Homemade "instant" oatmeal

Homemade "instant" oatmeal

It totally kills me that my kids prefer those instant oatmeal packets over real cooked oats.  But lately I'm really trying to focus on choosing my battles, and trying to force people to learn to like oatmeal with some texture over the creamy, mushy stuff, just seems like a fight that's not worth fighting at this stage, especially on an already manic school day morning.  But instant oatmeal packets have all kinds of strikes against them, and I just can't bring myself to buy them any more.  The artificial flavorings in so many of the mainstream brands, the amount of sugar, and the cost - with 4 kids eating two packets each, we would use whole box at one meal.  I have bought some organic ones before, which are a little better, but they still have so much sugar and are even more expensive. I had seen several mentions on various food blogs and pinterest boards about making your own, so I thought I'd give it a try. 

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Our Four Week Meal Plan For October and November

Our Four Week Meal Plan For October and November

Yes, four weeks.  I know, you're thinking "how does she do that".  But honestly I find it to be easier than having to figure it out every week.  I figure it out once, and I'm good for a month.  And if I don't feel like doing it again, I can just use the exact same one.  It's been a month since we've had these meals, so they will all seem fresh again.  Seriously I think you could probably use the same four week meal plan all year long, and maybe just make a few seasonal adjustments (like, I'd take out the soup in the summer and maybe do a salad bar instead, and I'd probably swap the roast chicken for grilled chicken). 

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Save money and time with a four week meal plan

Save money and time with a four week meal plan

I've been meal planning off and on for a long time.  As I've gone along, I've tried a lot of different methods and templates and I have really been refining my process as I go.  I've got it down pretty well now, to a system that I think is very quick and easy and actually makes meal planning doable for anyone, so I wanted to share with you a little about why and how I do it. 

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