Sounds a bit like an anomaly.  But seriously, why didn’t I think of that.  It is kind of a no-brainer, but we don’t do instant oatmeal all that often, minus the rare camping treat.  We usually do steel-cut oats in the crock pot, or homemade granola with cream. That said the boys relish their rare occasions of instant oatmeal so I thought I would whip some up today.

I stumbled across this recipe on a blog I truly enjoy.  Carmella and her family live in a 665sq ft. cabin in the Rocky Mountains of Montana.  She has 3 boys and a dog, and a loving husband too, of course. They made a radical life change, deciding it was time to live with less. Intentional living, simple joy.  Go read her blog.  Share in their journey.  You will be glad you did.  Click here for a breath of fresh mountain air.

Have I ever mentioned that I live in a 900sq ft. home?  There is a lot of talk about house sizes these days.  Did you know that the average American home has tripled in size square footage wise since the 1950’s?  That is an interesting enough idea, but then you add in the fact that family size has diminished at an amazing rate, it leaves a girl wondering, what do we need all this house for?  Certainly not for people.  Perhaps pets? No, I don’t think Fido needs his own room.  It is easy to fall into the trap of big+house=success.  The average American house is 2500sq ft.  Wow.

665sq ft. or even 900sq ft. looks radical in comparison.  Who knew? Perhaps it is.  Radically saying NO to the norm.  Radically refusing to play the success game, and the debt game.

Radically saying YES to family, to JOYFUL living, to debt-free, soon. 

I will be honest, in the past we have considered adding-on, or building new, bigger, but I am so very glad we didn’t.  Living in a small home comes with big blessings.  At one time, our four boys shared one room.  Two shared a bed even, because they liked to be close to each other when they were small.  They are much bigger now, and still choose to share a room.  Our children know how to get along with others.  Does this mean that they don’t fight?  Certainly not.  But it does mean that they know how to stick by each other until they work it out.  Day in day out we are on top of each other.  Home educating this year has brought us around the kitchen table as a family many hours of the day, did I wonder how this would work in a small house?  Of course I did.  Did I wish I had a home school room like so many others out there on the world-wide web? NOPE.  Being elbow to elbow, nose to nose, day in and day out is what makes a family stronger.

I wouldn’t change.a.thing.

 Honestly.

A beautiful result of a small home is a close-knit family.  We share in each and every joy, and sorrow, there really is no escaping it, not that we would ever choose to.

Homemade Instant Oatmeal

6 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

2/3 c. brown sugar

1 1/2 T. cinnamon

1 1/4 t. salt

dried or dehydrated fruit

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spread oats on a baking sheet and toast for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to toast evenly.  Cool slightly.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine 4 c. of the toasted oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Pulse until the mixture resembles a rough powder.  Add remaining oats and pulse once or twice.
• Stir in dried fruit.  Pour mixture into an air-tight jar or container with a lid.
• To make oatmeal, pour 1/2 c. instant oatmeal mixture into a cereal bowl, add 3/4 c. boiling water, and stir.  Add cream or milk, and a bit of honey, or fresh fruit and nuts, if you like.
• Homemade instant oatmeal keeps in a covered container at room temperature for 4 weeks, in the refrigerator for 3 months, or in the freezer for 6 months.  (Ours is almost gone already…it’s that good!)

A couple of thoughts….

I did not add any dried fruit to our base instant oatmeal mixture that way the boys can add what they like to their individual bowls…coconut, walnuts, raisins, dried apples, fresh fruit, etc.

Also this is a large serving of oatmeal…I would say adult serving, so if your kiddos are little, cut it in half by using 1/4 c. instant oatmeal and about 1/3 c. of boiling water.

Enjoy Your Family & Your Homemade Instant Oatmeal