Half term was great - a much needed rest for both me and the kids, as well as the chance to spend some quality time together - but it's been tough getting them back into morning routine, especially now that the clocks have gone back and it's darker in the mornings. Whereas a bright and breezy "are you awake?" as I headed to the bathroom was usually enough to have them scampering down the stairs in their pyjamas to grab breakfast, these days I've had to call two or three times and sometimes even resorted to turning on the main bedroom light before I get so much as a groan and a shuffling noise as they hunker down under their quilts for a few more blissful minutes in their warm cocoons ! Luckily, Quaker have given me back those few lost minutes by sending through a selection of their ultra convenient breakfast options for us to try out.
The Madhouse kids have always loved the squeezy fruit and yogurt pouches so they were keen to try out the Fruit & Oat Squeeze pouches. They have a bigger format than the fruit and yogurt pouches, containing a generous 200g serving, and they come in three fruity flavours : Blueberry, Red Fruits and Apple & Cinnamon. Inside is a thick, smooth blend of fruit juices and puree with oat flakes and yogurt. I was expecting something similar to overnight oats but it's less lumpy and has a much stronger zingy fruity flavour that overpowers the taste of oats. In fact, the Madhouse kids didn't even realise it contained oats until I pointed it out - they just thought it was very thick fruit puree. This could be a good thing if your kids aren't keen on porridge but do like fruit. They have no added sugars and each pouch provides 170-192 calories and 13-19g of sugars, depending on the flavour, as well as 3.2g of fat, of which 1.4g saturates, 4g of fibre and 4.4g of protein. That's for the whole pouch, which is designed to contain one serving, but it's quite a generous size, even for an adult, so you may get two servings out of it, depending on your appetite and whether you eat something else with it. The packaging says they are best served chilled but they are very nice at room temperature too, making them perfect to keep in the cupboard for last minute breakfast-on-the-go when you're running late or for popping in coat pockets on the way to school if the kids haven't eaten enough for breakfast. I'm no better than the kids - I've been eating them at the bus stop in the morning, so that I can grab an extra ten minutes under the quilt too !
We love porridge here at the Madhouse, but one thing I hate is the cleaning up - it sticks like glue to bowls if you don't wash them up straight away (and who has time on a work day?) and if it overflows in the microwave (which is invariably does, especially if the kids are in charge !), you'll have great fun clearing that up too. Overnight oats are great, as long as you've been organised enough to make them the day before and have enough room in the fridge,but Quaker Oats have come up with a convenient and tasty alternative : Porridge To Go Breakfast Squares.
They are basically a denser and less crumbly version of flapjacks, which can be eaten cold or warmed up in the microwave. They come individually wrapped so, once again, they are perfect for stuffing in coat pockets, school bags or lunchboxes for a mid-morning break. As the wrapping is microwavable, you can even warm one up before heading outside on a cold morning to double up as a handwarmer while you eat it ! Each 55g square contains the same amount of oats as a bowl of porridge and provides 214/216 calories, 3.6/3.9g of fats, 11g of sugars and 3.2/3.5g of fibre. Porridge To Go Squares are available in Golden Syrup and Strawberry Raspberry Cranberry. We enjoyed both of them, but found them slightly dry so you'll need a drink (or maybe a Fruit & Oat Squeeze pouch) to go with them.
Anything that takes some of the stress and mad rushing around out of mornings has to be a good thing in my book !
The Quaker Oats To Go range is available in retailers nationwide:
RRP Porridge To Go Duo Pack 2 x 55g @£1.39 (Golden Syrup and Strawberry Raspberry Cranberry)
RRP Porridge To Go Single 55g @£0.75 (Golden Syrup and Strawberry Raspberry Cranberry)
RRP Fruit & Oat Squeeze 200g pouch @£1.39 (Red Fruits, Apple & Cinnamon, Blueberry)
Disclosure : We received the products in order to write an honest review.
