Don’t Buy It, Make It: Instant Oatmeal Packets

By GDD | Thursday Jul 5th, 2012 7:25 am

Oatmeal is a convenient and healthy breakfast, but sometimes the cost of prepackaged instant oatmeal can seem a bit unsettling. $3-$4 for a box with 10 tiny packets, did you know you make about 50 packs at home for that price?

Instant Oatmeal Packets Recipe

1/4 cup of instant (the 1 min. cooking ones) oats

1/2 tsp. sugar or dry sweetener of your choice(I used Xylitol) *Optional*

a pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a small snack sized bag, you now have your homemade instant oatmeal packet.

If you prefer your oatmeal with some flavorings here are a few recipes for you, just add these ingredients to your original oatmeal packets from the recipe above.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoons chopped dried apples

Brown Sugar and Raisins Oatmeal
1/2 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1-2 tsp raisins

Blueberries and Cream Oatmeal
1 tbsp of non-dairy creamer
1-2 tsp dried blueberries

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
1 tbsp powdered non-dairy creamer
2 tsp freeze-dried strawberries

Tips:

-If you prefer a thicker oatmeal simply grind up some of your oats in your blender and add 1-2 tbsp* of the oatmeal powder to each packet to thicken it *depending on the level of thickness you prefer.

-To thicken your oats without adding oatmeal powder you can add in chia seeds, they are a great way to thicken foods and provide you with many health benefits.

-If you need you can double this recipe for larger servings of oatmeal, this recipe makes the same 1/4 cup yield the name brand instand oatmeal packets make.

-Do not use powdered milk in place of non-dairy creamer for long storage life as powdered milk tends to mold in the bag when added with dried fruits.

The combinations of what you can add to your oatmeal is endless, feel free to experiment and find what you like best.