Finally! Organic oatmeal at Costco

After months of having to buying small boxes of organic oatmeal from Whole Foods and other grocery stores, Costco is finally carrying it. I've been slowly transitioning my family into organic foods as much as I think is reasonable. That means switching out as many foods my kids eat on a daily basis with healthier substitutes, which in my household means no trans fats, no artificial flavors or colors, and no high fructose corn syrup. The last one has been the hardest because much to my surprise, it shows up in a lot of foods you wouldn't normally think would have it--like bread, for instance.

Reasonable to me also covers price, which is why I do a happy dance in the aisle when I find Costco has a new organic product. I've had the most success in their refrigerated section; while the prepared food products don't necessarily have "Organic" on their labels, if you look at the ingredients, most follow my criteria. In the non-perishables section, I found Costco's Kirkland brand of organic peanut butter (it comes two to a package), which I don't like. Like many organic peanut butters, the oil settles at the top and you have to stir it to get it to look like the peanut butter I've grown up with (I miss you, Jif). So the search continues for a good-tasting, no-stir peanut butter.

But the organic instant oatmeal search is over. Yes, I could get the plain oatmeal you have to cook, but with three kids to feed breakfast and get ready for school in the morning, instant is the way to go for me. Costco now carries their own Kirkland brand of organic oatmeal, which is in a box that's about the same size as the regular Quaker oatmeal box they carry. The organic version has 45 packets in five flavors. My kids eat a packet every breakfast on school days, so we go through a lot of it. Thank you Costco!!!

p.s. And thank you to the anonymous person who corrected me on the brand, it is Kirkland and not Quaker organic oatmeal.