This is one of my favorite blogs out there! I was part of her project with my Nana a few years ago. There are few things more powerful. There are links at the bottom to the earlier groups. If you haven’t been following this DO IT! (With tissues)…
“Vulnerability is the core of all emotions and feelings. To feel is to be vulnerable. To believe vulnerability is weakness is to believe that feeling is weakness. Yes, we are totally exposed …
Now, I don’t eat ham…I don’t like the texture (although I’ve always had a hard time explaining why), but I grew up in a family who usually did the traditional “Easter Ham” & I have a husband who gets pretty excited about about it as well. For me, Easter is about spring, egg hunts, flowers…chocolate-covered marshmallow bunnies (I’m not gonna lie!), and activities with the kids! I love dying eggs and watching their faces when they discover their baskets in the morning. Even my 17 yr old is excited to discover the T-shirt or comic book hiding among the eggs & treats in his basket (Mommy bunny always puts some non-edibles in the basket as well). Many years ago my mother started making a particular ham recipe that became a family classic. It is now the only one that is asked for in my home, my siblings’ homes, my in-laws have shared it with friends, my husband has been emailing around work…I figured the “cat’s out of the bag” I may as well share it with you all.
Our Easter Dinner consists of Mom’s Coke Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, & a Vegetable, this year I made Garlic Roasted Asparagus. We round it out with my Pineapple Upside-down Cake.
Start by placing your Shank Half/Bone-in Ham, thick side down, into a pot on the stove top. Pour 2-liter of Coca-Cola Classic to cover entire Ham, use more if needed (cannot be diet, off-brand, or Pepsi or it doesn’t work the same). Cover with lid, bring to boil then simmer for at least 2 hours.
While the Ham is simmering in Coke, it’s a good time to use the oven to prepare the cake or other dessert. I’ve always been a fan of Pineapple Upside-down Cake. I try to do a lot of things from scratch, but given that I’m in the kitchen all day on the holidays anyway having a couple of cheats I think is alright! I use Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme. If you look on the side of the box there is a skillet recipe; you do need to have a 12+ inch skillet that has an oven safe handle, but it is SO worth it! I’ll paste the link to the recipe on their website below along with the pic of my finished cake. This is my “go to” recipe! I love it. #duncanhinespineappleupsidedowncake
http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cakes/Duncan%20Hines%C2%AE/pineapple-upside-down-cake/
Now that your Ham has been cooking for 2-3 hours while you got your cake baked & out of the way…Pour the Ham & Coke into a strainer in the sink (be careful, the hot Coke-Cola is sticky & will burn badly if it splashes onto your face). Trim off fat. You can choose to leave the Ham whole or cut it off of the bone in chunks like I do (as pictured). If you leave it whole you must score it well to ensure that the flavors get through it. [I prefer it “chunked” for a couple of reasons. I think that it allows the pieces to all get good & crispy in the oven as well as making sure that the flavor gets all over them.] Sprinkle with cloves, brown sugar, & drizzle with molasses (to taste). Set aside.
Here’s one more “cheat” that I do…I admit that I haven’t yet successfully been able to make homemade, all from scratch, cheesy scalloped potatoes…so sad. They are always either too greasy, the potatoes are too firm, or the sauce isn’t creamy enough for my liking, as I’m a perfectionist about such things…so, I cheat. I get boxed scalloped potatoes & I embellish them & jazz them up! For our family of 5, I usually use 2 boxes. I always use the “oven method” on the box. Follow all of the steps up to stirring in the potatoes…STOP! Add a small handful of shredded sharp cheddar (I get Tillamook extra sharp white cheddar, it’s awesome & a great price at Costco) & 1 bunch (just shy of a cup chopped) green onion. Stir it up good then add the potatoes. Sprinkle a little more cheddar on the top (to get that nice crispy goodness) then bake as directed. So much better than straight outta the box!
While the potatoes are in the oven, clean asparagus under cool water. (To remove woody ends from the asparagus, gently bend the end of each spear until it snaps naturally.) Lay on a paper towel & pat dry as you can, you don’t want them to steam in the oven.
Next, spread the asparagus out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea or kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, & garlic (I use a little garlic mill, but you can use granulated as well). Finally, pop in the preheated 425-degree oven & roast the asparagus for about 10 minutes. The secret is for the oven to be very hot without the veggies getting overcooked & wimpy.
