This Reader Makes Her Own Oatmeal Medley Fruit Cups & They Taste Just Like Quaker

By Jessica | Content Manager

Sep 18, 2020 @ 12:10 PM MDT

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hand holding mason jar filled with oats, brown sugar, and craisins

Eating healthy can be done on a budget!

While many of us strive for health eating, as we all know, those nutritious foods and ingredients can be a bit on the more costly side than other, not-so-healthy foods.

So what’s a gal to do? It’s Hip2Save reader, Jennifer, to the rescue! She’s created an awesome and frugal way to make Oatmeal Fruit Cups right from home!

hand holding Ocean Spray Craisins and Dried Mixed Berries bags

I wanted to share something I’ve begun doing that is saving me a ton of money and is also healthy!

I love the Quaker real fruit medley oatmeal cups, but they are a bit on the pricey side and I just can’t justify spending the money on a ton of them. I began to wonder if I could make my own and if it would work.

Well, I can, and it did!

I bought a big container of old fashioned oats, and I found some fancy craisins at Dollar Tree and some dried mixed berries at ALDI.

I put one cup of oats in a half-pint wide-mouth Mason jar (I’ve had a bunch of these as I used to can food frequently), one packed tablespoon of brown sugar, and about a quarter cup of dried fruit.

I just take the jar with me to work, fill it to just cover the oats with hot (almost boiling) water, stir and let sit for a few minutes, add a splash of milk, and delicious, healthy breakfast that keeps me full and satisfied for hours!

hand holding mason jar filled with craisins oats and brown sugar

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing this idea with us! This is a fantastic way to save money while eating right!

If you’re looking for a keto option, we have you covered! Check out our Keto Oatmeal Recipe you can make to use as your base. Awesome!

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About the writer:

Jessica holds a Business Degree and 10 years of writing experience from various deal sites including Hip2Save. Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn

Join The Discussion

onlinements 18

Lily September 18, 2020 at 8:12 am MST

It looks amazing!! Thank U for sharing/ I’ll definitely be making this oats 🍓

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Lori September 18, 2020 at 8:17 am MST

Looks delicious and so simple. Thanks for sharing!

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Tina September 18, 2020 at 8:34 am MST

Thanks for sharing, this looks so easy and yummy!

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Stella September 18, 2020 at 9:28 am MST

This looks really easy and delicious, thank you for sharing.

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Happy Aunt September 18, 2020 at 10:14 am MST

Love seeing posts like this!

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Penny September 18, 2020 at 10:49 am MST

Do the old-fashioned oats work better than the quick 1-minute oats?
Thank you for sharing this great idea!

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Evie September 18, 2020 at 10:49 am MST

Just buy the plain oatmeal! I like mine with olive oil, flax oil or butter. Read labels. Purchased plain oatmeal with flaxseed had 10 grams of sugar!

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5pink1blue September 18, 2020 at 11:07 am MST

Yum! Definitely going to try this.

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Kitty September 18, 2020 at 11:56 am MST

That sounds easy to do at work! It’s a bit too much sugar for me though so would sub something with protein like peanut butter or PB2 👍

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Melsoca September 18, 2020 at 1:59 pm MST

Yummm I’d skip the sugar maybe swap for honey or agave or an apple and sounds amazing !!

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Karen G September 18, 2020 at 3:57 pm MST

You can make a version of this with zero sugar and protein. Use 1/2 cup old fashion oats, 1 cup water , 1 tablespoon PB and one sliced ripe or Over ripe banana Put in microwave for 3 mins, stir add splash of milk. No sugar and protein. The banana serves as the sweetener. PB and banana without the bread. I eat this a lot and my family loves it.

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Vanessa September 18, 2020 at 6:24 pm MST

Thank you. I love this idea, because we prefer low or no sugars too. I normally replace my sugar with raisins.

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Juliee September 18, 2020 at 6:50 pm MST

Just want to second the banana as a sweetener! The more ripe the better, add plain cinnamon too. You really truly won’t even notice there’s no sugar.

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JD827
A Star Hip2Saver is a recognized member of our Hip2Save onlinemunity hand selected by our team for demonstrating a long history of engagement with helpful & friendly onlinements across Hip2Save.online and our social channels. Our Star Hip2Saver badge acts as a verification for readers who know the ins and outs of all Hip2Save sets out to aconlineplish — assisting our onlinemunity to live extraordinary lives on ordinary budgets. Readers cannot pay or provide any sort of exchange in order to earn this badge. Rather, they are invited to participate by a member of the Hip2Save team and opt to have the Star Hip2Saver badge added to their profile & onlinements.

September 18, 2020 at 7:22 pm MST

Ripe bananas have a lot of sugar in them. If you are concerned about sugar eat your bananas as green as possible because as they ripen the carbs convert to sugar. Dried fruit is so yummy because it is concentrated sugar. Eat your fruit fresh with the peel on if you are concerned about sugar because the fiber in it slows the absorption of the carbs in it and you are eating far less sugar than concentrated dried fruit. Peanut butter while containing sugar and high in carbs is important in managing your blood sugar levels because it is a “slow carb” and doesn’t raise your blood sugar quickly and than drop it suddenly. For anyone watching sugar consumption eat plain oatmeal with a serving of whole fresh fruit on the side.

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ddallavalle September 18, 2020 at 8:12 pm MST

I like to make something like this but you make it the night before and it doesn’t have to be heated. They are called overnight oats. It is a FASTer Way to Fat Loss recipe. 3/4 cups oats, 2 teaspoons of maple syrup, 1 cup almond milk and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. You can pretty much add any fruit or other healthy ingredient to this. You put them in the refrigerator and leave overnight. You can eat them cold or heated. They are great on the go and are made of whole food.

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Sara September 19, 2020 at 12:53 am MST

I liked to pick up the oatmeal from Starbucks but the price wasn’t worth it, so I started doing this same thing but add small amounts of mixed nuts and flaxseed I pick up the bakery aisle at our local grocery store. Still saves me a ton and I can customize however I like. It’s easy and fast too!

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momof4spoiled1s September 19, 2020 at 2:21 am MST

This is the healthy version I feed my child every morning. Overnight soaked whole grain steel cut oats with some ceylon cinnamon, blueberries, and raw unfiltered organic honey. This is so yummy and my daughter loves it. I used to put unsweetened dried cranberries in it too but have since read an over abundance of cranberry consumption isn’t good for the kidneys so I only do that every once in a while.

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Sallys September 19, 2020 at 8:00 am MST

I make overnight oats with rolled oats with a little steel cut oats all of the time but have never tweaked it to be hot. It is so chilly out this is a great idea.
We have an instant hot water kettle at work to make teas and instant coffee, etc… This is a perfect idea. I will also tweak it and eliminate the added sugar. Thanks!

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