Quick Bites: Jamba's oatmeal tops McDonald's

I love hot cereal.

You name it — Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, even that ultra-chewy, food-storage cracked wheat — I enjoy it, especially when it helps take the chill from a gray winter day.

Oatmeal is my favorite, though, so I was happy to see recently that Jamba Juice and (yes, it's true) McDonald's are offering oatmeal.

McDonald's oatmeal (locally $1.99 for about 9 ounces, www.mcdonalds.com) comes covered in diced fresh apples, golden raisins and dried cranberries.

The fruit topping is the best thing this item has going for it, as the oatmeal itself is most akin to the highly processed stuff you get from an envelope. There are only two times I eat that kind of oatmeal rather than regular rolled or steel-cut oats: camping and staying at hotels that offer "hot breakfast" buffets with the room.

On the other hand, the McD's oatmeal is decent nutritionally, despite 32 grams of sugar: 290 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, a hefty 5 grams of dietary fiber and 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of calcium and vitamin C.

Compare that to the rest of the breakfast menu, and this looks like a nice option.

The oatmeal at Jamba Juice (locally $2.95 for about 9 ounces, www.jambajuice.com) has the same calories, more fiber and less sugar, plus the bonus of delicious organic steel-cut oatmeal and your choice of fruit toppings (though there is hardly any calcium).

If you've never tried steel-cut oatmeal, Jamba Juice is a good place to start. Slow-cooked as required for steel-cut oats, it is deliciously creamy and nutty, with tender but substantial oats.

I had the blueberry and blackberry topping, a lightly sweet compote-like sauce rather than fresh berries, and the brown-sugar crumble. It was both filling and delicious, though I might try sliced bananas next time to get some fresh fruit.

Costs more, and you can't get it at a drive-thru, but to me, the difference in quality is worth the price.

Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret News.