Review: Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal ~ Shaping Up with Melissa

I am a member of the Starbucks Rewards program, if you frequent the store at all it is well worth signing up. I know they didn't really promote the program before, but I've seen some brochures popping up here and there. You get some nice perks and coupons in the mail. A coupon I recently received was for a free Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal. I decided to use that as a good excuse to get a coffee and have breakfast at my local store before running some errands.

I ordered the oatmeal and a tall nonfat latte, which is my favorite drink. The oatmeal came in a decent-sized container that was well packaged and did not feel flimsy or that it would fall apart easily if you had to transport it in your car. Starbucks describes the oatmeal as "100% whole grain goodness made-to-order with your choice of brown sugar, dried fruit, and nuts."

The oatmeal has a nice thick consistency even before adding the toppings. But it is very obviously instant oatmeal, so the quality is not going to be as good as if you prepared it at home. I did wish the size of the container was a little more on par with how much oatmeal you actually received, that is a lot of empty space there!

You are given three individually packaged toppings, each with the nutritional information clearly labeled on the outside. I thought this was a nice touch and could make customization a little easier for those who are watching their calories. I chose to add the brown sugar and nuts, but not the dried fruit because I thought it seemed a little to much like candy when I did a small taste test.

I mixed the toppings into the oatmeal and I loved that the brown sugar sort of melted throughout and made the oatmeal a bit gooey and sticky to eat. I thought it was at a perfect consistency and not too watery or too clumpy. The oatmeal had a pleasant taste, especially with the addition of the brown sugar. The nuts were crisp and did not taste like they had been in a package for who knows how long. You also got a pretty decent amount of the nuts, which included walnuts, pecans, and almonds. I liked that the serving did seem pretty decent with everything added in. I could definitely make a meal out of just the oatmeal and my latte. I was full for a good five hours after I ate this.

The individual add-ons.

I did not pay for the oatmeal, and I really don't know that I would on a normal day even though it was pretty good. It costs about $2.50 and you can get entire containers of oatmeal at the store for that price. However, if you are in a hurry it is probably a decent option when compared with what else is out there.

The nutrition information for the oatmeal by itself is 140 calories, the nuts add 100 calories, the brown sugar adds 50, and the dried fruit would also add 100 calories. The sodium is very low which I liked, especially for a fast food breakfast.