Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

This is just about the time when apples are coming into season and I would love to visit an orchard to go apple picking. However, there aren't any orchards around me so I decided to make this apple cinnamon oatmeal in honor of apple season. The best part of this you make it in the crock pot so not only is it really easy, it makes a few servings. There were a few substitutions that I made to the recipe based on what I had on hand. The apple cinnamon combination is the perfect blend of flavors for this time of year and the oatmeal is just the fuel to get you ready for to take on the day. You can add toppings like bananas, nuts, raisins or cranberries to the oatmeal as well, but I decided to eat mine without toppings. I took the leftovers and froze individual servings to make grab and go breakfasts.

Ingredients:

4 small gala apples, cut into cubes (3 large apples)
1 1/2 cups almond milk (2% milk)
1 cup low-sugar apple juice (apple cider)
1/2 cups water
1 heaping cup of old-fashioned oats (steel-cut oats)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon wheat germ

Directions:

Core and cube apples. Use a crock pot liner or generously spray the inside with cooking spray. You don't want to be scrubbing all the baked on oatmeal off. Add all the ingredients into the crock pot and stir. Cook on low for 7 hours with the lid on.

When you are ready to reheat the oatmeal, microwave for 30 seconds with a splash of milk, stir and microwave an additional 15 seconds if necessary. You can add more liquid or microwave for more time based on how you like your oatmeal.

Two-Ingredient Cookies

My taste for sweet things comes and goes, so I am trying to look for some healthier options that I won't feel guilty afterwards for eating. This of course lead me on another Pinterest adventure to see what I could find. I was trying to find a recipe for something with the ingredients I have on hand. This is a good way to challenge my creativity and helps a bit with my budget. I had remembered seeing a few recipes for simple banana and oatmeal cookies, so I started searching for those. Low and behold, I found one from iAManRD that used only bananas and oatmeal. Awesome since I happened to have both of those things on hand. Literally all you do is mash two bananas with one cup of oatmeal and bake a 325 for 10-12 minutes. The recipe calls for a potato masher, but oddly enough that is one kitchen tool that I don't have so I went for the next best tool - my hands. With your hands you always have the tools you need, even if it gets a little messy.

I had a few chocolate chips left over from another recipe so I threw those in, along with some raisins. Be careful not to add in too many mix-ins because then the batter won't stick together. You could also try any kind of dried fruit or spices...this is a really basic batter that you can totally make your own. I used two small bananas and got 10 small cookies from the batch. The number of cookies you get will depend on the size of the bananas you use. These will look a little undone because of the bananas, but of the toothpick is relatively clean then they are ready. This is would be great alternative to the traditional banana bread when you have some super ripe bananas and definitely healthier. Plus they tasted exactly like a chocolate chip banana bread, so it's kind of like you get the best of both worlds. 

To G-oatmeal

The sounds of sizzling bacon or the smell of waffles cooking is something I look forward to. I love breakfast foods, but don't have time to make a really huge spread during the week and cooking for one always leave tons of leftovers. Leftovers aren't bad, but those from breakfast don't really keep well. The one thing I love about oatmeal is how full it keeps me and how versatile it is. You can be really healthy with fruit or nut toppings or be wild and use chocolate chips or brown sugar. The individual packages you buy in the store tend to have lots of sugar or the fruit that's supposed to be there really isn't, so I usually tend to stay away from those. Since most days, I don't have time to let to oatmeal cool down, I needed something that I could grab and go. 

Oatmeal Muffins topped with chocolate chips and raisins

During one of my Pinterest sessions, I found this great recipe and decided to give it a try. It's from sugarfreemom.com, so it was healthy and I had most of the ingredients on hand. I decided to give them a try and they turned out great! The only thing I found was that they stuck to the muffin papers, so I would spray them with some cooking spray before you fill them. Also, make sure that you submerge the toppings into the batter, so that they bake into the muffin, instead of just sitting on top like mine did. But don't worry that little snafu definitely won't keep me from eating them.

If you would like the recipe, visit sugarfreemom.com. Try them out and let me know how you made them and what your favorite toppings are. Here's to having a great breakfast even when you are on the go.