I’ll admit, I
wasn’t always a breakfast eater. When I
was growing up, I got on the bus just after 7 a.m. and had an hour on the bus
before I got to school. My stomach
didn’t seem to wake until later in the morning.
On weekends, I remember enjoying breakfast more. My mom made Cream of Wheat or Cream of
the West, I'm not sure why, but we were never oatmeal eaters back then. On a rare occasion, my dad
made breakfast. Though we didn’t camp
often, it seemed he always took over breakfast at the campfire and the meals
were delicious.
 |
| Oatmeal breakfast to go in jar with one-piece lid and jar of milk! |
As an adult, I started eating breakfast consistently when I was eating for two. That first "baby" is now 15 years old! Once the breakfast-eating habit was formed, it stuck, but I
wanted easy items that I could enjoy every day without much hassle. I also became more interested in adding oats
to help with cholesterol levels and to make sure I was getting the recommended
fiber in my diet. Below are some of my favorite,
quick, easy, inexpensive, whole grain options.
For the past year, I have alternated between some of my favorite oatmeal recipes. I generally make the recipe on Sunday and then portion into containers for easy "grab and go" breakfasts. I'm a big fan of canning jars with one-piece, reusable plastic lids for transporting breakfast. These containers and recipes work well for freezing in individual portions, too. I typically eat breakfast at work around 9 a.m. If you don't need a transportable breakfast, many of these recipes are easy to make in a pan and store in the refrigerator with a lid to enjoy at home.
Baked Berry and Peach Oatmeal
3 c. old rolled oats
½ c. brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 whole eggs
1 ¼ c. skim milk
¼ c. canola oil or applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can peaches chopped (I use kitchen shears to chop in the jar and use the juice and all)
1 c fresh or frozen berries (my personal favorite are huckleberries)
A few finely chopped nuts can also be added
 |
| Yum! Peaches, huckleberries and oats! |
In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, peaches and berries. Bake in 9x13 cake pan lightly coated with spray. Bake at 350 degrees F, for 35-40 minutes. This recipe has been a hit when I’ve made it for 4-H members. A light sprinkle of cinnamon goes great with this oatmeal and milk.
Steel Cut Oats
1 c. steel cut
oats
3 c. hot water
In a bread pan,
mix oats and water. Put in a 350 degree
oven for 45 minutes. When done, stir and
put ½ to 1 cup in pint-size canning jars with lids and refrigerate. To serve, add chia seeds, raisins, dried
cranberries, dried blueberries or chopped nuts.
To add extra fiber, dice a few apples and treat them with a fruit
preserver (Fruit Fresh or lemon juice) to keep them from browning and put them
in a container in the fridge. Each
morning, heat the oatmeal in the microwave for a few seconds, stir in a spoon
of yogurt, add the diced apples and any other extras. Eat from the jar. Each morning, hot oatmeal, dairy, fruit and
only one dish to clean!
Steel Cut Oats
3 ½ to 4 c.
water
1 c. steel cut
oats
Place in slow
cooker on low for 8 hours. Can serve
them with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. This same recipe can be
made in the oven by placing items in a baking dish in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Stir once about 30 minutes into cooking time
Make Your Own
Oatmeal Packets
4 c. Rolled Oats
Chia seeds
Sugar (brown or
white)
Dried Fruit
Nuts
Quick cook oats
can be used, but I had rolled oats on hand when I made these packets. Put rolled oats in blender or food processor
(I used about 4 cups). Blend for a bit,
until you get some fine powder and some regular oat shapes. You could probably powderize about 1 c. of
oats and then add 3 cups regular or quick cook oats to that powder. The powder should make a creamier and faster
cooking product. If doing different
flavors of packets, take about ½ c. of the oats and put in snack-size bags or
containers. I think I’m going to try
half-pint jars with one piece lids next time I make these, so that I have my
serving container for adding the water. Add
about 1 tsp of sugar, dried fruits, nuts, chia seeds, etc. per each “packet.”
If doing all the same, mix “extra” (fruit/seeds/nuts/sugar) ingredients into one large container
with oats and then portion out 2/3 c. or so into snack-size bags. I like dried blueberries, cranberries, chopped pecans, chia seeds and brown sugar in my oatmeal packets. You’ll have to experiment with the sugar for
a bigger batch or just add it to each portion.
When ready to use, pour contents of packet into a bowl, add hot water
and let sit until oatmeal is creamy. Not
only will making your own oatmeal packets save you sugar in your diet, they
will also save you money. Making your
own is generally far less expensive.
Baked Oatmeal
1 can pears pureed in blender
2 ½ cup milk
2 ½ cups sugar (brown or white, honey also
works as substitute)
4 egg whites
7 ½ cups oatmeal
5 tsp. baking powder
2 ½ tsp. salt
Cinnamon
Mix together sugar, sugar and eggs. Add oatmeal, baking powder, salt, milk and
cinnamon. Put in 9 x 13-inch pan that
has been greased. Bake at 350°F for 45
minutes. Can be frozen in individual
portions to be heated later. This is a
recipe I adapted. I was looking to
reduce the oil, since I eat oats to help my cholesterol levels. A can of pears (canned in juice) happened to
be sitting on my counter as I analyzed the recipe. I decided to blend it and try it out. It worked well. I think other types of fruit could be blended
and used as a substitute for the pears. I've had friends who have reported peaches and apricots also work well.
Baked Oatmeal from Glenn Deuchler
6 cups old fashioned oatmeal
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. honey
¾ c. egg substitute or 4 whole
eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
½ c. oil
½ c. apple sauce
1 c. raisins (optional)
2 c. bran cereal (optional)
1 ½ c milk (separate into 1 c.
and ½ c.)
Stir all together. Dry ingredients first, then liquid
ingredients. Use 1 c. of milk with all
other liquid ingredients. Mix all
together well. Add additional ½ c. of
milk (approximately) to create a consistency like bread pudding. Grease 9x9 pan. Bake in oven at 375 degrees F for
approximately 45 minutes, or until center is set (if toothpick comes out clean,
it is set). Enjoy!
Hit the Road Oatmeal
Last summer, I was trying to keep
up with healthy whole grain breakfasts, but we leave super early on Saturday
mornings for swim meets. On a whim, I
made oatmeal in a wide mouth thermos and packed along a container of fixings
(brown sugar, chopped pecans, cranberries and a spoon). I was surprised how well it worked.
½ c. rolled oats
1 c. hot (near boiling) water
Put oats and water in a
thermos. Wait a few minutes (or until
you reach your destination). Stir in
extras and enjoy.
Whole Wheat Cereal
1 c. cleaned raw wheat
2 c. water
½ tsp salt
Cook overnight in slow cooker on low.
Can triple. Remainder keeps in refrigerator. Reheat portions needed for cereal or use as ingredients in soups or salads. Can replace dry beans as in chili or rice in many dishes.
Cooked
Wheat Berries
1 c. raw whole kernel wheat berries
5 c. water
½ tsp. salt
Rub slow cooker wall with 1 Tbsp. butter. Cover the ingredients and cook on low 8-9 hours. Cook until tender. Drain and cool. Cover; store in refrigerator or freeze to use in recipes, thaw first.
There are so many ways to get off to a good start nutritionally in the mornings! I hope you enjoy these recipes and ideas and use the comment space to share some of your own.
Sixty-eight
This whirlwind tour also included stops at flag ceremonies
to develop citizenship skills, campfires, singing, vespers and cabin
activities. Each cabin was based on a
country, from England to Australia to India and Russia, and counselors planned
activities for their cabin based on the country. Of course, a large portion of the world is
made of water, so camp included a water fight.
The camp also included a few 
