Instant Oatmeal Packets - YUM!

Easy to make, fun to make, & cheap to make! Did you know that quick oats are simply chopped regular oats? To make your own "instant" oats, just put them in a blender for a few seconds, & voila! I like to blend my oats long enough to almost powder them, because it makes a creamier bowl of oatmeal!

I finally got around a few months ago to making my own instant oatmeal packets. Something I've wanted to do for a long time... but just didn't. I'm reeeeeaaaaalllllyyyy glad I did!

These are so yummy. And surprisingly, they're MUCH more filling than the store bought ones, which we usually ended up eating 3 or 4 of to fill us up!

Assembly line style makes this way fast. Just line up your little baggies & ingredients, & scoop one ingredient at a time over & over till you're done... Then move on to the next ingredient. It takes just minutes to make 30 or 40 packets!

AFTER you've gotten all your basic flavor bags made, go back through & add your favorite flavors to them. Variations are listed below the basic recipe:

ORGANIZING YOUR PACKETS (without having to label every single bag)... put all the bags of each different flavor in a plastic shoe box & label just the box. This way, you'll know which is which just by looking at the container.

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Instant Oatmeal Packet Basic Recipe - & Varieties: (Per ONE Packet)

Mix the following in snack or sandwich baggies to make individual oatmeal packets:

¼ c. powdered oats (reg. oats lightly powdered in blender)
1 T. powdered milk
1 T. brown sugar
pinch of salt (optional)

I just add a little hot water & let it sit for a minute, but you can microwave it too, if you want!

Sometimes, I also add 1 T. of non-dairy creamer to each packet. It makes the oatmeal even creamer!

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VARIATIONS - (Adjust to your own taste... Or your kids own taste!)

Don't forget to double or triple the flavor ingredients, depending on how many packets you put in each bag!

Apple-Cinnamon - To each packet, add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp. chopped dried apples.

Apple Pie - To each packet, add ¼ tsp. apple pie spice

Brown Sugar/Cinnamon - To each packet, add 1 Tbsp. brown sugar & 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Raisins & Brown Sugar - To each packet, add 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. raisins.

Health Nut - To each packet, add 1/2 Tbsp. each wheat germ, ground flax seed, chopped almonds

Honey Nut - To each packet, add 1 Tbsp. honey powder & 1 T. chopped pecans/almonds

Fruit & Cream - To each packet, add 1 Tbsp. non-dairy coffee creamer and 2 Tbsp. dried fruit & / or powdered fruit flavor

Confetti - To each packet, add 1 tsp. decorative cake/cookie sprinkles.

S'Mores - To each packet, add 6 miniature marshmallows and 1 Tbsp. Milk Chocolate Chips to each packet. (can also add Golden Grahams cereal for a little crunch)

Cookies n Cream - To each packet add 1 crushed Oreo cookie and 1 Tbsp. non-dairy coffee creamer to each packet.

Candy Bar - To each packet add 2 Tbsp. Crushed Butterfinger (or other candy bar) to each packet.

Maple & Brown Sugar - To each packet add powdered maple flavoring & extra brown sugar

Maple Pecan - To each packet add powdered maple flavoring & chopped pecans

Pumpkin Pie - To each packet add ¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice