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Grab and Go Oatmeal

4/5/2012

 
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When I was little, I ate oatmeal all the time. And by oatmeal I mean the convenient flavored packets. At my office, a lot of people eat oatmeal for breakfast, including myself. However, there's something about those packets that makes me wonder. For one, I always have a funky taste in my mouth after I eat them. Secondly...what exactly is in that powder? Also, have you ever read the ingredient list for the strawberries and cream or peaches and cream flavors? Those "strawberries" or "peaches" that you're eating actually are dehydrated apples, and then there is flavoring to make it taste like the fruit. That seems a liiiiittle devious to me. Yet despite all those factors, I was still eating the packets. Until now.

I came across this recipe on the Sprinkled With Flour blog and immediately was intrigued. I had never had steel cut oats before, but they're good--they have some texture to them. In case you've never had them, let me save you a head-scratching minute of standing in the breakfast aisle looking at the oats. They're not there. They're in the fancy flours section (or the organic section). I found them at my regular grocery store with all the small Bob's Red Mill bags...those little bags with the yellow or blue labels.

The great thing about these is that you boil the oats at night, place them in the individual jars, and let them sit on the counter overnight. The next morning, you add your sweetener/spices/fruit and stick them in the fridge. There's a bit of prep work involved, but it's so easy when you're ready to eat. You can grab a jar, take it to work or wherever, microwave it, and eat. No more packets with questionable ingredients! The original recipe calls for 6 jars, but I switched this to 8 because I don't like to eat a lot for weekday breakfasts. Plus, it was hard to stir in the add-in ingredients, and when I heated them up in the microwave they overflowed. So your jars will be a little less full than the ones in my pictures. If you like a big breakfast or you're making them for hungry people, I would use 6 or 7 jars. Or you can use bigger jars, too. 

Update (April 17, 2012): I ate my last jar this morning (more than 2 weeks after I made them), and it still tasted great. It didn't have any fruit in it, so I'm not sure how long those would last. If you have jars with just spices in them, you can keep them for at least 2 weeks in the fridge.

Grab and Go Oatmeal
Print this recipe
1 2/3 cups steel cut oats
4 cups water
Pinch of salt

8 half-pint jars (8 ounces)

In a large saucepan, combine the oats, water, and salt and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes and then turn off the heat. Using a large spoon or ladle, spoon the oats and water into the jars. Cover tightly and let sit on the counter overnight.

The next morning, add the spices/sweetener/fruit for the flavors you want. I used sugar, but I think you could use Splenda or another sweetener with good results. I recommend starting with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of spice. I ended up doubling both of those, but you can adjust according to your tastes. Here's the flavor combinations I tried:
 
Strawberry:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 strawberry cut into pieces

Brown sugar cinnamon:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon raisin:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 tablespoons raisins

Apple cinnamon:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 of a Granny Smith apple peeled and cut into small pieces. Microwave with a splash of lemon juice for 30 seconds to 1 minute until soft.

Cinnamon spice:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash nutmeg

Stir the ingredients of your desired flavor and 2 tablespoons of milk (optional) into the jars. Seal tightly and store in the fridge. When you're ready to eat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot. You also can add the milk before or after you microwave them.

Once peaches come into season or I have enough motivation to buy a bag of frozen peaches, I plan on trying peaches with 1 tablespoon sugar, too.

My favorite flavor so far is the apple cinnamon. Love it. The cinnamon raisin is good, but the raisins get very plump sitting in the liquid for so long. If you aren't a fan of that, I would make it without the raisins and then add the raisins in right before you microwave it to eat.

Source: Barely adapted from Sprinkled With Flour
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Heidi link
4/5/2012 10:24:57 pm

these look awesome, how long do you think they'll last?

She Makes and Bakes
4/5/2012 10:46:10 pm

So far, I've had them in my fridge for almost a week, and they're still good. I have two left, so I'll let you know about those next week.

Vicki link
4/6/2012 12:50:01 am

So, to do this right, make the oats, spoon in the jars, cover, then sit overnight. THEN, add your additional topping/flavors, refrigerate after that. Just want to make sure I'm getting those steps right. I want to make these for my hubby, I think he'll love these. He's always looking for something to grab and go for work.

