Oatmeal That Actually Holds You
Two packets of instant oatmeal, milk powder, and dried fruit. Freezer bag, five minutes, no pot to scrub.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 13 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 7 min
- water
- 240 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
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant oatmeal packets | 2 packets | any flavor, flavored packets already carry the sugar |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered milk | 2 tbsp | swap in soy, coconut, or rice milk powder to make it vegan |
| Chopped dried fruit | 2 tbsp | raisins, cranberries, diced apple, blueberries |
Method
- At home, empty both packets, the milk powder, and the fruit into a pint freezer bag. Write "1 cup water" on it.
- In camp, boil about 240 ml and pour it in.
- Stir hard, right to the bottom corners, then seal the bag.
- Slide it into a cozy or a spare sock and wait five minutes.
- Stir once more and eat straight from the bag.
Plain instant oatmeal is thin and gone by mid-morning. The milk powder is what fixes it. It adds protein and fat, and it turns the whole thing opaque and creamy instead of leaving a bowl of loose grain in hot water. Two packets rather than one is the other half of the fix.
The dried fruit goes in dry so it rehydrates in the same five minutes the oats do. Chop it small at home; whole raisins soften, but a big chunk of dried apple stays leathery. Everything here is shelf-stable, and the bag is the bowl, so there is nothing to wash.
Packing
One pint freezer bag per breakfast. Sandwich bags work but they leak at the seam under hot water, so use the heavier freezer weight. A cozy is optional in summer and worth carrying in the cold.
Variations
- An insulated mug works instead of the bag: same water, cover it, same five minutes.
- A tablespoon of oil or a squeeze packet of nut butter pushes it past 500 calories.
https://trailcooking.com/breakfast/oatmeal-with-a-little-extra