I am all about having a good, nourishing breakfast to start my day. (And a good, satisfying lunch, too.) Recently, I’ve been moving away from packaged cereal to making my own oatmeal-based granola and muesli and other homemade breakfast options. I like that I can manage sugar content and incorporate extra protein and flavors that I like.
You’ve probably seen packaged instant oatmeal cups at coffee shops and on store shelves, and they’re healthy and delicious breakfast options. But, wow, pretty expensive. It’s super easy to make your own instant oatmeal cups; just add boiling water, steep for a few minutes, and you’re ready to eat something delicious.
For this recipe, I started with inspiration from The Kitchn and made several modifications. You can easily double it to make 8 servings. I prefer freeze-dried fruit here; while it’s a bit more expensive than regular dried fruit, it rehydrates beautifully and doesn’t contain oils or sweeteners. Roasted unsalted nuts like almonds and/or pecans work beautifully here. You could certainly up the amount of hemp seed to increase the protein content.
DIY instant oatmeal in a jar
makes 4 individual servings
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats, divided use
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
2 Tbsp. hemp seed
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
For each serving:
2 Tbsp. freeze-dried fruit
2 Tbsp. chopped toasted unsalted nuts
1/4 tsp. maple powder + 1/4 tsp. cinnamon OR 1/4 tsp. vanilla powder
Using an immersion blender or small food processor, pulse 1/2 cup of oats until they're finely ground. In a bowl, combine whole rolled oats, ground oats, hemp seed and salt. Divide the mixture among 4 lidded jars.
To each jar, add dried fruit, nuts and flavorings. I like a combination of almonds, blueberries, and maple and cinnamon, or almonds, strawberries and vanilla.
Individual instant oatmeal in a jar servings keep at room temperature for several weeks. To make oatmeal, stir 1/2 cup of boiling water into a jar, stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir again before eating.