Now that the asparagus is done, crank the oven temp up as hot as it will go (ours goes up to 550) & throw the ham in for 10 min (15 min if you left it whole), then rearrange the pieces, sprinkle more cloves, brown sugar, drizzle more molasses, & turn on the broiler on high. Set the timer for 7 minutes & go get the table set. (The broiler gets it good & crispy around the edges.)
Dinner is served!
Coke Ham
Place Ham, thick side down, into pot on top of stove. Pour Coke-Cola over ham. Cover with lid, bring to boil. Simmer for 2-3 hours. When 2-3 hours have passed: Heat oven as hot as it will go (probably 550); Pour ham and Coke-Cola into strainer in sink; Transfer ham to an oven proof pan (either the entire ham or cut from bone & place in pan, but either way trim fat first; if whole ham in dish you must score it by cutting slashes all over it so the next ingredients will seep down inside); Sprinkle with cloves, brown sugar, & molasses (to taste); Put in oven for 15 minutes (If you cut the ham from the bone, you’ll need to cook 10 minutes in the oven then rotate pieces, add more cloves, brown sugar, & molasses, then cook another 7 minutes on broil to crisp it up.
Garlic Roasted Asparagus
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean asparagus under cool water. Remove woody ends from the asparagus by gently bending the end of each spear until it snaps naturally. Lay on a paper towel & pat dry as you can (you don’t want them to steam in the oven). Next, spread the asparagus out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea or kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, & garlic (I use a little garlic mill, but you can use granulated as well). Finally, pop in the preheated oven & roast the asparagus for about 10 minutes. The secret is for the oven to be very hot without the veggies getting overcooked & wimpy.
Do you ever have one of those moments where you are contemplating what you’re making for dinner at like 2 o’clock in the afternoon, then you remember seeing something in your inbox a couple of days before that you’re pretty sure you have all of the ingredients for?
You find it, it looks okay & you realize that with a few modifications you’re pretty sure everyone would like it.
If you’re lucky you’re right. If you were me this last week, you were amazed because they LOVED it so much I just made it again tonight. This time I took pictures for you all!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
8 oz of French Dressing
1 packet of onion soup mix
A generous dusting of granulated garlic & a pinch or 2 of cayenne (more if your family likes things hot).
8 oz of apricot preserves
(You could sub orange marmalade if you want it a little less sweet, but it’s not crazy sweet anyway…)
Mix it up well & set aside.
Fill a glass baking dish with chicken thighs & season liberally with salt & pepper. (I used about 10-11 boneless skinless chicken thighs). Then pour on the sauce & spread to cover the thighs evenly. Place into a preheated oven & cook for 60 min.
When the timer goes off turn on the broiler to low for 8-10 min. This caramelizes the top just enough to make it awesome.
And here we are! I served it with rice & salad the 1st night, peas the 2nd.
Leftovers heated up well too…this one was awesome!
Teens, the toddler, the hubby, & I all loved it & that is a rare occurrence!
Go love someone!
~Paige
It’s days like this where the impulsive part of my brain says, “Grab the children & move to Canada! . . . NOW!!!”
Then I read the following statement from our UUA President, Rev. Peter Morales, & I remember something that I watched during one of our Sunday morning worship services at last weekend’s General Assembly (which I will paste at the end:
http://www.uua.org/news/pressroom/pressreleases/296165.shtml
For those who are just waking up…this morning the US Supreme Court ruled in favor (5 to 4) of Hobby Lobby. This Corporation now has the right, based on their “religious beliefs” to pick & choose which insurance benefits they offer their employees.
In this case, we’re talking birth control. The “Christian Right Conservatives” don’t want to pay for contraceptives, basically (although meds like Viagra are okay…don’t get me started…I’m just beginning to not see red anymore).
Many are viewing this as a women’s issue, but it’s a men’s issue, a family issue…an everybody issue!
Go with me for just a minute…I’m going to get personal.
In my family, my husband works his butt off working full time, overtime when he can, gets benefits for the family. I work part time, 1-2 half days a week in the office & the rest of the time I work from home, averaging 16-18 hours a week, our 3 yr old goes to a Pre-school/daycare when I’m in the office. We have 2 other kids who are in school full time. I get paid monthly & even though my hours are minimal, my hourly pay is good & my paychecks cover most of our rent (and are equal to close to half of my husband’s monthly net pay).
