Your assignment this week is to look through the grocery ad for things on your inventory list that you need. With the budgeted amount of money you have (ballpark figure is $14 per week, per person) buy your three months' worth of however much you can on your list.
Do you like to use instant oatmeal? You can save money (and know exactly what you're eating) by making your own. It's so quick and handy to have it all made up!
Homemade Instant Oatmeal
4 cups quick oats (oatmeal), gluten-free if you need them
1-3 tsp. cinnamon
½ - 2/3 cup brown sugar*
½ - 1 tsp. salt
optional: 1/2 cup dry milk powder
optional: 1 c. chopped dried fruit or toasted nuts
Put 1 ½ c. of the oats in a blender; blend on high until almost powdery. Dump this into a medium-sized mixing bowl; stir in cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and milk powder and fruit/nuts if you’re using them.
After making it for the first time, see if it needs adjusted for your family’s tastes-- take 1/4 c. of this mix, combine in a bowl with ½ cup water, and microwave for 60 seconds. Taste it.
Is it great? Does it need more cinnamon? Sugar? Salt? Add as needed, then cook another bowlful to see. Take notes so you don’t have to do this next time. 😊
Store in a canister, a quart-sized ziptop bag, or pre-portioned into snack-sized ziptop bags.
This batch can easily be doubled or tripled.
You can pre-portion these into snack-size baggies (then reuse baggies!), or just keep a measuring cup in the canister or bag. If you want individual servings measured out ahead of time, place either 1/2 c. or 1/3 c. mix in each baggie.
TO USE:
One large serving: use ½ c. mix and 1 c. water. Microwave 90 seconds; let stand.
One small serving: use 1/3 c. mix and 2/3 c. water. Microwave 60 seconds; let stand.
For four large servings (or 6-8 small ones), use four cups boiling water and add 2 to 2 ½ cups oatmeal mix.
Adjust water and/or mix to make it as thin or thick as you like.
* For children who aren't yet accustomed to sugary oatmeal, use 1/2 cup brown sugar. For those sugar-addicted husbands, you may need to add more. Regular sugar, evaporated cane juice, or an appropriate amount of stevia may be used.
If your brown sugar is lumpy, it can be added to the blender with the 1 ½ c. of oats and blended with them.
Here are some flavor combinations; the sky's the limit!
Apple Cinnamon- Use the higher amount of cinnamon; you might even go up to 1 ½ to 2 Tbsp. Stir in 1 c. chopped dried apples.
Apricot Almond- Add 1 tsp. almond extract to the oats being blended. At the end, stir in ½ c. finely chopped dried apricots and ½ c. chopped toasted almonds.
Banana Maple- Add ½ tsp. maple extract and ½ to 1 c. banana chips to the oats when they’re blended.
Chai Spice- Use 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. ginger, ½ tsp. cardamom, and ¼ tsp. cloves. (If you like, you can also add ¼ tsp. ground black pepper and ½ tsp. allspice.) For Vanilla Chai, add 1 Tbsp. vanilla to the oats when they're blended, or use vanilla powder.
Date Nut- Use the higher amount of cinnamon. At the end, stir in ½ c. finely chopped dates and ½ c. toasted chopped walnuts or other nut. TIP- if you chop the dates and the nuts together, the dates won’t stick to your knife as badly.
Dinosaur- Use the higher amount of cinnamon. Stir in ¼ c. dinosaur-shaped sprinkles.
Maple Brown Sugar- Add ½ tsp. maple extract to the oats being blended. Use the higher amount of brown sugar (dark brown if you have it), and the lower amount of cinnamon.
Pumpkin Spice- Use 2 tsp. cinnamon, plus 2 tsp. ginger, 1 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/2 to 1 c. pumpkin powder. Best if you also use the 1/2 c. dry milk powder.
Raisin, Apple & Walnut- Use the higher amount of cinnamon. At the very end, stir in ½ c. chopped raisins, ½ c. chopped dried apple, and ½ c. chopped toasted walnuts.
Strawberries and Cream- Use either ½ c. dry milk powder, or ½ c. powdered creamer. Stir in 1 c. chopped dried or freeze-dried strawberries. You can also make Raspberries and Cream, Blueberries and Cream, or Peaches and Cream this way.
Very Berry- Add 1 tsp. vanilla to the oats being blended. Use the lower amount of cinnamon. Omit brown sugar, and use 1 c. of the berry drink mix from the Home Storage Center. Stir in 1 c. chopped dried cranberries or other dried berry.
