How to Make Homemade Healthy Instant Oatmeal Packets - This simple, quick, and easy recipe will show you how to make your own instant rolled oats oatmeal packets at a fraction of the cost of store bought packets. If you use gluten-free oats, you will have gluten free oatmeal, too. Perfect for breakfast, in the morning, or any time of day! Makes about 20 packets.
Scroll down for the recipe for my homemade (sort of) healthy oatmeal packets. First, an update on my process towards bariatric surgery:
I have so many fears about my upcoming gastric sleeve surgery, but most of all, I fear that I will fail. I fear that I will not be able to maintain the weight loss and that all my hard work will be for nothing as I balloon back up to my current weight.
I did not do very well in my "physician supervised weight loss" and actually gained weight the first three months. I've been doing better since month three though, and I think I've lost about eight pounds so far.
Cutting out Mountain Dew has been instrumental in the loss, but it has been painful to cut out. I love everything about it - the fizz in my mouth, the tangy fruity taste, the sound when I open a can or bottle for the first time. I am an addict, and I have been craving it every day since I finally told Joe not to buy me any more cases. But it had to go, and so it went.
I am sad about never having it again, but I have been told that it would be painful to drink carbonated drinks after surgery, so there it is no more Mountain Dew ever.
I had to slowly wean myself off of the Mountain Dew. It took about a month as I gradually cut out one serving at a time, about one serving per week. I'm still drinking caffeine - something my nutritionist warned me against since I won't be allowed to have it for the two weeks before and after my surgery - in the form of tea, but it's not the sugary version that I used to drink starting at breakfast. I will work on the caffeine next, but the caloric drink had to go first.
Before I cut out Mountain Dew, I took a look at my breakfast habits. I had been having a bowl of Fruity Pebbles every morning with Silk Vanilla soy milk instead of dairy milk. I loved that, too.
You may have noticed a pattern of sugar followed by sugar, and that would pretty much sum up my eating all day and night. I love sugary foods.
So in order to cut a few calories from my breakfast, I decided to start eating oatmeal. The problem was that oatmeal packets are kind of expensive, and they contain a crap ton of sugar, and one is not enough for breakfast so I would need to eat two at a go.
I decided to make my own oatmeal packets partly for cost and partly for sugar content and partly so that I could up the serving size a bit.
This recipe works really well for me, and it is quite sweet but not as sweet as the boxed packets. It is very inexpensive, especially for subsequent batches after the initial expense of the sugar and creamer and little baggies, and you will only have to spend about a half hour once a month to make new packets, assuming you eat oatmeal about five days a week.
I have been eating these homemade instant oatmeal packets for every weekday breakfast for about three months, and I have gotten a little tired of it sometimes, so I started throwing in a handful of dried or frozen fruit before cooking. It adds a little variety, although I don't love it. I may start experimenting with other flavorings to see what I can do there.
I eat my oatmeal every morning in the car, while driving on the highway, because I am constantly running late. I don't say that to brag (because it's not advisable to drive while eating oatmeal), but only to say that the finished oatmeal is pretty thick and does lend itself well to eating on the run. I hold the steering wheel with three fingers and the bowl with my finger and thumb, if you're wondering about the logistics. But seriously, do as I say and not as I do.
Okay, on to the recipe.
How to Make Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets
- Prepare the packets. This is a really tough one: Mix all ingredients together until well blended, and then measure Ā½ cup at a time into little plastic zippered baggies.
- Prepare the oatmeal. To cook the oatmeal, pour contents of one baggie into a bowl with Ā¾ cup water or milk. (I prefer milk, but it does add calories.) Feel free to add a handful of dried or frozen fruit. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. You could add a little jam and/or whipped cream after cooking.
Try these other make ahead breakfast recipes while you're here:
- Sausage and Cheese Omelet Roll with Broccoli and Mushrooms
- Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll Up
- Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Biscuits
- Zucchini Sausage Egg Muffins Recipe
Recipe
Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets
Ingredients
- 10 cups Instant oats if you want gluten-free oatmeal, you have to buy specially labeled gluten-free oats. In any case, make sure you buy the INSTANT oats that are ready in one minute rather than the traditional oats which take much longer to cook.