I have an IUD. According to the New York Times, “The cost of an IUD, one of the most effective forms of birth control, is considerable. It requires a visit to the doctor, and a procedure to have the device put in place. Medical exams, insertion, and follow-up visits can run upward of $1,000. Without insurance coverage, it’s likely that many women will be unable to use them.” Luckily, my husband’s insurance covered it, but if more companies start following suit who knows if my next one will be covered. (They need to be replaced every 5 years.) I will also say that this is the only reliable method of birth control that works for my husband & I. We don’t have to worry about forgetting, misusing, having reactions from my IUD. It just works.
Now lets say for a minute that my wonderful husband worked for Hobby Lobby. They could have refused to pay for our IUD. There would have been NO WAY we could have paid for it. I know that I can’t take birth control pills (as I react); without getting too personal diaphragms don’t work for me; condoms aren’t practical for many married couples & they can break or get holes & even when used correctly they’re only 98% effective…we would end up pregnant again, I wouldn’t be able to work, we’d be on food stamps after my income stopped paying most of our rent (which is a program we know that they’ve been speaking out against) then we definitely wouldn’t be able to afford to get my IUD, then more babies….endless poverty cycle.
I don’t know how “Christian” “Pro-Family” people can go out of their way to create hardship for families who are just trying to protect themselves against having children that they’re either not ready for or perhaps (like we are) done making their family, or like many, taking the medications for other things all together.
One other analogy I offer that I want you to think about before I wrap this up, only because I think it’s all too easy to say, “well, if they don’t want to cover a medication, what’s the big deal? It’s their company…” (Even though the employees cover a fair amount of their own premium costs…)
let’s flip the perspective for a minute. I posted this in response to someone’s facebook post this morning & it got some feedback so I’ll put it to you all as well: *you are christian & work for a lovely Muslim family-owned corporation. They decided that during Ramadan, since THEY fast from sun up to sun down as part of their Religious Beliefs, they would stop allowing food on the business properties from sun up to sun down, just during Ramadan. You are welcome to drive off site, eat something, & drive back during your 30 min lunch break but they won’t give you more time & this would only allow you a few minutes to eat & ends up costing you more $ in gas each week. You sue, but are surprised when you lose because you find out that your boss’s religious freedom is protected over you, just like the fore mentioned case.*
The average Rightwing Christian doesn’t usually like to be the minority & doesn’t like it when the religion-based law that they made a such a big deal over doesn’t only apply to them.
It’s time for me to share with you what I promised I would earlier. I will share the words first then post the link for the service itself. (You will find this at approximately 49:41) It is the Meditation before the Sermon (which is also amazing!).
This is Revs. Shana and Melora Lynngood, Co-ministers First Unitarian Church of Victoria, BC~Sunday, June 29th, 2014 at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in Providence Rhode Island
“Please join us in a spirit of meditation and reflection… breathe in… breathe out… if you feel comfortable doing so, close your eyes… We have all done it— Especially those of us who like to think of ourselves as astute, intelligent, well-informed.
We criticize and judge—convinced that we know the right way.
And sometimes we ARE right—especially when our object of critique is an injustice, an unfair law or system.
We clench our fists—indignant, righteous. Take a moment to consider—In justice work—in life—what makes you clench your fists?… Sometimes, that response is justified; the clenched fists understandable, even appropriate.
But if we remain in that pose, our posture rigid, our approach set, convinced of our own superior view,
Then we miss the blessings…Steamroll right past the beatitudes.
To experience spiritual transformation—in justice-making and in life,
We have to un-clench our fists and open our hands.
Hands open, letting go of the need to be right, the urge to point the finger of critique
Hands open—signaling humility.
Hands open—receptive to the love that can guide us
Hands open—ready to serve.
Hands open to grasp hands of others, joining across differences, finding there meaningful connection
Hands open, like a toddler stumbling with arms akimbo, awkward, but poised to explore and experience new possibilities, new insights, new growth.
Take a moment to consider—if you were to open your hands, step into a more embracing stance than is usual for you, what blessings might you receive?
