by Marianne Plunkert
Overall rating: 2.5 of 5
Meal Description and Cooking Instructions
Breakfast on the last day of Week 2 was titled, “Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal with Walnut Apple Compote.” The entrée arrived in a 2-compartment plastic tray, with a large walnut half positioned in the center of about ½ cup of oatmeal in one section and 2 small syrup-coated apple slices in the other. I opted to supplement the entrée with 6 ounces of plain nonfat yogurt.
The heating instructions indicated that the meal was to be heated in the microwave on high for 30 to 40 seconds. I heated mine for 45 seconds since my microwave is a lower-wattage model.
Cinnamon-Apple Oatmeal with Walnut Apple Compote
My General Impressions
I wish someone on the eDiets staff would take the time to look at the meal as packaged and compare it to the title. There were no walnuts in the Apple Compote; instead there was a lonely walnut half atop the oatmeal.
And there was not a trace of either cinnamon or apple in the oatmeal–until I added it after tasting the oatmeal and deciding I needed to do something to make it halfway palatable.
I happen to like oatmeal, but this entrée was dry and sticky and tasted like it had been sitting around in a pot for several days before it was served. And it had no flavor at all before I stirred the scant portion of Apple Compote into it.
The Apple Compote, what little of it there was, had a subtle cinnamon flavor. I appreciated the fact that it wasn’t too sweet. The apples had been cooked to a nice texture—soft, yet firm enough not to be mushy. Their addition to the oatmeal helped somewhat and made the meal edible—but barely.
Nutritional Content
This breakfast entrée contains 180 calories, 50 of which are from fat. There are 6 grams of protein and 25 grams of total carbohydrates, with 3 grams of fiber and a relatively high 8 grams of sugar.
It supplies 10% of the recommended daily intake of calcium, 8% of the iron, and 4% of the Vitamin A. The apples don’t come close to equaling a full serving of fruit, but my nonfat yogurt did provide a serving of dairy. There are no vegetables and very little protein in the meal.
Food Rating/Quality
This meal scores only a 2.5 on a scale of 1 to 5 with me. It wasn’t quite as bad as the Egg Frittata entrée I had for breakfast earlier this week, but it was close.
The Apple Compote was the only saving grace to the meal. It’s too bad there wasn’t more of it to stir into the oatmeal to help the taste of the main course a bit more. The apples were subtly flavored and had a good texture. They weren’t too sugary sweet, either.
Still, the Apple Compote couldn’t completely make up for the dry, sticky texture of the oatmeal that tasted like it had sat on the stove for days. I was reminded of that nursery rhyme, “Pease Porridge Hot, Pease Porridge Cold, Pease Porridge in the pot 9 days old,” as I ate it.
The meal doesn’t even score any points from an appearance standpoint. Everything on the plate looked as bland as the oatmeal tasted.
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