Ready mix bags of Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats to make starting your day with a healthy breakfast a whole lot easier!
Today I want to share a little secret I have for making the most important meal of the day a healthy, filling, long lasting kinda meal. Which of course is breakfast.
With the reality being that I can't control everything that goes into my children's belly's in a day once they are off to school or at a friend's house, I like to at least start their days off with a power breakfast that will give them loads of fiber and protein. But mornings are hectic, and if I get too carried away with fancy homemade breakfasts, I end up being cranky mommy, and I really hate sending my kids off to school with that memory.
My solution? Pressure Cooker + Steel Cut Oats + Thrive Freeze Dried Fruit = Easy, effortless, and healthy.
I love freeze-dried products more than I can say and my absolute brand is Thrive. Can after can is consistently delicious and crunchy with loads of real fruit flavor that I want in my food. The fruit is my favorite and I pack them in my kids lunches, put them on yogurt (best ever!), and even use the leftover dust at the bottom of the pan to make super yummy frozen yogurt.
That there is a huge supply of nutrient rich fruit ready to go whenever I want it, no matter the season or weather conditions. This beautiful fruit hangs out in my pantry and stays beautifully crisp without any prep work. That's why I immediately thought of using it to make Ready Mix Steel Cut Oats. This project was inspired by the holiday gift idea – Steel Cut Oats in a Jar.
And it couldn't be easier! Grab your supplies. You'll need steel cut oats, brown sugar (coconut sugar also works well, or omit sweetener altogether), salt, and Thrive Freeze Dried Fruit or Veggies. Here I made Carrot Cake with freeze-dried carrots, Mixed Berry with strawberries and blueberries, and Peaches and Cream with peaches, and I added a pinch of vanilla powder. You could add vanilla extract once it goes into your pot if you like.
So Easy!
Then I line them up in a Tupperware in my pantry so they are ready whenever I need a breakfast that can be thrown together in seconds. Just add water, set your pressure cooker for 10 minutes, then go drag everyone out of bed. By the time everyone is ready, breakfast will be ready! This amount feeds 4 people in my family, you can increase the amounts of the ingredients as needed.
And that is my Breakfast Healthy Meal Planning tip for today!
Enjoy!
Tools/Items used to make Ready Mix Steel Cut Oats
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PrintPressure Cooker Meal Planning: Ready Mix Steel Cut Oats
Make easy, healthy breakfasts a reality! These Ready Mix Steel Cut Oats will be your best friend on crazy mornings.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For Mixed Berry Steel Cut Oats
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (can substitute with coconut sugar)
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup of freeze dried blueberries
- 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries
For Peaches and Cream Steel Cut Oats
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (can substitute with coconut sugar)
- pinch of salt
- about 3/4 cup of freeze dried peaches, either chopped or broken into smaller pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder (or add a 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract when you cook the oats)
For Carrot Cake Oatmeal
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (can substitute with coconut sugar)
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup freeze dried carrots
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
To be added later
- 3.5 cups water
- or add 4 cups water then stir in 2 tablespoons of chia seeds after oats are cooked
Instructions
For the Ziplock Bags
- To a ziplock bag add steel cut oats, brown sugar, salt, and other dry ingredients like spices and freeze dried or dried fruit.
- Squeeze all the air out of the bag and seal shut. Store in pantry for up to 3 months.
When time to cook the oats
- Pour contents of ziplock into the pressure cooker pot. Add 3 1/2 cups of water (or 4 cups if you want to add chia seeds after cooking) and stir to combine ingredients. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. When cooking is complete, use a 10 minute natural release. If adding chia seeds, stir them in now and put the lid back on for 5-10 minutes for them to swell and thicken the oats. Stir and serve hot topped with extra fruit if desired.
Notes
Nutritional values based on Mixed Berry Steal Cut Oats
Keywords: instant pot breakfast, healthy breakfast, quick breakfast
Welcome! I’m Marci, wife to my motorcycle dream man and mother of 3. I have a passion for creating and cooking delicious masterpieces in my kitchen and am ecstatic to share my discoveries on TIDBITS! I like my food tasty, wholesome, memorable, and always, ALWAYS followed by dark, salty chocolate.
Hey Marci! Im bagging up half portions. Can you tell me how to cook them in that size? Thanks,
Hi Nancy! I would use at least 2 cups of water and cook it the same amount of time. If it seems really loose when you cook it, you could try less next time. I worry if we use much less water, the oatmeal might burn on the bottom.
Curious on the cook time of 13 minutes….. my standard recipe (w/o freeze dried fruit) has 1 cups steel cut oats, 2.5 c water, and 7 minutes.
Is the extra time and water due to the freeze dried fruit?
Lynn, I’ve always used extra water because I like them looser to begin with since it thickens so quickly as it sits. Regarding the time though, I’ve actually cooked my oats for 10 minutes for quite a while now, so I edited that in the recipe just now. My kids prefer them quite soft, I personally would love them a bit more firm so 7 minutes is probably great too!
Was so excited to do this when I first read email & your comments. Seemed “too good to be true” and after clicking on the “Thrive” website to order the dried products I found out it IS too good to be true. Products all out of stock & even if they WERE in stock the prices are outrageous. I’m apparently not in the same tax bracket that you are. Thanks anyway.
Kim, Building up my freeze-dried supply has definitely had to be a slow process for me, I have a shipment come each month so it doesn’t feel like a huge expense. But I’m so grateful to have it on hand. I use the fruit most often and have some meat and veggies on hand that are meant for longer /”incase of an emergency” type storage. I didn’t mean to be misleading or offensive by any means, I simply wanted to show an easy, healthy option that I use on occasion. I’ve used dried fruit in my oat packets as well, and that also works really well! Again, I’m sorry if that caused any hard feelings!
I can’t wait to try this! Such a great idea to have grab and go!
Michelle, Yes, I love it! Works great with dried fruit as well.