May our hands—open to the spirit—give life the shape of justice.”
http://www.uua.org/ga/virtual/2014/worship/295428.shtml
No matter how frustrated you may be, regardless of pride, nor anger–may you find your inner peace & wisdom & be able to lower your fist & open your hands & accept the gifts that come.
Learn from this day. Get out there & make a better day for our children.
Don’t be afraid to be loud when it matters.
Shalom friends.
~P
Please share this with your daughters, nieces, granddaughters, sisters, neighbors, friends, mothers, coworkers, oh hell…share it with everyone you know!
I have often felt that the problem with “the beauty industry” isn’t the products they sell, but the fact that they have been allowed (for decades) to brainwash the public into thinking that they NEEDED the products they sell to reach an acceptable level of “beauty.”
Let me say, whoever you are:
You are perfect.
You are beautiful.
All that you need to do or acquire in order to achieve perfection or beauty, is to simply live.
Love yourself, Be kind to others, Be gentle to your soul, Don’t listen to those who make you feel bad about who you are.
Kids are great! *forced smile*
No really, kids are amazing. I have 3 of my own & many whom I proudly “momma bear” even though they are not of my womb.
My oldest, “R”, is nearly 16 years old. He is on the autism spectrum, a sophomore in high school, loves video games, Godzilla, zombies, rock ‘n’ roll, goofy youtube videos, & those silly inflatable dancing guys that the used car dealerships use.
Next in line, “JON”, is almost 13. He won a fight with lymphoma a couple of years ago. He loves comic books, The Walking Dead, Mine Craft, riding his bike, Smosh videos on youtube, listening to music on his iPod, & comedy. Here’s one of his favorite’s (keep in mind that he’s 13, don’t judge):
This brings us to number 3…my screaming, often flying monkey…”CC” will be 3 at the end of April. She is adorable and loud and opinionated and funny and sweet and today, very, very 2!
I like to think that I am a patient person.
I like to think that I am a good mother, a funny mother, I generally enjoy my children. We have fun together. But I have to admit…the toddler years can be hard! There are days when these funny little sweeties go from angel to freak show 30 seconds. These are the days when this mommy needs a time out!
I think that there are things that experienced moms often fail to convey to expecting or new moms. This is one of the areas where we, as women, fail each other!
This morning while my sweet baby girl was transforming into a possessed howler monkey because I was working at my laptop for 10 minutes while she was enjoying her favorite show on Sprout & I didn’t notice that her show was over and she was ready for lunch. Then we got calmed down with a small snack (because I really had to finish what I was doing before I could make lunch), when Daddy came home on his lunch break, one of the perks of working 5 minutes from home. She, naturally, was excited to see him! She was not very excited that he couldn’t spend his whole lunch hour (about 40 here) holding her due to the fact that he did need to eat. So…the screaming resumed!
ALRIGHT!!! Lunch time it is!!! We heated up some soup, put it in a bowl, sat her at the table, next to her Daddy, & enjoyed 5-8 minutes of relative quiet before Daddy had to prepare to leave the house to go back to the office.
This pattern continued while I attempted to complete a few other tasks, including a phone call (that was enjoyable with her wrapping herself around my legs & trying to stuff her head up my shirt!).
These are the things that we should be sharing with other women! (These & the scream I just heard from CC’s bedroom while typing! HA!) I don’t do the toddler years well, there I said it! It is H-A-R-D! While I’m being honest, let me talk about other things that we’re not supposed to say out loud…I am not good at potty training!! I have all of the tools & skills, I just suck at it! I am not patient! Once I know that a child KNOWS I lose my mind when they refuse to use the bathroom! Occasional accidents I can deal with, but let me give you a fun little example. CC is starting to recognize the feeling in her tummy pre-poop. She tells me that her tummy hurts, I ask her if she thinks she needs to go poop in the potty, she says yes. It’s a pretty good system! A couple of weeks ago, all signals were go…she’s sitting on the potty, I’m out in the hall, outside of the bathroom.
She says “Me all done!” She has only been in there a minute. I know she hasn’t gone yet. So I say, “I don’t think you’ve been in there long enough yet honey, why don’t you look at your book again?” She hops down, pulls up her leggings, hides behind the door & starts to close it.
I stop the door from closing, “What are you doing?”
