Homemade Oatmeal PacketsI've been getting into Pinterest more (my one sister can attest to that), and I love the money saving tips and tricks I come across, and this was one of them, since our family LOVES oatmeal.
Quick, easy, cheap, and filling too! Plus, we don't go through a gallon of milk a day if it were dry cereal.
I've found many different recipes and this is the one we come up with. Simple, easy, and cheap!
- ½C Quick Oats
- 1 tsp Powdered Milk or Powdered Creamer
- 2 Tbl Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 pinch Salt
We usually do an assembly line processes since we have so many hands so it goes kind of quick. But our canister of oats can make up to about 30 packets of oatmeal. I store them in a shoe box next to the microwave with the directions on the box JIC a kid forgets what to do.
To cook, add 1 packet into a bowl with at least ½C of Water Depending on the consistency you like you can add a couple of tablespoons more water for a thinner oatmeal. My kids vary, and it really doesn't matter. As long as it's about a 1:1 ratio of oats to water it should turn out fine. Adding extra water helps thin it out and I like mine a bit more thin compared the kids.
Place in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir, and add whatever extras you want - dried fruits, fresh fruits, nuts, honey, jams, jellies, etc etc etc - use your imagination.
My oats cost about $2.19, my brown sugar is $1.49. Creamer is cheaper than powdered milk, but I usually keep that in my house as a staple now, but factor in maybe $1-$2 for the added milk and I get 30 packets for $4.68-$5.68 which breaks down to .16¢ - .19¢ a packet, compared to the pre-packaged stuff for about $2.99-$3.99 and you only get 6 packets which = 50¢ - 67¢ a packet and you've just saved yourself a BUNCH of money. Especially if you are feeding a family of 10!
Taking the conservative numbers $4.68 for 30 packets vs $14.95 for 30 packets - store bought. You've saved $10.27!!
I can deal with that!
*Now some people have posted that they run their oats through a blender or food processor to make the oats more fine, but we have not had a problem with using straight from the canister.*
