I swear that I’ve shared this before! In fact, I can hear the blog post in my head, yet a quick perusal through the archives, and I can’t find it. Which means that I can share it today, so that’s a good thing!
One of the things that I’m always working on Andy to do is eat a good breakfast. His work is strenuous, and he needs to fill his stomach properly before he heads off to put in a full work day. Most days, he fails big time. He skips breakfast quite often, and will try and fill in during the day with convenience store donuts or candy bars. One of his favorite breakfasts is instant oatmeal, which I don’t always have on hand. I’ll buy it sometimes, but for a big man like Andy, he needs to use two packets to have any kind of a decent breakfast, and that makes a box of the good instant oatmeal cost prohibitive to have on hand at all times.
But what if a person could make their own instant oatmeal? Once upon a time I’d heard about making your own instant oatmeal packets, but when I thought on that a bit, I though the whole idea seemed a little silly. Why go to the trouble of measuring out the oatmeal and sealing it up in little plastic baggies, which 
will only end up in the trash? An idea was born, and with a stop at our local Granary, I had the ingredients necessary to make a batch of homemade instant oatmeal. The difference would be that I would store it in a container, and each day Andy could scoop out what he wants. The best part? He loves it. It’s also completely adaptable to use your favorite dried fruits, or add in a handful of your favorite nuts, or grain like flax seed. It IS delicious, and as I mixed up a batch just the other day, I thought that this could make a great Christmas gift if it was packaged up nicely. I know I wouldn’t mind receiving this from a thoughtful person!
I have one note about the oats used in the recipe. I normally buy regular old rolled oats, but they just don’t cook quick enough for instant oatmeal. Instead, use the quick cook oats for this recipe. I have learned that quick cook oats have the exact same nutritional profile as regular rolled oats, so you’re not losing a thing by using a more convenient product. Also, you can feel free to adjust the sugar to your liking. This is the perfect sweetness level for Andy, which is a tad less sweet than I would prefer. I’ve been using dried currants as the fruit of choice, because they’re nice and small and evenly distribute through the oatmeal. I have many, many other variations floating about in my head for future batches.
Homemade Instant Oatmeal
6 cups quick cook oats 1 1/3 cups dry milk 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup dried fruitDirections:
Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Store in a sealed container.
To make oatmeal, combine 1/2 cup of oatmeal with 2/3 cup of water. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Alternatively, add 2/3 cup of boiling water to 1/2 cup of oatmeal. Stir, and allow to sit for 2 minutes.
For larger appetites, use 3/4 cup of oatmeal and 1 cup of water.