Brown Sugar Sunflower Oats
Quick oats, dry milk, and a packet of sunflower butter stirred in at the end.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 137
- protein
- 13 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 3 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 475 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Quick-cooking oats | 1 cup | instant or quick only, rolled oats stay chewy |
|---|---|---|
| Dry milk powder | 1/4 cup | powdered soy or coconut works if you want it dairy-free |
| Raisins or diced dried fruit | 2 tbsp | |
| Brown sugar | 2 tbsp | |
| Ground cinnamon | 1 tsp | |
| Sunflower seed butter | 1 packet | single-serve packets stay sealed until you want them |
Method
- Heat 475 ml of water until it is steaming and just short of a rolling boil.
- Pour the water into the bag of dry mix slowly, stirring as it goes in so the oats do not clump.
- Seal the bag and set it aside for a minute. A cozy or a jacket sleeve holds the heat.
- Open, stir again, then squeeze in the sunflower butter and stir until it streaks through.
- Cuff a second bag down into a bowl and split it if you are feeding two.
The dry milk is what separates this from plain oatmeal. Oats plus water is thin and grey; the milk powder gives it body and adds protein without adding a cold-chain problem. Brown sugar and cinnamon go in the bag at home so nothing gets measured by headlamp.
The sunflower butter goes in last and off the heat. It is the fat that makes the bowl hold you until midday, and it stirs in far more evenly into something already hot than it would into cold oats. It also keeps this workable for a group with a peanut allergy, which is the main reason to choose it over peanut butter.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one quart freezer bag at home. The sunflower butter packet rides separately so a burst does not ruin the mix.
Variations
- Swap the dry milk for coconut milk powder to make it dairy-free.
- Stir the mix into an insulated mug instead of a bag if you would rather not eat out of plastic.
- One pot works too: add the dry mix to the hot water off the heat and rest it a minute.
https://trailcooking.com/breakfast/brown-sugar-sunflower-oats