Cozy Steel Cut Oats

One of my favorite breakfasts, especially this time of year, is hot oatmeal.  When I started doing monthly cooking, I included large batches of steel cut oats cooked in the crockpot.  It is so nice to have a stash of a healthy breakfasts for me and my kids.  I love having the option to use fresh ingredients and controlling what is in each batch.  I didn't invent this method, I just love it. 

Here is how I made my batch of banana blueberry oats and stocked my freezer. 

The Ingredients:

I let what I had on hand dictate the flavor.  Those bananas were going to be used for smoothies, banana read or oats yesterday. 

4 ripe bananas

1 pint of blueberries.  Fresh or frozen. 

1 24oz. Package of steel cut oats. Not quick oats

4 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 cups water (any 6 cups of milk and water combo works. It's all about your preferences)

a pinch or so of salt

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Cinnamon to taste (optional) about 

1/2 tsp

Honey, maple syrup, etc. OPTIONAL

I tend to skip adding honey or anything to sweeten because the fruit really sweetens the  oats.  You can always add more when you reheat your serving and customize it to who is eating it.  

This recipe is easy and flexible. There is room for so much improv, but don't skip this step: grease the crockpot before you put the ingredients in to prevent sticking. I use about 1/2 tsp of coconut oil.  I warm it up by rubbing my hands together and then rub the inside of the crockpot before it is on.  You can spray if you want, just use an oil with a neutral flavor, not olive oil. 

Here's the hard part: put all the ingredients in and stir. That's it. I also stir occasionally while it cooks. 

After 4 hours on low it looks something like this: 

I like a really thick oatmeal. If you prefer it thinner, just put less oats in the crockpot, or add liquid when you reheat.  

To prepare my freezer bag servings, I let the crockpot cool and then put it in the fridge overnight.  You need to make sure it isn't hot when you bag it up.  I used a 1/4 cup scoop to place 3/4 servings in each quart size bag. (3 scoops per bag)

Then you squeeze excess air out to prevent freezer burn. And load the individual bags in gallon size bags labeled with the contents and points plus value or whatever you need to know about it. To eat: simply reheat a serving by removing it from a bag and microwaving it for approximately 90 sec or in a saucepan until heated.  Yum! 

After I bagged it up and counted how many servings I made, I headed over to my Weight Watchers Recipe Builder app to figure out points plus per serving.  I also did it before I started to get a ballpark number.  I enter in exactly what I put in and how many servings I made. 

2pp per serving as I made it this time !  Next time I may add honey or more milk and that would change the pp.  Simple, cozy, comfort food that helps you stay on track and avoid prepackaged processed foods.   17 healthy breakfasts are ready to enjoy!