Back To Basics- How To Make Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets Recipe

When I was a kid I hated breakfast. I’ve never been one to be super hungry in the morning and boy did my poor mother ever struggle with getting me to eat. She refused to let me go to school with an empty tummy, and was constantly trying to find something that I would eat before heading out the door. I went through phases of being able to stomach certain foods in the morning– grapefruit, rice krispies, yogurt, shredded wheat and instant oatmeal were breakfast foods I remember rotating through when I was a kid. My favorite flavor of instant oatmeal was the maple and brown sugar kind– It was sweet, warm, fast and the packets were small so I could get the food down quickly. 

I’ve been teaching cooking classes for just over a year now and I find that my students are a constant source of inspiration. The class I’m currently teaching has kids ages 5-12 as participants. I love asking them what kinds of food they would like to learn how to make. A few weeks ago we made breakfast cookies (I wrote about my chocolate macadamia nut breakfast cookie recipe that was inspired by my class here). When we were making the cookies in the class, the students and I chatted about what they ate for breakfast before school. One of my students said “I really love instant oatmeal packets but my mom stopped buying them after she looked at the ingredient list.” I told her that I’d experiment a bit and that we could make instant oatmeal packs during the next class.

You guys! Instant oatmeal packets are so easy to make and it’s a fun way to get kids involved with meal planning.  I’ve started creating an “Instant Oatmeal bar” each weekend where I lay out mason jars, oats and bowls full of dried toppings and I let me kids make their own instant oatmeal combinations for the week!   

Read on for instructions for how to make homemade instant oatmeal packets and some flavor combination ideas! 

Back To Basics- How To Make Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets Recipe

Ingredients: 

-1/3 cup quick cook oats

-Pinch of Salt

-Favorite dry oatmeal toppings (dried fruits, brown sugar, nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, etc.)

-Mason Jars (I love the little half pint “squatty” mason jars for oatmeal. With the wide mouth it makes it easy to serve and eat the oatmeal right out of the jar!)

 

Directions:

Step 1: Put oats, salt and toppings in mason jar or other sealable containers. Store in pantry or cupboard until ready to eat. 

Step 2: When ready to serve add 1/3 cup of boiling water to the jar. Stir well, cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Add your favorite milk or sweetener if needed. Serve and enjoy.

Some of our favorite flavor combinations:

-Dried strawberries and slivered almonds

-Dried mango, pineapple and cashews

-Dried apples, brown sugar and cinnamon

-Chocolate chips and coconut

-Brown sugar and cinnamon

-Dried cranberries and pecans 

Note: I sometimes play with the amount of oats I put in each jar depending on who will be eating it. For my husband sometimes I put 1/2 cup of oats and for my kids 1/4 cup. You’ll just want to make sure that you take note of which jar has how much oats and add an equal amount of boiling water when ready to eat.  

Want to top your oatmeal with homemade nut milk? Check out our recipes for homemade almond milk, coconut milk and hemp seed milk!

Tell me… what are your favorite breakfasts during the week? Do you meal plan your breakfasts or decide what you are going to eat each morning?

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Like this post? Make sure you check out our Back To Basics section with recipes for kitchen essentials you can make from scratch!