Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Instant Oatmeal in a Jar

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Remember the Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets recipe I shared a few weeks ago?

Instant Oatmeal in a Jar

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I wanted to suggest that in an effort to cut down on waste (that’s a lot of little plastic bags) and effort (it takes extra time to scoop each serving into bags) – you may want to simply store your Instant Oatmeal Mix in an airtight container.

I made a double batch recently, which filled almost three half-gallon jars. On the lids, I wrote,

“Shake well. Scoop 1/2 cup of mix into a bowl. Add 1/2-3/4 cup boiling water.” My boys can take it from there.

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This is super easy – and I can’t tell you how nice it is to have this instant oatmeal on hand for busy mornings and for mid-afternoon snacks. The kids stir in any dried fruit or other add-ins they want with their oatmeal.

Here is the Homemade Instant Oatmeal Recipe. And you’ll find more great and fast breakfast recipes in this FREE Healthy Breakfast Made Simple eBook.

And a quick note to reinforce that you shake the jar before scooping out your 1/2 cup serving. One of our boys made a bowl without shaking first. All of the sucanat had sunk to the bottom, so his scoop tasted rather bland. Always shake the jar to make sure you get a more tasty bowl of oatmeal!

Have you tried making this Homemade Instant Oatmeal Recipe?  I highly encourage it. What a time and money saver!

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Dark Chocolate Almond Granola Recipe {Real Food Dollar Menu}

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Ever paid over $6 for a tiny box of cereal, and then witnessed that the contents in the tiny box only fed three people one small serving? As delicious and convenient as the box of Dark Chocolate Almond Granola was from Cascadian Farm – that is one pricey breakfast.

I actually got a box of this cereal with some Vitacost credit I had – just to try it. It was a huge hit in our family. That’s what made me decide that surely I could figure out a similar recipe and make my own. Besides, I like the idea of eating chocolate for breakfast. What a way to start the day. :)

The result of my experimenting turned out delicious! I did a little rough math to determine how much money I saved. These aren’t the cheapest of ingredients, but they are hearty and can stick to the ribs. I found that I cut the cost from over $2 per serving to around 75¢ per serving – even using mostly organic ingredients.

What I love best is that this is a recipe that can be made ahead of time for a quick meal or snack. (It’s a perfect recipe to work into your Getting Ahead in the Kitchen routine.)

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Dark Chocolate Almond Granola Recipe {Real Food Dollar Menu}
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • ¾ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • ¾ cup honey
  • ¾ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil and honey together.
  2. Stir oats, shredded coconut, and slivered almonds together in a large bowl.
  3. Drizzle on the honey/coconut oil mixture and stir well.
  4. Pour mixture onto a large, parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or two 9x13 inch dishes).
  5. Bake at 300° for 35-45 minutes, stirring after the first 20 minutes.
  6. Allow mixture to cool.
  7. Stir in dark chocolate chunks.
  8. Store granola in an air-tight container.
  9. Makes 12-14 servings.

You may have noticed that this recipe is in the Healthy Breakfast Made Simple eBook. Haven’t downloaded that yet? Get it here for free!

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Just a couple of days left in our Getting Ahead for Breakfast Challenge. How’s it going for you? Have you made some breakfast foods ahead to save you the effort in the morning?

Looking for more meals on our Real Food Dollar Menu? Here are the recipes I’ve shared so far:

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FREE eBook: Healthy Breakfast Made Simple {Free Printable From Heavenly Homemakers}

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It’s an entire eBook, filled with ten healthy, easy breakfast recipes – and it’s FREE for Heavenly Homemakers Subscribers! To encourage us all as we work to get ahead in our kitchens, here is Healthy Breakfast Made Simple:

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I’ve decided that we can never have too many quick and healthy breakfast recipes. I love recipes that can be made ahead of time (or thrown together quickly), and my family really appreciates a variety. I shared the Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets recipe a few days ago, which is the recipe that inspired the idea for this eBook several weeks ago. I thought it would be nice to have the instant oatmeal recipe in a handy printable, then as I began putting it together, an entire eBook evolved. It’s not a fancy eBook, but who needs fancy? We just need simple, right? A Healthy Breakfast Made Simple. :)

This eBook, Healthy Breakfast Made Simple, has ten healthy breakfast recipes for you, many of which can be prepared ahead of time. Here’s what you’ll find in this eBook:

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Get this freebie by subscribing to our free daily newsletter here.

OR get this freebie by subscribing to our free once-a-week newsletter here.

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I Can Now Accomodate Picky Muffin Eaters

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Some like their eggs fried. Some prefer them scrambled. I am not a short-order chef. So if anyone in my family wants his eggs fixed differently than the way I have prepared them for today’s breakfast, he is welcome to go get eggs from the fridge and prepare them himself.