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cups brown sugar packed
- Ā½ cups granulated sugar
- Ā¾ cups powdered coffee creamer I buy the French Vanilla flavor and like it, but as I said above, I am thinking about branching out to try some other flavors if I can find them.
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together until well blended, and then measure Ā½ cup at a time into little plastic zippered baggies.
- To prepare the oatmeal, pour contents of one baggie into a bowl with Ā¾ cup water or milk. (I prefer milk, but it does add calories.) Feel free to add a handful of dried or frozen fruit. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. You could add a little jam and/or whipped cream after cooking.
Megan says
Tara,
I am just starting my journey with Bariatric Surgery, and I'll tell you, your post struck home for me. I am scared to death that I'll fail, that I won't be able to do what it takes. Over the last three weeks I've seem numerous specialists, paid hundreds of dollars in co-pays and taken a ton of time off work. I worry about emotional eating and the issues that got me into this in the first place. I worry about sustainability. I've been feeling like no one gets it. And my surgery isn't even scheduled! Its just the prelims. Your fears are natural and I'm going through the exact same thing. You helped me out with your post. Hope this helps you feel a little less alone too!
Hugs!
Megan
Tara Ziegmont says
Thank you Megan. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in how I'm feeling.
Malinda says
Well, looks great! thanks for rhe recipe
Mary says
First Tara, Let me say, "Inthink you are adorable," even if you are a thirty something mother. I love your sassy, honest writer's voice. But the think that struck me was the part about being terrified to fail after bariateic surgery. I want you to stop that. Now, YOU have a resource that others might not have. You are a lover of Jesus.
Before I continue, let me tell you about myself. I'm a sixty something mother of three, grandmother of four, and wife to the same wonderful man I married forty one years ago. I am a retired elementary school teacher and I, too love the Lord. I started blogging in 2013 and although I'm technologically more challenged than others, I try hard to be successful because I want to. It sounds to me that you might be Christian, while I am Catholic... so our church going might be different but our Christianity probably isn't.
So, back to YOU. I Just read, in a Book called, Resisting Happiness, by Matthew Kelly, that we should make the hardest thing we have to do a constant prayer. Here's the thing. I know this. You know this. But how often do we actually DO this? And, for the times we have actually done this, how peaceful, successful, and happy have we actually been? I know your answer to these questions is a resounding, "VERY!"
So, I'll leave with this thought. What you're doing is for your health, for your family's wellbeing at having their mom and wife around for a long time. And, it's for the Lord. So you can proclaim His goodness and mercy everywhere. So, ask Him constantly to help you to only eat what is for His glory. If you do fall, ask Him to help you get back up, as He did, when He carried His cross. Ask Him to help you get back on track. You can do this. He's got your back.
Mary says
Please forgive my typos. Happens all the time on my iPad.
Tara Ziegmont says
Thank you for your kindness Mary. I want to write a longer response, but my kids are half an hour past their bedtime already. I will check out that book.
Sandra Caulder says
Hi Tara: Dried fruit will add sweetness to your oatmeal and you can cut back on some of the sugar. I make dehydrated apples and then cut them up with my kitchen shears to add to my oatmeal. Tastes wonderful. You could also use peaches, strawberries, blueberries, apricots...you get the idea. Use whatever fruit you can find on trees or whatever is on sale. I have a dehydrator but you can also do it in your oven. (Check out recipes on-line) I also make applesauce fruit leather for snacks. I buy unsweetened applesauce at Costco and 2 cups of it fits perfectly on each of my "special" drying trays. If I want to mix it up a little I will blender in some fresh strawberries or other fruit, OR, I sprinkle on top some chopped nuts or coconut before drying. Always been a hit with my kids and family.
I've been considering Bariatric Surgery for over a year now. I have diabetes and need to get this weight off to lower my blood sugar. It is really hard but I'm still trying to decide what to do. I will be following you closely because I really understand your writings. Thank you for sharing.
Tara Ziegmont says
Thanks for commenting. I tried dried cherries but wasn't thrilled with the results. I didn't even think of cutting them up - that makes total sense. I just found out today that my surgery will be April 6, and I won't be able to eat oatmeal after that for a long, long time, so I probably won't need to do a different recipe, but I'm sure your suggestion will help others reading!