Vanilla Blueberry Oatmeal Jars

These Vanilla Blueberry Oatmeal Jars recipe from The Whole Smiths are one of the easiest and tastiest make-ahead breakfasts you can imagine. They’re great for meal prepping, wholesome, kid-friendly and easy-to-make.

And then it came to me.

The idea for these Vanilla Blueberry Oatmeal Jars came to me from two different places. First, I’ve seen many brands begin selling a variety of individual oatmeal cups… at $2.50+ a pop! It reminded me of those instant oatmeal packs we loved so much as kids. Remember? The Apple Cinnamon, Maple Brown Sugar…? You know what I’m talking about. But I just couldn’t wrap my head around paying $2.50 for a single serve of oatmeal when I knew I could make it on my own for a fraction of the price.

I’m also fed up with making my kids’ breakfast every day at this point in 2020. It’s been particularly hard lately when I feel like I’m everyone’s personal chef and everyone has been home all day, every day. That’s a lot of mouths and meals! The girls are 8 and 10 now and should be able to pull something together on their own in the mornings. With that in mind, it was important to me to create something easy enough (yet healthy enough) that they can pull out of the pantry and handle themselves.

Kid-friendly and economical.

Those two scenarios collided and I realized that a delicious, batch-ahead, instant oatmeal that a kid could make needed to happen. Not to mention, this recipe is way more affordable than what I’m seeing at the grocery stores.

Feel free to modify this recipe depending on what you have in your pantry. You’ll want to keep some of the ratios the same such as oatmeal to water. And while the oatmeal isn’t super sweet you may want to cut some of the sugar… or add a touch more. That’s ok, make it your own. Feel free to swap in another dried fruit like cherries or raisins. Nuts too. Use what you like and have on hand. It obviously won’t be blueberry vanilla but it will still be delicious, hearty and wholesome.

I personally love storing them in these in reusable mason jars but you can also store them in silicone storage bags or any other type of storage container you have at home. This recipe will make exactly one serving for you. I recommend deciding how many servings you’d like to make and create an assembly line; add the oats to each container, then the blueberries and on and on. In fact, get your kids to make them. 😉

Happy, wholesome breakfast-ing friends! Don’t forget to pair this with my Dirty Chai Latte for an extra delicious morning!

Tips:

• Store these in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
• Steel-cut oats will work as well but will need to be cooked down a bit longer.
• Mix up the flavor with things like dried cherries and cocoa powder, pecans, etc. Keep the rations and amounts the same but feel free to play around.
• Add less coconut sugar for a less sweet version or omit it altogether. 

Are oats gluten-free?

Yes. And no. Oats are naturally gluten-free however are often processed in facilities with other grains such as wheat. If you are sensitive to things like gluten I recommend purchasing oats specifically labeled as gluten-free to ensure you don’t receive any cross-contamination. If you aren’t sensitive but eating gluten-free is a preference, “regular” oats are typically less expensive and you can opt for those.

Can I use steel cut oats?

Yes! You will have to cook them a considerable amount longer though and increase the water to 1 1/2 cups of water to every 1/2 cup of oats you are cooking. Bring the water to a boil, add the oats and it’s ingredients and bring it to a simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes. You can also