Guys, I think its intervention time. And not the show Intervention, because that would totally defeat the purpose. What I need is a serious TV intervention. I stream everything on Netflix and the internetz, which means hours and hours (and hours and hours and hours…and hours) of entertainment. Evan and I blew through the first season of Downton Abbey last week, and I somehow also managed to knock out a season of 30Rock at the same time. You know things are bad when Lady Mary, Liz Lemon, Mrs. Patmore, and Kenneth the Page are all running around in your dreams every night…together. That makes for a really weird night of sleep. I mean, can you imagine Liz Lemon sitting down for dinner with the Crawleys?
Somehow, in between all that, AND my day job, I managed to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner each night. Women today, we can really do it all. Individual portions of homemade instant oatmeal help.
Obviously adding hot water to oats (voila, breakfast!) is nothing new. But, I was inspired by one of these instant oatmeal cups. And thought to myself that I could do that much cheaper for myself, if I could only solve the peanut butter issue… you see, if you want to make a bunch of these bad boys ahead of time, actual sticky-gooey peanut butter might complicate things.
Luckily, you can now buy POWDERED PEANUT BUTTER. That’s right, POWDERED PEANUT BUTTER. Best. I was eyeing this crazy concoction at the grocery for a while, but it wasn’t until the oatmeal inspiration struck that I decided to go for it. It seems pricey (compared to regular peanut butter), but it goes so much further! If I was really into math, or even semi into math, I’d calculate how much each portion of this instant oatmeal would cost. Since I’m not super or even semi into math, you just have to trust me that you can get way more bang for your buck packaging your own instant oatmeal than buying those spendy little pre-made cups.
I make mine in little sized mason jars, because I have a million of them, and you can add hot water right to the jar. The ultimate grab & go breakfast! I’ve also packed it up in little mini sandwich bags, then just dumped into a bowl when I got to work. You could even try mixing up a giant batch and just using a scoop each day, but I’m not sure if all the goodies inside would distribute evenly. It’s up to you, my friends. The world is your oyster. Your peanut buttery oyster. (Definitely something that would wind up on the Lemon-Crawley joint dinner table!)
Peanut Butter Coconut Instant Oatmeal
1/2 cup quick oats
1.5 teaspoons powdered peanut butter
1.5 teaspoons desiccated coconut
1.5 teaspoons coconut palm sugar (you could really use any sugar, brown would be good too!)
1 teaspoon mini chocolate chips
Pinch of salt & cinnamon
Optional add-ins: dried cherries, slivered almonds
Add everything to jar. Before making, give it a good shake, then add hot water to just about an inch over the top of the oatmeal, and stir. Sometimes if my water isn't hot enough, I give it a few seconds in the microwave.
