Crockpot Oatmeal

One of the things I have learned is that oatmeal is really good for you. Growing up I ate the instant kind loaded with sugar. Now if I buy instant I look for the kinds that contain flax seed and are low on the sugar. I mainly reserve the packets for busy mornings. Generally I make my own oatmeal and don't add any sugar. I've been wanting to try steel cut oats for a while now, but wasn't sure about the best way to go about it. Then I decided to try it in the crockpot. It was so easy and made enough for my family and then some.

Steel cut oats are less processed than rolled or quick oats, basically they are the oat groat cut up into smaller bits. They have a lower glycemic index which means they stick to your ribs longer and has a slow and steady impact on blood glucose levels. They also have a denser consistency. The main draw back with steel cut oats are that they take longer to make, but if you do the crockpot method it basically doesn't take any time at all.

Unfortunately Thrive Life doesn't offer steel cut oats yet, but they do have oat groat~. However, we'll be using other Thrive Life food products to make our oatmeal extra yummy. Plus I'll be doing a few more posts using quick oats and oat groat so be on the look out for those (both of which Thrive Life carries).

You Will Need:
2 c steel cut oats
8-9 c water
1/2 c blueberries
1/2 c pears
1/4 c flax seed
cinnamon to taste
nuts (optional)
brown sugar (optional)
agave (optional)

Directions:
Dump your oats, blueberries, pears, flax seed, cinnamon, and water into the crock and mix it up. Add water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or over night. I mixed all the dry ingredients together while I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. Then I added the water and turned it on about 10:00 before I went to bed. You may need to adjust the water or the time because it can burn and stick to the sides.
Stir it up a bit and serve with nuts and maybe a splash of milk and some brown sugar or agave for a little sweetness.
Makes about 6 servings. Store left overs in an air tight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for about 90 seconds.

I liked this method a lot and it would be easy to try different fruit combinations. The blueberries and pears soaked up a lot of the water, so they were really soft. I couldn't even see the pears when it was finished.