“Me pooping!” I look at her pants behind her & sure enough, she has a lump in her pants!
“CC! You were already on the potty, honey! Why did you get down to poop?”
“Cuz that’s how big girls do it!”
“That is NOT how big girls do it!”
I lost my fricking mind! So, she went down for a nap…I had a cup of tea.
Ladies, you need to be able to lose your mind, put your child in a safe space (whether that’s a crib, swing, playpen, or gated safe room) & know that they will be fine more than 10 feet from you for as long as you need to find your mind again. And please find a friend that you can admit your imperfections to! None of us are perfect! The lady on the block whose home looks immaculate ALL OF THE TIME is hiding something crazy in a closet somewhere & probably needs someone to talk to too, I guarantee it!
People tell you all of the time to savor these precious years….they told me that with the boys too…I get it, I do…I savor the totally done with potty training, don’t need gates on the stair anymore years! I admit it! I hate touching bodily fluids, when that sweet baby girl can blow her own nose, I will not miss wiping it! I don’t miss wiping the boys’! There has never been a day when I’m wiping her snotty little (adorable) nose & thought “I miss when I had to pick boogers out of R’s nose”…NO! Thank God they grow out of certain stages! Potty training, 2’s, boogers, throwing unwanted food on my floor….get me past these years with whatever grace & dignity I have left, then I will savor the rest!
I don’t want to discourage any future mothers out there. Being a mother has honestly been the biggest joy of my life, & I honestly wouldn’t trade it for anything. I couldn’t imagine the person I would be if I hadn’t become a mother. But its okay to be honest about the days that we struggle. Its okay if everyday we don’t feel like we’re doing everything right. Its okay if some days you gotta put that screaming monkey in her (safe) cage (crib) & let her scream it out for a minute so that you don’t lose your mind. We’re all on the same team here.
Raising future adults is an important task. These are the people who will one day take care of us. If we don’t take care of ourselves while taking care of them, what does it teach them about valuing themselves. We learn by example.
I think CC’s finally asleep. I better eat some lunch before round 3 starts!
Have a wonderful day.
If you are out there reading this, & your day is anything like mine…stay strong, take a break, talk to who you can, & know that you are doing your best.
Shalom
I may have to share this with my youth group kids…and my teenage kids in our religious education programs…& my own teenagers…I already shared it on facebook.
I found it very powerful & honest. It makes me wonder what she went through in her life to put some of the pieces together in just that way.
It’s brilliant really & you must read it through to the very end & I would recommend that you follow her blog if you don’t already.
~Paige
There are so many things happening right now! Martin Luther King Jr. Day was yesterday. There are many wonderful organizations that have decided to use his legacy to remind us to be a better, kinder, more tolerant, more just, & loving society.
I love GLSEN! They do SO much for gay & lesbian youth. This week, they are promoting “No Name-Calling Week.” http://www.glsen.org/nonamecallingweek . It is an effort to help stop bullying, primarily in schools.
Let me talk about bullying for just a minute. I am not a fan of bullying, but many of the zero tolerance, anti-bullying campaigns have been backfiring the past couple of years. (Remember what happened with the DARE program of our era?) If you put an all encompassing umbrella over bullying, give it a lot of publicity, & then make a zero tolerance policy….you draw attention, sometimes to things that kids weren’t even thinking of & you sometimes give existing & potential bullies ideas.
The zero tolerance policy means that your own policy forces you to punish kids for behavior that doesn’t warrant the punishment simply because if you don’t, you’re not following policy. I don’t think that it’s okay to allow children to be mean to each other. I do think though that, depending on the situation, there is a certain amount of age appropriate push & pull that goes on between kids & youth. That is not the same as being mean, but with these “zero tolerance” bullying rules that schools are making, it doesn’t allow for normal behavior. We can’t expect everyone to always act “just so,” a little push in line, not wanting to sit next to the stinky kid, not wanting the kid who is really bad at math on your team during a math drill DOESN’T make you a bully! It makes you a normal, age appropriate kid. Should the teacher tell you that you get what you get? YES. Should the lunch lady yell out, “No pushing in line!” from behind the counter? YES. Should someone remind your kid that it’s not nice to call that kid “stinky”? ABSOLUTELY, should that same someone call the stinky kid’s parent’s & investigate why he’s so stinky ABSOLUTELY.
