Hot cereal is the perfect breakfast, whether you're at home or out camping.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time2 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cereal, make ahead
Servings: 18servings
Ingredients
32oz1-minute (quick) oats, gluten-free if desired(equivalent to 1 large bag, or 2 smaller cans)
2cupspowdered milk
2cupsbrown sugar
2cupsdried fruit (your choice of raisins, dried apples, dried cranberries, freeze dried berries, etc.)
1cupnuts(optional)
2tbspcinnamon
2tbspground flax seed(optional)
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together.
The ground flax seed, also called milled flaxseed or flax meal, adds a touch of omega-3 essential fatty acids as well as fibre. And it's more easily digested than whole flax seed. But it's completely optional in this recipe and leaving it out doesn't affect the taste at all.
To serve, pour enough hot cereal mix into a bowl (about 1/2 full) and add boiling water. Let sit for about 2 minutes, while it thickens. Add more water if you prefer runnier hot oatmeal; less if you prefer thicker cereal.
For camping, scoop into a large Ziplock freezer bag. Remove any air at the top of the bag, and seal. Then put the bag inside a second Ziplock and seal again.
For home use, scoop into large Mason-style jars or a Tupperware style container.
Alternatively, make this a single-serving breakfast to go by scooping 3/4 cup of hot cereal mix into half-pint sized jam jars, leaving about 1" of space at the top. Just add boiling water, let sit for 2 minutes, and eat right out of the jar. Careful, the jar will be hot!
CAUTION: Please be careful pouring the boiling water, especially if you're camping and the bowl is unstable, sitting on a rock or log. Test for temperature before giving to children.
Notes
Variations:
Apple and cinnamon: use 2 cups of dried apple rings for the dried fruit, sliced into bite-sized pieces.
Cranberry and almond: use 2 cups dried cranberries for the dried fruit and 1 cup sliced or chopped almonds for the nuts.
Pumpkin muffin: use 2 cups raisins and substitute pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon.
Banana walnut: use 2 cups dried banana slices and 1 cup chopped walnuts.
Maple pecan: substitute maple sugar for the brown sugar, and use 1 cup of chopped pecans.
Berries and cream: use 2 cups freeze-dried strawberries or mixed berries. Substitute half the brown sugar with white sugar.
Pina colada: use 2 cups dried pineapple chunks for the dried fruit (sliced smaller if necessary) and 1 cup coconut instead of almonds.
Candy stars or dinosaurs: use 2 cups of small sugar baking sprinkles instead of fruit. Cut the brown sugar back to 1-1/2 cups instead of 2 cups. Fun for the kids and the kids at heart. The sprinkles do tend to melt with the boiling water, so be sure the kids see them before you pour the water on. Or keep the sprinkles separate from the mix and add just before serving.