Back to School Survival: Oatmeal on the Go Bars and Eggs on the run

Okay, I have a problem, in that I really, really like to eat (if you couldn’t tell by my blog entirely dedicated to food) and I like to sleep. What this means, for me, is that my want to sleep-in is always at battle with the part of me that HATES eating cold cereal in the morning (because I hate being hungry an hour after I finish!). Well thanks to Heidi and a change of a Make-a-Mix muffin I now have a hearty breakfast in just minutes thanks to my handy-dandy sandwich maker!

Heidi’s Instructions for a “Perfect Egg” in a Sandwich Maker:

1. preheat the sandwich maker
2. spray the bottom of sandwich maker (the eggs don’t actually touch the top so if you spray the tops now it burns off before you flip the machine and the egg ends up sticking to the top).
3. crack eggs and salt/pepper
4. close lid and cook for 2 minutes
5. open and spray top
6. close lid and quickly flip entire sandwich maker over (I had no problems setting this on my counter as the outside of my sandwich maker stays relatively cool, but maybe other machines will need to be put on a heat-proof surface?) –I didn’t do this, I just left my sandwich maker on the counter and it worked great
7. cook for 1 minute and 45 seconds for what I call a “perfect egg” (runny yolk, but absolutely no runny whites) or cook about 45-60 seconds more for a firm yolk.

For my kids I cracked their eggs into the wells and broke and stirred the yolk a little with a plastic knife. They LOVED them and wanted more and maybe my kids are just extra messy, but I usually end up with bits of scrambled eggs on my table/floor and this was no mess and no waste!–Thanks Heidi, the idea is AWESOME!

Oatmeal on the Go Bars

These are just that a way to take oatmeal on the go. If you don’t have a sandwich maker, you can definitely make these as muffins (350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes) and freeze them.

1-3/4 C. Quick Mix (Directions given below)
3/4 C. Quick Oats
1/4 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
2 T. Dehydrated Egg (or one egg) + 1/4 C. Water
3 T. Powdered Milk + 1 C. Water
1 C. Raisins (or dried other dried fruit, I let mine rehydrate in the water I need for the powdered milk)
2 t. Cinnamon

Mix ingredients together until moist. Fill sandwich maker or muffin pans 2/3 full and bake for 2 minutes in a sandwich maker or 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven for regular muffins.

Quick Mix

A couple of different people have sent me their recipes for Quick Mix (Bisquick…isn’t that fabulous that you can make your own?!) which I haven’t had a chance to try yet…hmm…maybe we need to do a quick mix cook off…anyway, this is what I use and KNOW works for this recipe. If you have a quick mix recipe you use, feel free to try it with this recipe.

4-1/4 C. All-Purpose Four
4-1/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour (I use white wheat)
1/3 C. Baking Powder
1 T. Salt
2 t. Cream of Tartar
1 t. Baking Soda
3/4 C. Dry Powdered Milk
2-1/4 C. Shortening

In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients, Blend well. Cut in shortening until evenly distributed (use the beater on your power mixer or a shortening knife). Put in a large airtight container. Label. Store in a cool, dry place. use within 10-12 weeks. Makes about 13 C. Quick Mix. If you want to see pictures of how to make these dry mixes click HERE (this will take you to picture instructions I did for Magic Mix)

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