Home Made Oatmeal Packs...and Singing Wicked

Ok, I just can't leave that whiny post at the top of my blog.  Sorry about that, I was having a pity party (or so my mom always called  them).  She used to ask me how many worms I wanted to eat when I whined like that (you know the song..."No one likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms!")

So, let's do something else.

Earlier this week I refilled our cupboard's supply of oatmeal packs.  Buying instant flavored oatmeal from the store is just plain expensive, so I make my own packs.  It took a bit to get the proportions down right (at first my kids just turned up their noses at my attempts) but now I have perfected the art.

In a huge mixing bowl I pour in 1 #10 can of rolled quick oats.  If you don't have a cannery handy, you can always get the big tall oatmeal drum (it says 42 oz on the drum that I have) from your local grocery store.   They hold essentially the same amount of oatmeal.  

Anyway, add one large tub of oatmeal to a fat mixing bowl.  Then pour in 1-32 oz bag of brown sugar and mix that well.  My kids love to help do this, but it can be sort of messy so just be ready for that.  Finally add cinnamon to taste (we don't love lots of cinnamon, so I only add about 3 Tbsp, but you might like more).  Stir that again and then use a measuring cup to deposit 1/2 cup of the concoction in zippered sandwich bags.  Store these in your cupboard for easy use.  This recipe (can I call it that?) makes about 30-1/2 cup pouches of cinnamon sugar oatmeal. 

When you are ready to eat them pour the pouch into a bowl, add hot water (we just use hot tap water), stir it and eat it.  (Total cost: $3-4 for oatmeal, $1-2 for brown sugar, maybe $1 for cinnamon...30-1/2 cup pouches for about $7...also remember that pre-made pouches from store box are 1/4 cup each so my bags are double theirs and at about $2 per box of 10 you would pay nearly double to buy pre-made packs).

Making your own oatmeal pouches is much less expensive than buying them, and it really isn't that hard.  Besides all that, I always feel ultra productive then I make something on my own rather than buying it!

If you prefer other flavors I read about people who use powdered coffee cream mixes to create blueberry or strawberry oatmeal.  There are dozens of possibilities.  Be creative and you can feed your family without pains in your pocket book.   

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As a bonus, I got to work with Aubrey last night on the song she is singing for the upcoming school talent show.  She had planned to do a jump rope routine with a couple of friends but two days before they each decided to do their own thing.  Aubrey scrambled (she didn't even tell me there was an issue until after it was all over) and tried out anyway performing a song from "Wicked" (No Good Deed Goes Unpunished) and she still made it, so now we are working to make it look and sound fabulous.  I'll post a video once she is ready to perform.  I am really proud of her for not giving up.