Oatmeal Jars


Oatmeal is absolutely a staple in my house. My kids will gladly eat it every morning. (I know, they are totally weird!) In fact, if my kids have cereal more than two days in a row, they start to complain. So oatmeal is definitely something that we have to have on hand all the time. The problem is that making oatmeal can be messy and I haven't taught my kids how to make it themselves; therefore, oatmeal jars have become my saving grace! I love that my boys can make the jars (and then I only have to clean up once for 20 plus meals)
Because the oatmeal jars are such a big deal in our house, we make them regularly, and I talk about them so much that I figured I should share a post on how we make them and what's in them. So here it is!
First of all, you need to know that my boys pretty much make these on their own. I typically put the oatmeal in and they do the rest. Here are the steps and ingredients that I follow and the ways that I use oatmeal jars!
Step 1: Fill the jars about 3/4 full with instant oats. If you have a canning funnel, it's the ideal size for reducing mess and making things quick. I often just use the jars as a scoop to get the oats though. 


Step 2:  Add 1 tablespoon of honey crystals. You could also add sugar, or stevia or whichever sweetener you prefer, I like the honey crystals because they are natural and I feel like you need less to make it as sweet.  


 Step 3: This is where the magic happens! I typically just let my kids grab whichever cans of fruit they want and make whatever combinations they come up with on the spot. But when I made these jars I wanted specific flavours with specific labels so that I could share with you! So here are the flavours that we made. I still let my little guy put in as much or as little as he wanted, but I gave him the fruits I wanted in each jar. 
READY TO EAT?
These store well on your shelf for up to 6 months, depending on the humidity in your house (keep in mind, there's no oxygen absorber, and the jars aren't sealed). 
When you're ready to eat, just run the tap water until it's hot, fill the jar with hot water and put the lid on. Let it sit for about 2-3 minutes, then dig in! DELICIOUS!
NOTE:   For the recipes that are cream recipes, ie Strawberries and cream, peaches and cream, we just added a tablespoon of instant milk. You could add that to every jar if you wanted to, but because some of us have lactose issues, I don't generally put it in all of them. 

I love all the flavours listed here, but don't the strawberry blueberry ones look pretty?? They became my model jars (HAHA! Yup I'm kinda nerdy!)


Just like that we have 20 individual meals or snacks ready to go! And my kids love to eat them because they took part in making them. It's a win-win!


 So, last point, how what do we use our oatmeal jars for? When do we eat them? ALL. THE. TIME.

Hotels - perfect breakfast, because you don't need anything but hot water!
After school snacks - I told you my boys are weird!
Weekends - mom doesn't have to get up just because the kids are hungry!
Camping Trips - no refrigeration necessary
Sleepovers - have picky eaters or food restrictions? Your kids can easily take their own breakfast with no worries
Road Trips - trying to make your trip less expensive? Take your breakfast with you!

So many ways to use these oatmeal jars? When will you use your oatmeal jars?

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