I think focusing on one aspect of bullying, like GLSEN’s No Name-Calling Week. is a nice way to handling it. You aren’t teaching these kids a new behavior. Kids have known how to name call since they were 2 years old! Focusing instead on how that behavior effects people, what that feels like (even for adults), instead of talking about bullying as if it’s 1 act, 1 punishment…that’s something I can get behind.
Many UU’s around the world are jumping on board with Standing on the Side of Love’s “30 Days of Love” campaign.
http://standingonthesideoflove.org/30days2014/
Day 1 was Saturday, January 18th. I cut & pasted below what it says on their site for week 1:
“Week One: Living the Dream
Sunday, Jan. 19: Suggested worship service themes include honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and recommitting to racial justice work.
What to Expect: Kick off the week with MLK Day and set aside time for congregational self-examination and reflection. Look for resources on furthering your racial justice work.”
I think I can do both of these campaigns easily together! Living in small town Montana, you’d be surprised how many racial slurs, comments, & names one still hears (especially when people are talking politics, it seems).
I vow, to do my part to not only not “name call” (which is a rule in my home anyway, one that I only seem to break when speaking of myself…), but to be verbal when I hear others. That takes care of GLSEN. For my UU contribution this week, I’m going to concentrate my ears on those racial slurs, jokes, & “name calls” that I hear when I’m out & about. I am a small woman & usually when I hear these things it is a group of men speaking (although not always) & my habit has been to give a look, much like a disappointed mother or school teacher would give a disobedient child.
I vow to use my voice this week. I will speak on behalf of my children (& others’ children) who don’t deserve to hear it. I’ll be honest, we are a mostly white community, but that is no excuse to allow the racially ignorant folks in our community to feel like they run it.
This is my commitment to my faith community, my family, GLSEN, Dr Martin Luther King Jr, & most importantly…to myself.
Have you ever looked at the amount of sugar & sodium in most instant oatmeals? But who has the time to make a pot of “real” oatmeal on a busy school day morning while hunting for socks, & locating homework & smelling (yes I said it!) teenagers before you kick them out the door in time for them to mope off to their bus stops?!
Well, you guessed it! Just like my frozen waffles…I make my own “instant” oatmeal!
A little about oats…
Steel-Cut Oats – We get steel-cut oats when the whole groat is split into several pieces. Simmered with water, steel-cut oats retain much of their shape and make a chewy, nutty porridge.
Rolled Oats – Whole grains of oats can also be steamed to make them soft and pliable, and then pressed between rollers and dried. The resulting “rolled oats” re-absorb water and cook much more quickly than whole groats or steel-cut oats. When a recipe calls for “rolled oats” or the packaging mentions it, they generally mean the thickest rolled oat, which retains its shape fairly well during cooking.
Old-Fashioned Oats – The source of much confusion, old-fashioned oats are actually the same as rolled oats. You’ll usually see them called “Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats” on packaging.
Quick or Quick-Cooking Oats – These are oats that have been pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats. They cook more quickly, but retain less of their texture.
Instant Oats – Pressed even thinner than quick oats, instant oats oats often break into a coarse powder. They cook the quickest of all and make a very soft and uniform mush.
I tend to use “quick oats.” I can find organic quick oats in the bulk section of our local grocery store & our natural food stores, I can never find organic instant oats. Also, if you are a “real” oatmeal fan, & you don’t over water your oats, quick oats can have a similar texture to the whole grains your used to, especially with some mix-ins. I don’t think you can EVER say that about instant oats! You can use “rolled oats” with these recipes too, just keep in mind, the further up the “oat food chain” you travel the less quick your prep time. (If it’s going to take you more than 5-7 minutes, you might as well use the stove!)
*Let me start by saying that ideally I wouldn’t be making packets. I am currently in the process of reorganizing my cupboards & pantries. So until I am finished, space is what it is. I prefer making these in jars. That way you can eat directly out of the jar, wash & sterilize it & make more. There is little, if any waste using this technique. I will say that making packets out of the snack-sized resealable baggies, I reuse the baggies over & over. You will see below that I write the flavor on the bag with a Sharpie, you don’t need to wash them just refill them, dump into the bowl or mug, reseal the bag & put back with the other packets until you make more (that way you won’t lose it).*
OKAY…Here we go!
