Pecan Pumpkin Instant Oatmeal - Trader Joe's: Marlton, NJ

Pecan Pumpkin Instant Oatmeal - Trader Joe's: Marlton, NJ

Am I the only person who eats breakfast foods for dinner? In college I made an infographic of all the food I ate in a month, check it out HERE, and as you can see...none of those bowls of cereal were for breakfast. I gotta say, my eating habits haven't changed. Am I alone? Do the rest of you eat cereal for dinner too? 

Now that it's getting colder here in Jersey, I've been craving warmer items for my breakfast/dinners, and what's better than a hot bowl of oatmeal? Let's see if this fancy pumpkin pecan oatmeal is any better than the Archer Farms one I reviewed last year.

Wow, looking at the packaging, this is really cohesive for a Trader Joe's product. Everything about it looks polished and well put together. I really like it! I honestly don't have much else to say about it, the image is appealing, the text is easy to read, and the little pumpkin flag/logo at the top is really well done. This is fun and seasonal, without looking like a novelty, so great job Trader Joe's designers! (Although that is a HUGE bowl of oatmeal. Who can eat all of that? To get a bowl that full you'd have to use almost every packet in this box!)

Inside the box are little individual packets, just like any other instant oatmeal on the market, and each packet has the different cooking instructions printed on it so you can easily take this with you to work or school. (Foodies confession time: As a kid, I used to eat instant oatmeal packets as is. No water. No milk. I just tore a corner off and poured it into my mouth like a breakfast-y Pixie Stick. I was a weird kid. Itotallystilldothatsometimesthough.)

I followed the instructions and cooked this up with a bit of water. (I usually use water instead of milk, it's my personal preference.) The results, the oatmeal came together and it smelled like brown sugar and pecans. Where's the pumpkin? I don't smell any hint of sweet squashiness, but maybe it'll taste more like pumpkin.

After a few bites, I really couldn't taste any pumpkin flavoring at all. This stuff tasted sweet, nutty, and very similar to a brown sugar or maple brown sugar style instant oatmeal, but where's the pumpkin? 

I would rate this highly, because you do get a lot of pecan pieces per packet, and the oatmeal itself is really satisfying, sweet, and filling, but this is meant to be a pumpkin product, and I honestly can't taste any pumpkin in it at all.

On a Pumpkin Scale of 1-5 (5 being the most pumpkin-y) I’d give this a 0. Don't get me wrong, this tastes great, but there is no hint of pumpkin anywhere. This is a delicious pecan oatmeal, so it is enjoyable, but it just doesn't deliver the promised flavoring.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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