She Makes and Bakes
4/6/2012 01:54:09 am

That's exactly how to do it. Let me know what you think!

She Makes and Bakes
4/6/2012 04:16:31 am

Hi, I just made an update to the recipe. I actually used half pint jars...not pint jars. Just wanted to inform you in case you had printed it off already.

Emily @ Life on Food link
4/6/2012 02:24:23 am

This is a great idea. I love having breakfast all ready to go in the morning. A little prep work on Sunday is OK with me.

She Makes and Bakes
4/6/2012 04:17:37 am

I just made an update to the recipe. I actually used half pint jars...not pint jars. Just wanted to post that in case anyone had printed it off already.

Meagan @ Scarletta Bakes link
4/6/2012 08:11:01 am

I LOVE this idea: portable, simple and HEALTHY. Lovely to meet you on Tasty Kitchen from your newest fan! Have a wonderful weekend!!

Trish link
4/10/2012 01:34:59 am

Love this idea. I'm always looking for quick but healthy oatmeal breakfasts. I'm going to give this one a try!

kale @ tastes good to me! link
4/10/2012 10:57:15 am

I love anything in half-pint (or full pint, for that matter!) jars. It's just so cute and appealing! Very good idea. :)

Steve link
4/10/2012 12:10:24 pm

Wheat berries or steel cut oats are my go to breakfast everyday of the week. Thanks for spreading the word that grains are not that difficult to prepare. Once you've tried these you'll never go back to processed cereals again.

Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos link
4/11/2012 03:46:14 am

OK - this is so on point. I WAS JUST thinking about what the heck is in those little packets and, after reading this, I think it's time to break out that jar of steel cut oats that is in the pantry and I need to experiment. Thank you SO much for posting this!

skinnysimplerecipes link
5/22/2012 03:07:40 pm

My favourite is apple cinnamon. I make my oats every morning. It would be so easier to make enough for a week. Thanks for sharing.

Món ăn gì nhìn hấp dẫn quá vậy bạn
11/29/2012 09:59:14 pm

Món ăn gì nhìn hấp dẫn quá vậy bạn

Timi link
2/14/2013 03:05:21 am

I love this! Question: should I do anything differently if I'm using rolled oats?

She Makes and Bakes
2/14/2013 12:37:34 pm

I've never made this using rolled oats, but I think the cooking time is pretty different between the two. It's definitely going to be an experiment if you try it that way! You may want to scale the recipe back a lot in case it doesn't work.

Kaye
1/3/2014 08:15:30 am

Can I reuse the lids?

She Makes and Bakes
1/6/2014 12:57:43 am

You can reuse the jars and the lids.

Chris
8/18/2014 10:59:07 pm

Hello,
Love this idea. Thank you for posting. I have a question, do you heat up or eat cold? If you heat up how do you heat the jars?? (maybe a silly question :)
Thank you,
Chris

jody
9/9/2014 06:57:36 am

You can actually mix up your steel cut oats, fruit, dates, eggs, milk, etc right in the jars and put in the fridge - no need to cook ahead! It firms up as it sits - then just heat and eat. I found that out by accident one time making crockpot oats and I forgot to turn on my crockpot!

Arjen
3/17/2015 09:57:18 am

I love this recipe, but I am also trying to avoid using the microwave to heat it up in the morning. Is the easiest way to heat up the oatmeal to put it in the oven for 15 minutes, or boil it in a pan with water or any other way, except the microwave..;-) I am wondering if the jar will break...;-(

Jessica
4/4/2015 11:26:52 am

May be a silly question, but do you need to go though the canning process when doing this? (Placing the jars and lids in boiling water after filling up)

Cassie
5/6/2015 12:30:31 pm

No need! Ball makes the jars so you don't need to do that anymore! Check their website for more details :)


Comments are closed.

     Welcome!

    Cooking is fun and easy at high altitude, but baking can be frustrating. About 90% of my recipes work everywhere, but some are adjusted so us mountain dwellers can enjoy baked goods from scratch. I hope you find great recipes on here for your family, and I'll let you know if any are adjusted for high altitude. 

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