Oatmeal - For Lunch?

I have no link to Bob's Red Mill.  I write about them because I love their products, plain and simple.

 

 

When I sub, I take my lunch to school.  The kids take their lunches in insulated coolers or buy their lunches.  The teachers tend to take insulated lunch boxes, or they stick their lunches in the refrigerator in the staff room.

 

Since I have found I need to eat gluten free, lunch has become a challenge for me.  I need something hot, quick and easy with a lot of protein. By the time I get the kids down to the cafeteria and stumble into the teacher's lunch room, I've lost a few minutes, and I'm down to 20 minutes for my own lunch time.

 

I eat somewhere in that time between 11:30 and 1:30, depending upon the school start time and what grade I'm working in.  The one thing I can count on is that I won't be able to eat again until after school is out for the day- anywhere between 4:00 and 4:30.  I get home around 5.  11:30 to 5:00 is a long, hungry haul for me.

 

So, I began the search for something gluten free that would be filled with protein to keep me going for hours.

 

Enter oatmeal.  Bob's Red Mill (http://www.bobsredmill.com/) offers a fantastic gluten free oatmeal.  Oatmeal is awesome.  Add water and after 90 seconds in the microwave, you have a meal.  Even better, if I can find a Kuerig machine, I can bypass the microwave lines entirely and just let my oatmeal sit for a few minutes before I start eating.

 

 

One of my friends asked me about my lunch the other day, and how I prepare it, so I'm sharing it here.  I use a Corning Ware Grab It Bowl.  It comes with a  lid, and a built in handle to make it easy to take in and out of the microwave without a pot holder.  I've had this one for many, many years.

 

This is one of my Grab-It Bowls.
I've had it for a long, long time!

Add a half cup of dry oatmeal to the bowl.
 

Then, I chop a half cup of nuts and add them to the bowl.
You know I love pecans, so in they go!

Here's the finished bowl.
I added a quarter cup of craisins, chopped,
1 hard lump of brown sugar that I attempted to break up before adding it to the bowl.
1 TBSP of cinnamon.

Here it is, with the lid ready to go on.
The great thing about this is that I can stick it in my purse or bag and carry it with me.
I don't have to worry about it going bad or needing to be refrigerated!

 

A couple of important notes:
I tried once to put milk in my oatmeal before I left home.  Bad idea.  The milk leaked out around the seal and over the front seat of my car.

Two: You can use other dried fruits, too.  Be creative and try different combinations!

Enjoy a quick, healthy, and fast lunch!