Mmm, breakfast! Who doesn’t like it? Anybody? Anybody?
A few years ago I was making green smoothies for breakfast every day. You know what green smoothies are: Lots of kale or spinach and lots of fruit crammed into one yogurt smoothie. It’s insanely healthy, but it’s also insanely expensive for a food you’re making at home. So I started having oatmeal every day instead.
I basically eat this recipe every weekday at work. Since I have the day off, I was able to photograph it and bring it to you. It is really delicious, and pretty frugal, but its true power lies in how filling it is. Oats, peanut butter, milk… Typically, I won’t be hungry for lunch after having this for breakfast.
Ingredients for PB Blueberry Oatmeal
| Ingredient | Cost | Size of Package | Cost Per Unit | Amount Used | Cost Per Recipe |
| Oats | $2.49 | 42 oz | $0.08/ 1/4 c | 1/4 cup | $0.08 |
| Milk | $3.75 | Gallon | $.025/ cup | 3/4 cup | $0.19 |
| Blueberries | $10.49 | 3 lb | $0.49/ 1/3 c | 1/3 cup | $0.49 |
| Peanut butter | $6.79 | 4 lb | $0.05/ tbsp | 2 tbsp | $0.10 |
| Granola bar | $2.19 | 12 bars | $0.18/ bar | 1 bar | $0.18 |
| Total | $1.04 |
| Servings | 1 |
| Cost Per Serving | $1.04 |
I’ll explain you the recipe here, but it is pretty simple.
- Pour the oats and milk in a bowl. There should be enough milk to cover the oats.
- Heat in a microwave for 60 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir.
- Heat for another 30 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir.
- Add the frozen blueberries. Heat for another 30 seconds. Now the oatmeal is hot and ready for your add-ins!
Break up the crunchy granola bar.** You’re going to need a hammer for this, goggles, and another person to spot you so you don’t get injured. Make sure your goggles are on tight so nothing gets in your eyes. Grip the hammer firmly in your hand and bring it down hard on the granola bar. You can hold one end of the granola bar with your other hand, but make sure not to bring the hammer down on your fingers! I’ve broken the same finger twice while doing this and it’s going to look weird and angular for the rest of my life. This part is difficult, but believe me, it will be worth it.
Repeatedly smash the granola bar with your hammer. Soon chunks of it will begin coming off. This whole process should take no more than ten minutes. Once the granola bar is completely broken down, put the chunks into the oatmeal.- Mix the peanut butter and granola chunks into the hot oatmeal so the peanut butter gets all melty and delicious.
Oh man, this is good. It’s like eating a big undercooked peanut butter and oatmeal cookie for breakfast! The cheapo granola bars add a nice crunch. Too bad blueberries are so expensive. I use the expensive “wild” blueberries from Wyman’s. With the blueberries, I give this breakfast a 7.5.
Without the blueberries, it’s still good, but it’s more like a big sticky mess and I don’t feel so good about eating it. Blueberries are a superfood, you know. However, without blueberries the cost per serving drops to 55 cents, our cheapest recipe yet! Without blueberries, I’d rate it a 5.5.
Deliciousness Rating: 7.5
(Where 1 is gross, 5 is good, and 10 is Captain Parker’s clam chowder)
The standings so far:
* The stated deliciousness of each recipe is solely the opinion of the author. Cost is objective, but your tastes may vary.
** Omitting steps 5 and 6 and crumbling the granola bar with your fingers is allowed.