Do you like to use instant oatmeal? You can save money (and know exactly what you're eating) by making your own. It's so quick and handy to have it all made up!
Homemade Instant Oatmeal
4 cups quick oats (oatmeal), gluten-free if you need them
1-3 tsp. cinnamon
½ - 2/3 cup brown sugar*
½ - 1 tsp. salt
optional: 1/2 cup dry milk powder
optional: 1 c. chopped dried fruit or toasted nuts
Put 1 ½ c. of the oats in a blender; blend on high until almost powdery. Dump this into a medium-sized mixing bowl; stir in cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and milk powder and fruit/nuts if you’re using them.
After making it for the first time, see if it needs adjusted for your family’s tastes-- take 1/4 c. of this mix, combine in a bowl with ½ cup water, and microwave for 60 seconds. Taste it.
Is it great? Does it need more cinnamon? Sugar? Salt? Add as needed, then cook another bowlful to see. Take notes so you don’t have to do this next time. 😊
Store in a canister, a quart-sized ziptop bag, or pre-portioned into snack-sized ziptop bags.
This batch can easily be doubled or tripled.
You can pre-portion these into snack-size baggies (then reuse baggies!), or just keep a measuring cup in the canister or bag. If you want individual servings measured out ahead of time, place either 1/2 c. or 1/3 c. mix in each baggie.
TO USE:
One large serving: use ½ c. mix and 1 c. water. Microwave 90 seconds; let stand.
One small serving: use 1/3 c. mix and 2/3 c. water. Microwave 60 seconds; let stand.
For four large servings (or 6-8 small ones), use four cups boiling water and add 2 to 2 ½ cups oatmeal mix.
Adjust water and/or mix to make it as thin or thick as you like.
* For children who aren't yet accustomed to sugary oatmeal, use 1/2 cup brown sugar. For those sugar-addicted husbands, you may need to add more. Regular sugar, evaporated cane juice, or an appropriate amount of stevia may be used.
If your brown sugar is lumpy, it can be added to the blender with the 1 ½ c. of oats and blended with them.
Here are some flavor combinations; the sky's the limit!
Apple Cinnamon- Use the higher amount of cinnamon; you might even go up to 1 ½ to 2 Tbsp. Stir in 1 c. chopped dried apples.
Apricot Almond- Add 1 tsp. almond extract to the oats being blended. At the end, stir in ½ c. finely chopped dried apricots and ½ c. chopped toasted almonds.
Banana Maple- Add ½ tsp. maple extract and ½ to 1 c. banana chips to the oats when they’re blended.
Chai Spice- Use 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. ginger, ½ tsp. cardamom, and ¼ tsp. cloves. (If you like, you can also add ¼ tsp. ground black pepper and ½ tsp. allspice.) For Vanilla Chai, add 1 Tbsp. vanilla to the oats when they're blended, or use vanilla powder.
Date Nut- Use the higher amount of cinnamon. At the end, stir in ½ c. finely chopped dates and ½ c. toasted chopped walnuts or other nut. TIP- if you chop the dates and the nuts together, the dates won’t stick to your knife as badly.
Dinosaur- Use the higher amount of cinnamon. Stir in ¼ c. dinosaur-shaped sprinkles.
Maple Brown Sugar- Add ½ tsp. maple extract to the oats being blended. Use the higher amount of brown sugar (dark brown if you have it), and the lower amount of cinnamon.
Pumpkin Spice- Use 2 tsp. cinnamon, plus 2 tsp. ginger, 1 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/2 to 1 c. pumpkin powder. Best if you also use the 1/2 c. dry milk powder.
Raisin, Apple & Walnut- Use the higher amount of cinnamon. At the very end, stir in ½ c. chopped raisins, ½ c. chopped dried apple, and ½ c. chopped toasted walnuts.
Strawberries and Cream- Use either ½ c. dry milk powder, or ½ c. powdered creamer. Stir in 1 c. chopped dried or freeze-dried strawberries. You can also make Raspberries and Cream, Blueberries and Cream, or Peaches and Cream this way.
Very Berry- Add 1 tsp. vanilla to the oats being blended. Use the lower amount of cinnamon. Omit brown sugar, and use 1 c. of the berry drink mix from the Home Storage Center. Stir in 1 c. chopped dried cranberries or other dried berry.
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