Frozen Grainy Porridge with Chia

Grainy porridge

This is going to be short! And a little bit sweet. (Just a little bit. It is January after all.)

Related: I think this cold may be packing its bags. Huzzah!

I have a bigger, wordier post in the works, but didn’t trust myself to get all deep whilst in this phlegmy head-haze. But I did want to share this – I came across a brilliant tidbit somewhere on the interwebs.. the Kitchn, maybe? It was frozen oatmeal, in muffin tins. Ridiculously simple.

porridge 5

Yes, oatmeal is easy to make in the morning. But even it requires ten minutes and I’m not always up for bending over to dig through the bags of grains and seeds in the bottom cupboard. Also? I really dislike the dried-on oatmeal goo pot that almost always winds up sitting on the stove for the rest of the day. So. I mixed up the most ginormous pot of old-fashioned oatmeal ever, with cinnamon and bits of apple and raisins. Of course simmering a big pot is exactly as much work as a tiny one.

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And then sprinkled the tops with chia seeds (in Holy Crap, because that’s what was on the shelf, so there’s buckwheat and hemp seeds in there too) – I sprinkled them on afterward so that they’d stick, but not absorb the moisture from the oatmeal until I want them to.

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Freeze until solid (no room in your freezer? step outside!), then pop them out of the muffin tin and store in big freezer bags. I didn’t take a photo, but you get the gist. Then all you need to do when you need a little something (like right now) is pop one (or two) in the microwave. Genius.

porridge 2

Thanks, interwebs.

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12 comments on “Frozen Grainy Porridge with Chia

  1. Margaret
    January 7, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    Genius!
    What a great idea!

  2. Nicola D
    January 7, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    Julie, do you think your recipe for Baked Oatmeal with Berries and Lentils would freeze and reheat well? I am liking the idea of not having a gooey pot to clean every day! And I need to get protein into my toddler….

  3. Carolyn
    January 7, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    Crazy brilliant! I love/crave oatmeal, but usually just make it in the microwave because I don’t fancy the dirty pot. This will give me the best of both words. Many thanks!

  4. Korena
    January 7, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    Ha, no way – we must be on the same wavelength: I was *just* going to do this! I recently made a batch of baked oatmeal, cut it into squares, and froze them for easy breakfasts, but the the baked version doesn’t have the same gooey texture of cooked oatmeal that I was hoping for – so my plan was to make a giant batch on the stove and freeze in individual portions. Love the muffin pan trick!

  5. Julia
    January 7, 2014 at 9:18 pm

    Genius indeed!! This is HAPPENING this weekend!

  6. Bernice
    January 8, 2014 at 9:41 am

    Really?! Those are so much more healthy than the packets of oatmeal that probably take the same amount of time to heat up.
    I think I may give this a go! Thanks!

  7. Sue
    January 8, 2014 at 10:22 am

    I love the idea of oatmeal for breakfast and sometimes feel peer pressure because it seems everyone eats it in the morning but I’m leery about the time and mess too. This is brilliant. Thanks Julie!

  8. Nicole Boyhouse
    January 8, 2014 at 2:10 pm

    Mmmm…Holy Crap. I also enjoy Skinny B and Mary Jane, but mostly just to SAY Skinny B and Mary Jane. Nah, they’re good too. Does this comment make sense? I swear I have not had any Mary Jane today. But I do love this idea of oatmeal freezing. Mmmm…oatmeal.

  9. Laurie from Richmond
    January 8, 2014 at 2:10 pm

    I usually make a big batch of oatmeal on Monday morning, eat what I want of it, and put the rest in the fridge. Then each day I take a portion and nuke it. To the portion I’m nuking I can add fresh fruit (especially blue berries) and Holy Crap. It’s great that way, and I only need to clean the pot one morning a week. I use the steel cut oats that take a long time to cook for maximum nutrition, and add a banana and some nuts each morning. Sometimes I cut up and add an apple after it’s cooked. It keeps in the fridge, but breaks up the oatmeal if you add it when it’s cooking.

  10. Lily @ Life, Love, and Cupcakes
    January 8, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    What a great idea! I don’t eat oatmeal all that often, but would love to occasionally have the option to through some together in the morning! I will have to try this because the packaged ones tend to be wayyy too sweet!

  11. Julie
    January 9, 2014 at 1:19 pm

    Great idea Laurie! It does keep well in the fridge!

  12. Julie
    January 12, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    Nicola – great idea! I bet it would freeze beautifully!

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