Seriously, Frozen Oatmeal Cups. Check this out.
Making oatmeal has got to be the most difficult thing to do ever. It’s definitely the most tedious breakfast food there is – requiring time, energy, thought, and absolute sweat-dripping labor over a stove for five entire minutes (because oatmeal won’t cook properly unless someone is staring at it in expectation). Life is hard. We should probably settle for pop-tarts. It’s the only way.
Don’t worry, friends. I’ve found a way to avoid performing this grueling task (and eating pop-tarts) in the mornings – and I’m here to share. I think we can all agree that the more we can avoid the challenge of putting water in a pot to boil, the better. Gather ’round, everyone. This tip will shave at least 1.4 minutes off your morning meal prep, so listen closely. Every 1.4 minutes counts.
Here’s what you need to do: You need to cook up a double or triple batch of oatmeal (you can do it, we’re all in this together, persevere, I believe in you). Once the oatmeal is done, go ahead and feed some to your family. Here’s where it gets good: After your meal, freeze the leftovers in muffin cups, topped with whatever delicious toppings your family likes. Like this:
The result is easy-to-store cups of frozen oatmeal which are ready to pull out and re-heat at any given time – preferably on those mornings. You know the ones I’m talking about.
But seriously, in all seriousness, because I am always serious – this really is a lovely way to help your children help themselves on a busy morning, and it really does save a tiny bit of time because the cooking of the oatmeal has already been done.
Now, if you get a little bit burned out on oatmeal and you’re still struggling with the urge to buy a pre-made breakfast in a box that promises to save you time – I suggest you consider the possibility of frying an egg. If I can do it, you can do it. There are also apples – a brand new innovative idea for breakfast that I’ve heard are great to grab-and-go. Who knew?
The Specifics of Making Approximately 24 Frozen Oatmeal Cups
- Boil 6 cups of water.
- Stir in 3 cups of whole oats.
- Turn the heat down to simmer the oats/water for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat once the water has been absorbed and the oats are soft.
- Stir in 1-3 Tablespoons of butter and 1-4 Tablespoons of sweetener like honey or sucanat as desired.
- Scoop prepared oatmeal into muffin tins (no need to grease the tins).
- Top oatmeal cups with any variety of fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.
- Place filled muffin pans in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until oatmeal is frozen solid.
- Pull frozen oatmeal out of the freezer and allow it to sit on the counter-top for about 10 minutes.
- Use a fork or spoon to gently pop the frozen oatmeal cups out of the tins.
- Place the frozen cups into a labeled freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months.
- Re-heat by placing frozen oatmeal cup(s) in a small saucepan on medium heat until thawed and warm.
I love this idea (for so many reasons, as explained earlier) – but also because this allows for a variety of sizes of appetites. Little ones may just need one cup to fill them, whereas my sons would likely each pull out 2-4 to rewarm.
So now, go therefore and make yourself some frozen oatmeal cups. Your breakfast – and really, your entire life – is obviously going to be changed for the better because of this tip. Enjoy your extra 1.4 minutes of morning time. You are very, very welcome.
What do you think of this idea? I like the brainlessness of it. I like that the cooking is done so all that needs to be done is rewarm and serve. I love that my kids can do this themselves. Not every freezer meal is about saving time – sometimes it’s just about the comfort of having prepped food on hand for ease!
P.S. We also really love making Homemade Instant Oatmeal to have on hand.
Kudos to Cupcakes and Kale Chips where I first saw this fun idea!
This sounds good and easy! I was wondering, though, when heating the frozen oatmeal in the pan do you put a little water or anything in the bottom? thanks.
This is along the same lines as my thought- I know you don’t have a microwave, so how do you reheat? Thanks!
You don’t have to, but putting a little water in the bottom of the pan would probably help it heat a little faster. :)
Hi Laura, my suggestion is to add 1 tsp of salt to this recipe. Most people that don’t like oatmeal, love it when I make it. The salt just adds more flavor in my opinion.
Also, I make a big pot on Monday, store it in the fridge and then serve it on Wednesday also with something different added. 1) Peanut butter or 2) coconut milk and mashed bananas, or 3)shredded apples and cinnamon, etc. Then we only have to reheat the oatmeal that morning which makes it quicker. :)
Amen to the salt. I could never eat it without salt. HA!! It totally changes the taste to me. I love it with sucanat, honey and cinnamon.
How long do these take to reheat?
If they are completely frozen, they probably take about five minutes if you put the lid on. You might also want to put a little water in the bottom of the pan to speed up the process.
Thank you so much for this. We just had some oatmeal yesterday and had a whole lot left over, I wanted to freeze it. This is wonderful idea.
I’m not criticizing the idea, but it’s probably not a keeper for me. I don’t have children so no need to have breakfast items they can fix themselves, but honestly I think I could make fresh oatmeal more easily and quickly than I could reheat frozen oatmeal. I can see where this idea might be a help to busy mom’s (I’m busy too, just not with children I have to get fed). I don’t use the microwave and I’m pretty sure it would take me longer to slowly reheat frozen oatmeal over the flame without scorching it than it would to simply make it fresh unless I defrosted the frozen cups overnight in the fridge. Then I’d have to spend my 1.4 minutes remembering to take the frozen cups out of the freezer and put them in the fridge the night before. Ha!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA :) another one eh? they just keep getting faster…trust me….I agree with Mary, this is a great idea for families, but since it’s just me I make mine in the microwave every morn. takes couple mins. but for your family and others a great idea…..did not know you could freeze oatmeal …nice to know tho………Thanks,
I’ve got an almost 2 year old that LOVES oatmeal, is ready to eat the instant he wakes up, but hates food that is “too hock.” I am also 36 weeks pregnant, and thinking ahead to when daddy will be doing breakfast most days, which will probably mean a LOT more boxed cereal. I think this idea will be perfect to get something easy, healthy, quick and not too hot into my son’s breakfast bowl! I think I’ll probably pull it out of the freezer the night before, though, and just heat it up for a minute or two. While it might not save tons of time, it seems like it’ll certainly work great for our family. Thanks!
Yum! I love this idea!
Happy Birthday, Laura! I hope you are having a great day!
This seems like a great idea and make me wonder what else I could freeze that I never thought of before. Also, I just had to say that I really enjoy the humor in your writing and starting laughing out loud at the most likely unintentional pun – ” the grueling task ” of making oatmeal. Made me smile. Thank you for that.
Blessings,
Jone
My three kids all like different things for breakfast, so this would be a great idea (if any of them currently ate oatmeal-ha!). I’ll keep it in mind for the future, though. Thanks!
You’re hilarious…. Seriously:). My Emily absolutely loves oatmeal so she and I will probably try this:). Also, happy belated birthday… I hope it was wonderful!!!!
You *are* hilarious! I feel like we’d have fun if we ever met.
I think this is a great idea – I just need a bigger freezer! But I’m going to try it anyway!