First you need to get your space ready…I saw this on Pinterest & it has made these cooking projects so much easier…
Now, on pinterest, the woman had the hanger hanging from a cupboard knob. I was bummed at first because I don’t have knobs on my cupboards. Then I realized…I can hang it off of the handle to my suspended microwave! I worked perfectly! It allows me to glance up quickly & double check quantities of ingredients or measurements. Because the microwave is over the stove, I can’t really use this method for cooking like she meant it to work, due to fire safety, but for projects like this, it is perfect!
I usually take out all of my Ingredients to start with:
each packet (or jar) contains:
1/3 C quick oats 2 tsp oat bran 1-2 tsp dry nonfat milk 1 tsp chia seeds 1-3 tsp coconut sugar or maple sugar 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
(I, personally, make it with 2 tsp dry milk & about 2 tsp coconut sugar for plain oatmeal. For making the flavors below, I only use 1 tsp dry milk & between 1 & 1.5 tsp coconut sugar as a base. The maple sugar has more flavor than the coconut, so I only use it if I want a maple flavor. You should mix & match & find your own preference!)
1st, I sort & label all of the baggies:
then I fill them all with the basics above (set aside the bags that have a different type of sweetener or a different amount of dry milk & do them last).
One flavor at a time, put the baggies into a rectangular container, like a loaf pan or plastic one, like this:
Now add the mix-ins below & set them aside.
Now you can move on to the next flavor!
I have found 8 flavors that my family enjoys:
Plain: (as mention above) use the full 2 tsp dry milk & 1-3 tsp sweetener of choice (I use coconut sugar).
Apple-Cinnamon: double the cinnamon & add 2 Tbsp chopped dried or freeze-dried apples.
Blueberry: add 2 Tbsp freeze-dried blueberries.
Cranberry-Orange: add 1 tsp dried orange zest & 2 Tbsp dried cranberries.
PB & J: add 2 Tbsp peanut butter powder & 2 Tbsp freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries.
Maple Nut: use maple sugar instead of coconut sugar & add 2 Tbsp of chopped nuts (I usually use either walnuts or almonds).
Brown Sugar & Cinnamon: use brown sugar as sweetener & double the cinnamon. (I like to add 1-2 Tbsp of ground almonds to this one too since it has the least nutritional value of the lot, shhh don’t tell).
Raspberry(or Strawberry) & Cream: use the full 2 tsp dry milk plus an additional tsp (total 3 tsp) & 2 Tbsp freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries.
{Note about fruit…I have found that freeze-dried fruit ALWAYS works better in these packets than dried fruit. Dried fruit usually has added sugar & it grows when it is hydrated. The freeze-dried fruit, & berries, stays about the same size when hydrated, is very easy to find natural (no sugar added), & has a nice texture in the oatmeal once reconstituted.}
To prepare: BOILING WATER METHOD: Pour the contents of the packets into a mug or bowl & add 2/3 C boiling water. Stir. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. [If you use rolled oats, cover & let sit 4-5 minutes (you may need more water)]. MICROWAVE METHOD: Pour into microwavable container & add 1 C cold water. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes, stir, then let sit for 2 minutes.
If you are using jars: simply add the boiling water, stir, let sit & enjoy! (Of course be careful when you pick it up! I always tell my kids to put a plate or a saucer under any bowl or jar that will have hot contents, before it is heated, just in case it is too hot to pick up.)
Here’s a few links about the benefits of some of the ingredients I choose to use:
I do my best to use organic ingredients, natural when I can’t find organic. I buy most things in bulk, as well. Coconut sugar & Maple sugar are still sugars (like honey), but if you find organic, they are natural & your body processes them differently than white sugar. If you are diabetic, you should use stevia instead if you choose to use a sweetener. With fruit, cinnamon, or a little vanilla, you may not need a sweetener at all. My kids were used to the boxed instant oatmeal, so we’re working our way from white sugar, to natural sugars & sweeteners, & eventually out of needing as much sugar at all. Use what you feel you need to for your family.
I hope you find that these make your mornings more nutritional (& run a little more smoothly).
If you come up with any new flavor combinations please post them in the comments below! I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
the House of Rappleye 