Caffeinated Oatmeal Blast

Feeling rushed to hit the trail, but can’t function without your morning coffee? Then this simple, delicious, caffeinated, and chocolate-infused oatmeal recipe is for you!

While it would be amazing to enjoy a calm and relaxed camp morning every day, the reality is that sometimes, you just need to get up and go. But that shouldn’t mean you have to sacrifice the most important meal of the day (or your morning cup of joe). With a few simple steps, you can quickly put together a breakfast that’s filling, tasty, and best of all, caffeinated.

Whether you’re waking up to a day filled with many miles of trail or just need to get an early start to your adventure, it can be tempting to want to skip breakfast and opt for something pre-made instead. But when this tasty morning meal only takes six minutes (yes- we counted) to make, why not treat yourself to something that’s really up to the task of fueling your action-packed day? Plus, we can bet that the thought of waking up to gnaw on a half-frozen granola bar won’t make you want to get out of your sleeping bag quite as quickly as the smell of freshly brewed coffee will.

This recipe is designed to be supremely packable, quick, and easy. Starting with an already tasty package of Good To-Go oatmeal, mealtime is only a Jetboil of hot coffee and a sprinkle of crunchy toppings away. To make your camp morning as simple as possible, pre-cut and mix your oatmeal toppings before you leave home, and store them in a trail-ready container during your adventure.

Then, once your grumbling belly tells you it’s time to get out of bed in the morning, you’ll only need to bring a bit of water to a boil. Next comes the secret (and very simple) ingredient. Rather than pour that cup of boiling water into your oatmeal, brew it into a cup of coffee. Once the coffee is ready, use it to simultaneously rehydrate your oatmeal and infuse it with delicious coffee undertones. Finally, top it with the crunchy and chocolate-covered mix you’ve brought along, give it a stir, and your meal is ready.

Dig in, share a bite (if you’re feeling generous), and fuel up! After a breakfast like this, who knows what the day will bring...

Ingredients:

• 1 package Good To-Go oatmeal

•  1 ¼ cups water

• 3 tablespoons of ground coffee

• 1 tablespoon chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans

• 1 tablespoon granola

• 1 teaspoon cacao nibs

• ½ teaspoon flax seeds

Tools:

• MicroMo, Flash, or Zip stove system

• Jetboil French Press
• Spoon

Instructions:

Before you leave for your adventure:

1. Chop chocolate-covered espresso beans and then place them in a small reusable bag (or another sturdy container) along with granola, cacao nibs, and flax seeds.

When you’re ready to eat:

2. Unpack and assemble a coffee-press compatible Jetboil (the MicroMo, Flash, or Zip all fit the regular-sized coffee press).
3. Bring 1 ¼ cups of water to a boil, then add in coffee grounds. Stir gently to mix in coffee, then cover with the Jetboil french press plunger and let sit for 5 minutes.
4. While coffee is brewing, open the Good To-Go oatmeal package and remove the oxygen absorber.
5. Once your coffee is ready, gently push the french press plunger down to capture the coffee grounds. Immediately pour the freshly brewed coffee into the oatmeal package. Stir and let sit for five minutes.
6. Finally, top your caffeinated oatmeal with the mix of espresso beans, granola, cacao nibs, and flax seeds that you prepared before your trip.
7. Mix, enjoy, and let the coffee-fueled adventures begin!