Premade Oatmeal Packets for Busy Mornings

Mornings around our house are a little bit on the chaotic side. As much as I try to stay calm and get us all fed, dressed, and out the door on time, one of the girls usually ends up stalling, one is having a tantrum over something, or the baby inevitably has a pooplosion that sets everything back by 10 minutes (because then you have to repeat the entire cycle of trying to leave all over again). I’m not alone in this, right? Please tell me your mornings are just as crazy!

My girls are constantly asking for oatmeal in the morning for breakfast since it’s “so cold” lately (their words, not mine; God bless them if we ever move to Alaska), and who am I to stop them from actually wanting to eat? The only problem is that it was super annoying getting everything out for it every day. I needed the oats (bought from Costco, of course), brown sugar (because who eats oatmeal plain?), cinnamon, measuring cup, measuring spoon.

I mean, I can barely pour my creamer into my coffee, let alone create their gourmet oatmeal from scratch. On top of that, the girls always want to help. Now, I’m all for having kids help in the kitchen, but I’m not in the mood for breaking up fights over who gets to do what so early in the morning.

In an effort to keep the angry and impatient “mom voice” at bay, I’ve started streamlining our morning routines. It doesn’t necessarily help us get out the door any faster, but it does free up my morning by a few minutes so I can drink another sip or two of my coffee. And for that, I’ll call this little idea a mom win.

Enter: Premade Oatmeal Packets, aka a kid-friendly breakfast for the lazy mom. Sure, you can buy premade oatmeal packets with tons of extra sugar in them, or you can make them for a heck of a lot less money, and know exactly what’s in them.

How to Make Premade Oatmeal Packets

Here’s what you need for each packet:

1 snack-sized zip-top bag
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon—1/2 T brown sugar
a shake or two of cinnamon

Bam. That’s it.

You make up several bags ahead of time, and then all you have to do in the morning is dump it in a bowl, add some milk, and microwave for about 2 minutes.

It’s so easy a preschooler can do it. Seriously. I set my 4 year old up with a little station during her sister’s nap time on the weekend, and she goes to town making her premade oatmeal packets for the following week.

After you cook the oatmeal you can add in whatever extras you want. A spoonful of peanut butter, sliced up bananas, applesauce, chopped nuts, or berries are all favorites around here.

Oh, and if you’re a breastfeeding mom, make some extra packets for yourself and sprinkle in some brewers yeast to help boost your supply! I always keep some on hand for days around that time of the month when I feel my milk start to dip. A bowl or two of oatmeal helps bring it back in no time.