As I mentioned in my post about my issues with following microwave directions, I was recently sent a bunch of Amy's products to sample. The first ones I'm going to review are the hot breakfast cereals - because breakfast comes first!

I am a cold cereal person. I eat it every single morning and also the occasional afternoon and evening. I like hot cereals, but I find cold milk (or soy milk in my case) is a refreshing way to start the day. I did, however, approach the Amy's hot cereals with an open mind.

After the jump, my overall review and my review of each cereal.

They might look like cookies at first glance, but these oatmeal breakfast bars from Sugar and Spices are really a healthy way to start off the morning. The bars are packed with oats, raisins, walnuts, a modest amount of sugar and minimal fat. Soft and chewy, they sound like the would be very satisfying without being too heavy - much like the Matisse and Jack's energy bars that I baked up a couple of weeks back. On top of their relatively healthy profile, homemade bars are a good alternative to store bought snack bars because they offer you the chance to adapt them to your taste. Want dried cranberries or blueberries instead of raisins? Or hazelnuts instead of walnuts? Not a problem. The bars do not take very long to make and spending an hour on them over the weekend will definitely save some time if you tend to be in a rush on weekday mornings.

A cold morning and a ripe pear were the inspiration for this breakfast. In summer, I'm likely just to opt for the fruit on its own, since hot cereal doesn't hold that much appeal when it is muggy outside, but when the weather turns colder, I like to start my day off with hot food. Pear and Maple Oatmeal takes advantage of seasonal flavors, since maple syrup is often included in fall recipes, and is so delicious that it almost tastes like dessert. On top of that, it's incredibly easy to make in the microwave, which makes it an easy breakfast to whip up on a busy weekday morning.

The trick to this recipe, which is after the jump, is to add in half of the pear before cooking and half after. The pear that is cooked will become very tender and almost melt into the oatmeal. The rest of the pear will soften only slightly from the heat when it is added just before serving, adding a lovely texture to the cereal.

The recommended daily guidelines for Americans suggest that at least half of all the grains consumed during the day be whole grains, which comes out to be 3 -5 servings daily. Aside from whole grain breads, like those made from whole wheat flour instead of wheat flour, there are quite a few other foods that will let you get those servings in. The ten most popular sources of whole grains are whole wheat (flour), whole oats/oatmeal, whole-grain corn, popcorn, brown rice, whole rye, whole-grain barley, wild rice, buckwheat and triticale, and as they are the most popular, they are also the most readily available.

Oatmeal, corn, popcorn and both brown and wild rice are easy enough to add into your weekly diet, and barley can stand in for rice or potatoes at many meals. Rye and buckwheat can be found in many breads, most of which will make superb sandwiches during the week. To add them in at home, you can try buckwheat pancakes or a blueberry buckwheat bundt cake. Triticale is a hybrid of rye and wheat, found mostly at health food stores, and can also be incorporated into many recipes.

A great source for some whole-grain recipes online is Bob's Red Mill website, which covers recipes for all of the top 10 grains.

In the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Goldilocks broke into the bears' house and at their porridge. In West Vancouver, one of the bears decided to turn the tables on the tale by breaking into a kitchen and settling in for a lovely bowl of oatmeal. The 2-year old bear - Baby Bear, perhaps - entered a home through a partially open sliding glass door, opened the pantry and started to eat from a ceramic container of oats, where he was discovered by the owner of the house.

The woman called the police, who decided that because the bear was neither aggressive towards humans nor was he doing anything besides eating the oatmeal, they would simply wait for him to leave. And when he felt 'just right,' he ambled out the door and back into the forest.

For the article titled The New York Diet, New York magazine asked a sample of five New Yorkers to write down everything they ate for a week. The project was meant as a small comparison to the book Everything I Ate, which is one New Yorker's photo diary of everything he ate for a year.

Overall, the piece is fascinating, and I think that part of the appeal of reading through these lists is the same thing that keeps people reading food blogs: you get to eat vicariously through someone else's writing/photography. You also get to learn a few things about the lifestyle of the person you're reading about. For example, I learned that the 10th grader's diet was pretty frightening, with lots of candy and fast food, and also noticed that New Yorkers generally eat dinner later than I do.

 You can't go wrong when you make room for more healthy foods in your diet. Unlike the worst foods you can eat, these are foods that have a great taste and are good for you. Adding them to your daily routine is a great idea, whether you want to get in shape for the summer swimsuit season, to lose weight or just get a little bit healthier. Of course, these aren't all of the best foods you can eat (that list would be too long), but it's a great place to start.

Almonds -- While walnuts contain up to 90% of the recommended daily amount of omega-3 fatty acids per serving, almonds are very high in monounsaturated fats, which have also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. They are high in calcium and fiber, low in saturated fats and are very satisfying. A great way to incorporate more almonds into your diet is by using a natural almond butter on your toast or in sandwiches, instead of a processed peanut butter, which may have sugars, stabilizers and hydrogenated fats added to it.

Oatmeal -- Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber, protein, vitamins B1, B12 and E and is low in fat. It has been shown to lower cholesterol when eaten regularly, and has been associated with the reduced risk of many cancers, including colon cancer. Steel cut oats, which are made by cutting a whole oat groat (the most nutritious form) into a few pieces, are the best way to get the maximum benefit from your oatmeal, but regular rolled oats are a good choice, too. Avoid instant oatmeals and, if plain is too boring, top a bowl with any kind of fruit or some of your own spices.

Even though I think it's silly, I still love this banana slicer from Cereality, the popular quick-fix breakfast cereal chain. All you have to do is peel your banana and press the slicer through it, producing a full banana of neat slices, ready to be tossed into cereal or onto a bowl of oatmeal. Before you dismiss it, is it really that much different from an avocado slicer or egg slicer? This gadget is an easy way to save time in the mornings and add something delicious to your food while getting an extra serving of fruit.  It's only $7.99 and it's versatile, too! If breakfast isn't your thing, you can toss them into a frying pan with butter and brown sugar to make a dessert topping.

You may eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast, but you can also use it on your skin. Doctors and scientists have long known the power of oatmeal to treat minor skin inflammations and relieve very dry skin, and we often see colloidal oatmeal as an ingredient with facial products.

• For a bath soak, finely grind 1c. dry oats in a blender or food processor. Sprinkle in tub of warm water. Soak yourself for 15-20 minutes. I had to do this for a few days when I broke out in hives from a food allergy.
• I have seen oatmeal facials done two ways. The first method uses ½ c. dry oats that has been finely ground mixed with ¼ c. plain full fat yogurt and 2 Tbsp. honey. (We've already seen the beauty benefits of honey.) Apply to face, rest for 15 minutes, then rinse off.
• The 2nd oatmeal facial uses 1/3 c. instant oatmeal cooked with ½ c. water. Add 2 Tbsp honey, apply to face, rest for 15-20 minutes, then rinse off.
• The oatmeal by itself in a facial mask works as an exfoliator, but it can also physically slough off dead skin cells because of its texture when it is ground into a powder.

Previous spa foods not to eat, but to treat:
Avocados are moisturizing
Cleopatra's secret: honey
Miracle Whip and Mayo: Miracle moisturizer
Two in one: eggs
Go bananas!