But what about meal options that are not so quick to make – like muffins? Well, now that we have all discovered this awesome “freeze your muffin batter” trick, it is easy to make muffins to please the masses. Or at least try to please the masses. Why is it that food they love one day they do not want to touch the next day? Oh, let’s not even go there.

Anyway, last night in preparation for this morning’s breakfast, I got out my muffin pan and filled it with ten Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffin batter balls, and two Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin batter balls from the freezer. One of my kids really does not like peanut butter. In the past when I’ve made the peanut butter muffins, I would search the fridge for a leftover something-or-other for my non-peanut butter kid. But now? Everyone can have their muffins and eat them too.

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I love this.

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Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal

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A huge thank you to Michelle for telling me about this recipe idea!!

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First of all, I have to ask – because I know you’re all dying to know the answer to this as well:  Why is this cereal called “Grape Nuts” when there are neither grapes nor nuts included in the list of ingredients? Haven’t you always wondered about that? Who named this cereal? And why, if they were going to call it something random like this, did they not call it “Pickle Sprouts” or Olive Berries?” How about “Banana Seeds?” I mean, if we’re going for titles that don’t make sense…

Yeah, don’t waste much time pondering that paragraph.

At the Colorado Springs Meet & Greet, we talked about everything from kids and media time to cereal. When Michelle told us she made a cereal like this, we all got super excited!

Homemade Grape Nuts

Looks like the real deal, huh? This cereal is pretty tasty with berries!

Homemade Grape Nuts is super easy to make, and I personally think it tastes better than the boxed stuff. Can you guess my kids’ first question when I introduced them to this at breakfast? “Looks good, but why is it called Grape Nuts?” I don’t know, Son. I don’t know.

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3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
2 cups buttermilk (or milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons vinegar)
2/3 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix all ingredients together, beating well until smooth. Spread mixture onto a parchment paper lined (or well buttered) cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes in a 375° oven. Remove cereal from the oven, and cool completely. Once cool, grind in a food processor until it becomes “crumb like.”

Return crumbs to cookie sheet or a large baking pan. Bake in a 250° oven for one hour or until crisp, stirring every 15 minutes.

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I found it easiest to bake the crumbs in a dish with sides (my 10×15 pyrex) so that I could stir more easily.

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Cool the cereal and store it in an air tight container in the pantry (for about two weeks) or freezer (for up to two months).

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Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal
 
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Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 3½ cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
  • 1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
  • 2 cups buttermilk (or milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons vinegar)
  • ⅔ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together, beating well until smooth.
  2. Spread mixture onto a parchment paper lined (or well buttered) cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes in a 375° oven.
  4. Remove cereal from the oven, and cool completely.
  5. Once cool, grind in a food processor until it becomes "crumb like."
  6. Return crumbs to cookie sheet or a large baking pan.
  7. Bake in a 250° oven for one hour or until crisp, stirring every 15 minutes.(I found it easiest to bake the crumbs in a dish with sides (my 10x15 pyrex) so that I could stir more easily.)
  8. Cool the cereal and store it in an air tight container in the pantry (for about two weeks) or freezer (for up to two months).

The geek in me decided to do the math to see if this was not only a High Five Recipe, but a Real Food Dollar Menu recipe as well. Sure enough! It took about $2.00 to make a batch of this cereal – using all organic ingredients. This makes about twice as much cereal as you would find in a regular sized box of Grape Nuts. When’s the last time you were able to buy a box of whole grain, organic cereal for a buck?

Looking for more meals on our Real Food Dollar Menu? Here are the recipes I’ve shared so far:

Tell me you’ve always wondered where Grape Nuts got its name.  And by always, I obviously mean, “Yes, I’ve pondered that for a second or two once in my life.”

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Cranberry White Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

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Just in case you’ve never tried this before. Just in case you hadn’t thought of this idea. Just in case you want a breakfast or snack that will make you pass out cold on the floor because it is so delicious.

I thought you should know that the Giant Breakfast Cookie recipe made with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips are really, really wonderful. I used about a half cup of each (instead of raisins or chocolate chips) when mixing up the dough. I almost sort of felt guilty eating these and serving them for breakfast. But then I got over it and helped myself to a second one.

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Where do I get white chocolate chips? I found some at Vitacost that aren’t necessarily as good for you as green beans, but aren’t as horrible as those that have hydrogenated oils. We won’t eat these every day for breakfast, but when we do, I will enjoy myself very much.

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What other tasty combinations have you figured out to add to the Giant Breakfast Cookie recipe?

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