I think I’ve discovered something amazing with this recipe. Instead of buying those sugary and expensive packets of instant oatmeal, just create your own mix and store it in a lidded container! You get to control the quality of ingredients and the flavors you add. Don’t like raisins? Add dried cherries! Prefer walnuts? Add those too!
Not only is it nutritious and fast, it also just may have cured my two year old of her addiction to breakfast bars. She now asks for oatmeal in the mornings, and for the past two days, she has actually finished it and asked for more!
It’s hard to take a good photo of oatmeal, but the berries look good.
Be sure to shake it before you use it every time so that the ingredients have a chance to redistribute themselves. I forgot to do this once and got a bowl of many raisins. This oatmeal has a different consistency than slower oats; it is stickier, probably due to the instant milk.
This will definitely be a pantry staple!
Oatmeal Mix
from Homemade: How to make hundreds of everyday products fast, fresh, and more naturally. p. 27, 2007.
- 6 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 1/3 cups dry milk
- 1 cup dried diced or small apples, apricots, banana slices, prunes, raisins, or mixed dried berries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Combine all ingredients in a large container with a lid.
2. Label, date, and store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.
To Use: Shake the mix well before using. *In a saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup oatmeal mix. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 minute.
Makes 8 cups
*I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet you could eliminate dirtying a pan by boiling water and then adding it to your bowl of oatmeal mix, just like with those packets.
This post was shared on Little House in the Suburbs DIY Linky #17.
Looks great! The little man loves oatmeal…
Thanks! Isn’t it nice to find things that they like that you know are good for them too?
looks really good – am going to try adding some flax seeds and chia seeds to mine for extra nutritional boost. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy reading your blog and admire your energy and commitment to being the best mom and wife God can help you be!
Great idea! I will definitely add some flax to my next batch. I’ve looked high and low for chia seeds, but I can’t find them! Thanks also for the kind words. I am trying my hardest to be the best mom I can, but boy is it hard sometimes!
Try online- Amazon. (For Chia Seeds)
I bought some Chia seeds in bulk at Whole Foods
Great idea! I’m in the middle of a week-long experiment with Crockpot Oatmeal…it wasn’t as easy as yours.
Oats in the crock for a week? That does sound pretty complex. This recipe is a cinch!
Not quite…I’ve done a different batch every night before bed, set the slow-cooker, and it’s supposed to be creamy, wonderful oatmeal by morning…It hasn’t exactly worked out that way, but I think I’m getting closer.
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Dear Garden Fresh Tomatoes,
Could you share your crockpot oatmeal recipe when you are happy with it?
I would really appreciate it!
Tricia
If you take 1/2 of your oatmeal and run it through a food processor or blender then add it back,
it works better as instant oatmeal.
Good idea! The oats I bought were already ground up more than normal since it was the end of my box.
The oatmeal recipe I have got to try. It’s eaten in our house every day.
Thanks for sharing.
Oh good! I hope you like it!
Our HyVee has them in the organic foods section
We make our own instant oatmeal. We don’t use the dry milk, just oats (half ground to almost powder in the food processor) and seasoning, sweetener and dried fruit. For simplicity’s sake in the morning with 5 kids, we have it measured out in baggies and they can pick their flavors like the store bought ones but we can regulate what’s in it and how much it makes this way. So much better! We use our Keurig to get hot water, put it in the bowl with the oat mixture, stir and let sit for a minute or two. We eat so much oatmeal around here that the kids call the Keurig the “oatmeal maker!”
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