The Painted Apron

The Organized Life, Jars, Chia seeds and Oatmeal in a Jar

Posted by the Painted Apron on November 8, 2012 · 3 Comments 

JARS! Lately there are recipes all over the place for this and that in a jar.  Last year I made Vanilla body scrub in a jar for Christmas party favors, which was EASY and my guests seemed to love them. This month I made Trick or Treat  candy jars to give to my friends just for a little surprise.  I decided to try Oatmeal in a jar next, since my last experience with oatmeal was somewhat of a disaster.  I wanted to create a warm alternative to cold yogurt for breakfast on the go this fall.

Tied with a ribbon to hold a plastic spoon and a napkin, this breakfast is ready to go anywhere you do!

When you are ready to eat, simply remove the lid and cover the jar with the napkin. Cook oatmeal on high for 1 minute, and it is ready to stir and eat!

One minute was just right to be warm enough to eat but not too hot to hold the jar.  If this isn’t hot enough for you add  30 sec or so.

I also love to use jars for storing nuts…

Buy big bags of your favorite nuts at Costco or any warehouse discount store, put some in a jar in your pantry or fridge and store the bags indefinitely in the freezer.

I use a variety of Marinara sauce and jam jars to keep all kinds of nuts in my pantry for baking, cooking and salads.  The almonds have been toasted and caramelized [click to see technique at the end of the recipe for apple bleu cheese salad]

There is likely to be an assortment of leftovers in jars in the refrigerator.  Don’t worry, I shot this photo several weeks ago, you don’t want to keep leftovers for more than a few days {meats and veggies} or a week {sauces, soup}.  Leftover cooked food looses it’s nutrients quickly, so use it up or toss it.

Keep a sharpie and some masking tape handy [out of sight on top of fridge]  for quick labels…NOTE: masking tape hates to stick to cold glass but if the original labels are still on the jars you can attach the ends to them, or see if it will stick to the lids.  Let me know if you have a better method!

Here’s a close up of the candy filled Trick or Treat jars

A standard size cupcake paper, flattened out, makes an instant lid decoration.  Ribbon would be a cute addition! Oh well, next time…

Okay, back to the oatmeal…

Here’s how I made my oatmeal, but of course you can adapt it to your own tastes.  Since i was making oatmeal, I decided to go healthy all the way with Steel Cut Oats, Chia seeds,* walnuts, vanilla and brown sugar.

Prepare oatmeal according to package directions

and fill jars about 2/3 full.  I used 1/2 pint Ball jars here, purchased at the grocery store.  You can see the skillet in the background, I used it to saute the walnuts over medium for 5 minutes just to toast them a little to improve flavor.

I scraped a vanilla bean and added the paste to the brown sugar in a canister and then buried the pod.  This subtly infuses vanilla flavor into the brown sugar. Add brown sugar to taste and a pinch of salt. Don’t omit the salt, it really perks up the flavor.

*NOTE: Chia seeds are touted for promoting cardiovascular health, joint function & mobility, improving digestion and natural detoxification, and to support healthy weight loss.  A Tablespoon a day is all you need.  You can stir them into eggs, sprinkle them into salads, add to beverages, bake them in sweets and casseroles.  They have no flavor, and will be crunchy at first but will soften and blend into your food over time.  In this oatmeal, when I ate it the next day, I never even knew it was in there.  I purchased my Chia seeds at Amazon.com but they are widely available.

Add a heaping spoonful of chia seeds and stir well

I am not a fan of raisins or dried fruit but add them now if you like. Top with walnuts, put the lids on and you have an instant healthy breakfast!

Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.  NOTE: I prepared my oatmeal with water for longer keeping, but you can use milk.

Enjoy! I hope I have helped you kick start your day!

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NOTE: I am still experimenting with my watermarking technique, I hate to ruin beautiful photos but due to the internet thieves, it is necessary!