Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal

I wanted to share a tip with all those busy moms who love instant oatmeal, but can't stand those awful prices. I take regular oatmeal and put it in my blender and just give it a few zaps, to break up the oats. You can add different ingredients to make it taste better.

Here are a few of mine.

Cinnamon Apple

• 1/4 cup of blended oats
• A few chopped dehydrated apples
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• A bit of brown sugar

Peaches and Cream:

• 1/4 cup of blended oats
• 1/2 peach from can or fresh if you have it, cut up
• 1-2 tbsp of vanilla instant pudding powder

All you have to do is bag up the mix. Be sure to only store dry ingredients. I like using dehydrated fruits and instant puddings. they store well and you can put them in single serve bags or bowls and all you need to do is add hot water.

By Melissa from Pine City, NY

Answers:

Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal

The Quick Oats can be prepared in the microwave exactly as they come out of the box. There is no need to process them more. Time is same as for "instant". I emailed Quaker about this over a year ago and this was info they gave me.

By Jan

create your own oatmeal

I read this article and I have to say I was baffled as to why the oats would be put into a blender. Anyway, my contribution to this post is my own creation, something I have done for years and I love. I, too, use the Quaker quick oats, add a handful (or so) of orange flavored dried cranberries and some hot water. I used to use orange extract and Craisins, but found the orange flavored dried cranberries to be even faster. :) I used to make "apple" flavored oatmeal for my daughter when she was a toddler, using the quick oats and apple juice. I also used to use maple syrup and brown sugar to get that maple and brown sugar taste, but found that it took a lot of both to create a good flavor, and stopped because of all the sugar I was putting in her body. Cinnamon and apple juice is so much better :) (10/12/2007)

By Valerie

Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal

Another tip: I hold onto small canisters, including larger used spice jars, to carry my oats. I keep them lined up on the kitchen counter to grab on the go! I am not a parent, but I am a busy young adult working in a competitive career field -- having a healthy instant breakfast I can stick in my purse then mix in a bowl with hot water at my office is a huge boon for me.

I am so grateful for the ideas on add-ins! None of this had occurred to me before. I just mix my oats with powdered honey, purchased in large quantities at BulkFoods.com. Tastes like regular honey when mixed with water, but more convenient and slightly cheaper. (11/20/2007)

By Amy

Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal

To save time and money I set out my crock pot before bed and make long cook oatmeal. I add chopped apples and cinnamon and leave it on low all night. I end up with a very velvety oatmeal in the morning. I put most of it into containers in the fridge so anyone in my family can microwave a bowl during the week for breakfast. I work so this saves time and the family can still get a hot healthy breakfast. (05/25/2008)

By Pattie McIntyre