies are cheaper than most things.

I know what you're thinking. But remember- this is back when schools 'grazed' the topic of food groups, a subject certainly not covered in the public school studies of our parents. Were there even Nutritional Information tables a decade ago? I don't recall them... So, we'll cut my parents and babysitters some slack.

As with many of my generation, the quest for balanced health and longevity means overcoming those eating habits that were such a part of our upbringing. So, although I initially turned to instant oatmeal in the mornings as a seemingly healthy start to the day- over time I had to admit that even two packages doesn't last long into the day and surely at least a third of my Maple & Brown Sugar is just that.

But in my world, no other oatmeal existed. Until now. I suppose I should take the opportunity to thank Starbucks for the ludicrous price they charge for their Perfect Oatmeal ($3.75 CAD) as it is ultimately what lead me down this road. And don't get me wrong- it's certainly not that I don't have $3.75, it's that it's OATMEAL and the principle of it blows my mind. While steel cut oats did not turn out to be whatever perfect oats it is that Starbucks is using- it's entirely better.

Yesterday I was speaking with a friend of mine, about overcoming this new Latte Factor in my life, and shared my theory over the steel cut quaker oats. She cooed about the oat, and said that once or twice a week she would cook up a batch of Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats and then just nuke them in the microwave for a minute in the morning.

At superstore, oatmeal (or at least, 'the real thing') was proving difficult to locate- it had been banished from the Cereal aisle in favor of Baking Needs. The Quaker Steel Cut oats, in their nifty packets (and ready in 5 minutes) were no where to be found. President's Choice offerred a hot-chocolate style can of them for a good price, and I had been able to find Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats in the Natural Foods section. Realizing that both kinds required a full 15 - 20 minutes on the stove, I decided to go with Bob's Red Mill.

Thus began what seemed to be a very simply cooking procedure. Boil 3 cups of water with a pinch of salt, add 1 cup of the oats, and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes. Why did I used to be intimidated by this? Images of an old roommate cooking oatmeal for a seeming eternity, flashed through my mind- followed by the watery gruel-looking result that had seemed so utterly unappetizing to me. I recall that I found her odd for wanting to eat the unappealing substance.

I moved over to the island of the kitchen to make a salad for my lunch the next day and WOooooooooooooosh- glutinous water poured out and down all sides of the pot, running all over the surface of the new ceramic stove top. I took a moment to miss the old stove type... with it's sizzling burner which would have quickly banished the liquid to the catch-all tray underneath.

I rushed over to slide the pot off of the element, mopped up most of the milky water and re-examined the instructions. Ah... 'simmer,' it says. I still had the element up on high. Despite correcting the temperature, the pot tried to explode twice afterward. I decided to tip the lid slightly to allow the pressure to escape, which seemed to solve the issue. Where was that in the instructions? I thought back to the roommate, and remembered the cooked-on, glutinous residue on the outside of the pot afterward. I suspect that cleaning the stove is going to be fun.

I sampled the oats at 15, 17 and 20 minutes and- not being accustomed to the firmness of the oats, I allowed the oats to sit covered, off the heat, until the last bit of water was gone. I made up a small bowl with some brown sugar and slivered almonds- and I have to say, it was to die for. The oats on their own have a bit of a nutty taste, and the addition of brown sugar and almonds is perfect. (My friend likes adding raisins during boiling). I was remiss to put the remainder in a container- I think I could have devoured all four servings right there.

This morning I found the oatmeal to be almost solid and thick to scoop, so I was a bit worried. But 45 seconds in the microwave with a sprinkle of water loosened it up enough to blend in the almonds and brown sugar. I cooked it for another 15 seconds to get it hot again and devoured it. IT IS SO GOOD, and IT'S GOOD FOR ME?? Where has this divine substance been all my life?

PS - While I also have a spinach salad with cucumber, cheese cubes and tomato for lunch- don't be fooled. I still harbor a box of Original Kraft Dinner at the back of my pantry, no matter what. Old habits die hard ;)

Starbucks Oatmeal

*stands up and wrings hands in front of her

"Uh- um, hi. My name is Jennifer, and I-uh... I have a Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal problem."


Okay, so it's not really a huge problem of epic, global, or even intervention-style proportions. But as a financial advisor, I can assure you it reaks of 'The Latte Factor"... that woeful factor that I worked so diligently to reduce last year by weaning myself from Starbucks to Tim Hortons, and from Tim Hortons to the store-bought organic granola and plentiful (also, free) tea selection in the office.


Starbucks' dreamy 'Perfect Oatmeal' snuck past my Latte Factor Forcefield with it's jazz 'chase music' and coo-ing suggestions about Perfect Oatmeal being the Perfect way to get the warm fuzzies during the weather shift into fall.

Now, what's 'The Latte Factor," you ask?

David Bach coined and trademarked the phrase "Latte Factor". It is those small, day-to-day purchases that, when eliminated, can actually provide you with a significant, and somewhat surprising, sum of money. It really comes down to finding $5 a day that can be saved and invested.

There's even a nifty little 'Latte Factor Calculator' to play with here:
http://www.finishrich.com/free_resources/lattecalculator.php

At $3.75 three times a week, my Perfect Oatmeal habit- invested weekly- would generate about $643.50 over 1 year (with 10% ROR). Yikes!

But I'm a resourceful little thing (adorable, too, I might add...) so the buck doesn't stop there. You see, I took a few minutes to ask myself... what is it about Starbucks' Oatmeal that I like so much? I decided, it is much more filling than those little instant oatmeal packages... and I always worried about the sugar and sodium contents of them. Furthermore- the texture was different: glutinous, like oatmeal cooked on the stove top for 20 minutes or something. And yet... it was somehow ready in five minutes.

Bring on the research. I've learned that most instant oatmeals are made with rolled oats, which makes them (duh) flat and compact even with water added. However, there is an alternative, called Steel Cut oats. Apparently Steel Cut oats are not rolled- therefore retaining the original consistency of stove-cooked oats. And, it cooks in five minutes.

Hmmmm... sound familiar?

So, I vow to pick up a box of these Steel Cut Oats tonight and try them out this week. I can grab a bag of slivered almonds and some of that nice 'Golden' brown sugar. I'll let you guys know how it goes, at $0.75 ;)