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

The Magical Fruit

I'm hooked on dry beans now. These pinto beans here, I bought for .32 cents/lb a few weeks ago. I was in the mood for refried beans & didn't have any canned ones. Then I remembered I could grind them in my wheat grinder & make my own. So... I searched for my recipe, & voila!


Fresh ground pinto beans into a beautiful fine flour...

Then, I mixed all the ingredients, put them in a glass jar, & I have an instant refried bean mix, ready when I need it! Here is my recipe:

1 1/2 c. pinto flour
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. cumin
1 1/2 t. salt

*Can also sprinkle in a little onion powder, if you like.

Double or triple the recipe & store in an airtight container. Lasts longer if stored in the fridge... This will give you a quick meal at a moments notice!

To prepare, whisk 3/4 c. dry mixture with 2 1/4 c. warm water in small sauce pan. Cook while stirring, over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes, or until mixture thickens.

(Don't worry about the lumpies...)

Reduce heat to low, cover pan & cook 4 more minutes.

Then you can add taco sauce, picante sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, or whatever you want... & enjoy it with chips or on a burrito/enchilada, etc! It's great!!!

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I also ground white great northern beans & added it to my bread for extra protein. No one even knew it was in there. The texture & taste was exactly the same! I'm thinking I could sneak it into sauces, soups, chili, mashed potatoes, burgers, & all kinds of foods! Maybe even cookies & cakes! Hm... I might have to grind black beans & kidney beans next time :)

Way easy, & way versatile. You can add any kind of topping you want... from garlic salt to cinnamon sugar! We haven't been very successful with making crackers in our home, but FINALLY... a winner! They taste a lot like "Wheat Thins".

In a medium bowl whisk together:

3/4 c. whole wheat flour (fresh ground hard white wheat is best)
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 Tb. dry buttermilk powder

Add to dry mix:

1/2 cup water
3 T. cooking oil or melted butter

Stir until all the flour is absorbed. Don't over mix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & let sit for about 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half & plop half of it on a flat cookie sheet (without edges)... OR onto a silicone baking liner. Cover dough with saran wrap, the size of your pan or liner. Roll out to edges. Dough will be VERY thin!

(If you're using a liner, put your liner onto a cookie sheet after rolling out the dough.)

Remove saran wrap after it's all smoothed out. Using a pizza cutter, score dough into cracker squares. I make mine about 1 - 1 1/2 inches.

Sprinkle dough squares with a GENEROUS amount of any topping you want!

Sea Salt
Garlic Salt
Onion Salt
Cinnamon Sugar
Crushed Herbs
Poppy Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Shredded or Parmesan Cheese

My personal favorite (so far), is garlic salt and parsley. And it's actually a perfect partner to the sweet & sour spaghetti recipe!

Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes.

*Note - If your edges are too thin, they will burn easily. Try to even all the dough out to the same thickness all the way around, as much as possible.

Your crackers will get crispier as they cool down.

Try them with cheese balls or cracker dip. The cinnamon sugar ones would be great with a fruit & cream cheese ball or fruit dip! I think these are perfect for party appetizers OR just in your kid's lunchbox!

On To The Things That REALLY Matter...

Well, LOVE the shoes, & LOVE the clothes, but on to the serious stuff... Hopefully what I share will help someone along the way. Over to the side on that little list of "other sites" to visit, there will be lots and lots of amazing places to visit. I'll only add my favorites & ones I believe will really be of help. The one I want to share first is www.waltonfeed.com/sitemap - Just look at all the stuff they have!!! This place is absolutely amazing!

The Walton Feed Site (1,545 pages)

* Monthly Update
* Catalog (145 pages including the ads, cart & shipping info)
o Secure, Online Shopping Cart
o Complete Online Catalog
o Package Deals & Food Packs
o Walton's Certified Organic foods
o Emergency Preparedness Items Books, Grinders, Lighting Ect.
o Ordering/Shipping Information
* Walton’s Self Reliance/Information Area (15 pages plus tons of links)
o #10 Can Labels (177 pages)
o The Whys and Hows of Whole Grains and Foods (9 pages + more links)
+ The Food Storage FAQs by Alan T. Hagan (61 Pages)
+ Cook’in With Home Storage by Vicki Tate (30 pages)
+ New Passport to Survival by Rita Bingham (16 pages)
+ Nutritional Content of 37 Different Foods (8 pages)
+ Your Food Storage Recipes (148 pages and more links)
+ The LDSCN Prep List Weekly Recipe Archive. Hundreds of recipes. (78 pages)
o All About Grains (20 pages)
o All About Beans (2 pages)
o All About Dehydrated Vegetables
o All About Meat Substitute
o All About Dairy Products
o All About Our Mixes Part 1
o All About Our Mixes Part 2
o Nutrition and Health
+ Deficiency Diseases and Good Nutrition (28 pages)
+ Interview With An LDS Health Specialist (9 pages)
+ Book selection - Health Is A Blessing by Steven H. Horne 91 pp. (16 web pages) Written for an LDS audience.
o Introduction to Essential Fatty Acids (23 pages)
o Interview: Dr. Gary north/Mr. Steve Portela (11 pages)
o Gary North's Food Storage Forum Archive (93 Pages)
o The Old Timer Page - How We Used To Do It... (19 pages)
+ Root Cellars (5 pages)
+ Soap Making (13 pages)
+ Remember Mama's recipes (47 pages)
o Self Reliant Peoples
+ LDS Perspectives On Self Reliance(7 pages)
+ Living in the Navajo Past... (16 pages)
+ Memoirs of Lessons Learned - living through unusual times (6 pages)
o Pack Your Own Foods For Long Term Storage (10 Pages)
+ Seed Viability (8 pages)
+ Bugs! (7 pages)
o All About Grain Grinders (8 pages)
o Beth's Preparedness Handouts (23 pages)
o The Dennis Rahn Farm - where we get our Golden 86 (6 pages)
o The Inner Workings Of A Country Elevator (43 pages)
o E-Mail We Get (349 pages)
o Village of Stirling (a public service in our off time - 54 pages)