They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and so I never skip it. Although I come pretty close. My usual morning routine involves grabbing a Chobani from the fridge and running out the door with coffee in hand. Seeing as how breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, that's just not satisfying. Don't get me wrong ... I love my Chobani. But 10 times out of 10, I'd opt for a steaming bowl of satisfying oatmeal if I could!
The Quaker instant stuff is ok in a pinch, but if I'm going to have oatmeal for breakfast I'm headed to the opposite end of the spectrum: overnight oatmeal. If you have a slow cooker and you haven't done this yet, you're completely missing out. I discovered this deliciousness the last time Bill was out of town (and I spent lots of my down time browsing Pinterest). I made it twice while he was gone and hadn't made it since because he'd complain that I was cooking mush. Here was an excellent opportunity!
This should actually be a perfect weekday breakfast because it's ready and waiting for you when you wake up in the morning. The problem is that it involves preparation the night before, which I'm not always in the mood for when I've had an exhausting day. Since I was getting a little extra sleep last night anyway, I figured it was worth the few extra minutes to toss all these yummy ingredients in the slow cooker.
Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oatmeal
Ingredients:
2 apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup water
1 1/3 cups oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Raisins and chopped nuts (optional)
Instructions:
Combine apples, oats, milk, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in slow cooker. Cover and turn to low. About 7 hours later, wake up to a delicious, oat-y breakfast. Top with raisins and/or chopped nuts, if desired, and dig in.
Note: You can toss all of the ingredients directly in your slow cooker, but I hear there's risk of torching your oatmeal if you oversleep. Each time I've made it, I've done a sort of double boiler method, where I place a bowl in the slow cooker and surround it by water. The ingredients go in the bowl and there's no risk of burnt oatmeal in the morning.
Note #2: There are also tons of variations on this oatmeal ... maple pumpkin, cranberry almond, blueberry, you name it. Google it for dozens of ideas, or get creative on your own! I'm dying to try to pumpkin variation, but haven't had any pumpkin puree on hand when I've made the oatmeal yet.
If that's what mush looks like, sign me up! I've never made it out of anything other than the instant packet, hmm.
ReplyDeleteI have a strong affinity for cream of wheat, any ideas on how to jazz that up? Not that it needs any jazzing, I'd eat it plain, made with water and love it :)