DIY Flavored Oatmeal

I love those flavored instant oatmeal packets, but when you're trying to save money, it's much more cost-efficient to buy the big boxes of oats... not to mention the incredible list of ingredients you'll find in those instant oatmeal packets (you can keep the partially hydrogenated soybean oil, artificial flavoring, artificial color, artificial...yeah, you get it). I find myself putting lots of cinnamon and brown sugar in my plain oats, though, and compared to the instant packets it still seems flavorless!

I'm a tea drinker, and one morning while I was making my oatmeal and thinking about making myself a cup of peach tea, I decided to see what they would taste like together! I loved the result and wish I would have thought of it before!!

DIY Flavored Oatmeal:

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup water

1 fruit-flavored black tea bag (I like peach, raspberry, and spiced apple chai!)

1 Tablespoon milk or half-and-half (if you like your oatmeal creamy)

Nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice... whatever spice mixture goes with your tea flavor!

Brown sugar or honey, to taste

Other mix-ins - chopped apples, craisins, walnuts, golden raisins, flax seed meal, etc

Steep the tea bag in at least a cup of hot water. Add 1 cup of the tea to your bowl of oats (put the rest in your mug to drink while you make your breakfast!), stir it around a little to make sure the flavors mix in, and stick it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. 

That's it! Now you can add your milk, spices, and toppings. It may not be instant, but it's oh-so-much more fun! I love peach tea oatmeal with nutmeg, cinnamon, and flax seed meal. What about you??

Recipe note: So maybe I'm a tea snob, but I would suggest avoiding Lipton for this... you want something with more flavor! Some lower-quality teas you won't be able to taste hardly at all.