Individual Homemade “Instant” Oatmeal

Into a sandwich size Ziploc bag put the following ingredients:

1/2 cup quick oats

3 teaspoons powdered milk

2 tablespoons raw sugar

¼  tsp cinnamon

Once these are in the Ziploc bag shake it up to mix it together. 

To make the oatmeal, pour the contents of the bag into a microwave safe bowl and add ¾-1 cup of hot water.  Stir well and cover the bowl loosely (place a paper plate over it so it doesn't make a mess)... microwave on high for one minute...stir and allow to sit for one minute so the oats can absorb the water...stir and add in any fruit….chopped dried apple or fresh, raisins, dried cranberries, fresh blueberries...or any other fruit that you like.

Experiment with different sweeteners as well...try it with 1 tablespoons brown sugar, or drizzle some maple syrup on it after it is ready to eat!

INGREDIENTS for 10 servings:

5     c. instant oats                        2/3 c. dried milk powder                      1 1/4 c. sugar

3     T. cinnamon                          2 c. dried fruits or nuts {optional}

Honey, maple syrup, more cinnamon, sugar, etc. {added AFTER you cook the oatmeal} 

DIRECTIONS to make the MIX:

 Mix all ingredients together in a bowl {you can reserve the dried fruit and nuts to put on top of your oatmeal if you want.}   If making the mix in bulk, mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight storage container. 

When you’re ready to eat the oatmeal, simply dump your portion {a heaping ½ cup} into a cereal bowl.  Add ¾-1 c. water or milk and stir until dissolved {Could use milk, but water is cheaper}   Microwave on high for about one minute {depending on your microwave}   Let sit for another minute and add more milk or water as needed to reach your desired consistency  Add dried fruit, nuts, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, sugar, etc to taste.