Slow Cooker Oatmeal

A big steaming bowl of oatmeal just hits the spot sometimes. I could eat oatmeal almost everyday. I usually have a box of instant oatmeal stashed in my desk at work for those days when I only have five minutes to eat and didn't bring anything.

I've seen and heard about steel cut oats for years, but this is the first time I've had them. Surprising, given my love for oatmeal. I put this in my crock pot before I went to bed, and woke up to a bowl of comfort food just waiting for me to dig in.

Slow Cooker Oatmeal 

1 cup steel cut oats
3 cups liquid (I used 1 coconut milk + 2 cups water for a creamy oatmeal. Almond, soy, etc., or all water would work well too)
salt
mix-ins (I used cinnamon, 1 tsp of gingeroot, minced, raisins, almond slivers, and then topped with chia seeds)

Put the oats, milk and/or water, salt, and any other mix-ins you want cooked in a crock pot. I put in the raisins so they would be nice and plump, ginger, almonds and cinnamon. Cook on low for three hours. I topped my with chia seeds for some extra omega 3s.

This makes about four servings. I put the leftover in a silicon muffin tin and baked on 350 degrees for 40 minutes. It's still moist, but is muffin shaped and will be great for breakfast this week.

I'm already looking forward to trying different combinations: cranberry, strawberries and cream, pumpkin in the fall, peanut butter and jelly. I'll probably end up with some pretty funky ones.