Monday Mornings...

When I looked at the forecast last night I knew we'd be waking up to temperatures in the mid-30's (nope, that's not a typo)! I wanted to make a hearty breakfast for the boys to get them through the unofficial last day of "summer". One of our family favorites on a morning like this is a hot bowl of steel cut oats that have simmered in a crock pot overnight. What I love most about this recipe is that it's very filling and there's always plenty leftover to store a few single servings in the refrigerator to re-heat on busy school mornings.

The reason I choose to use steel cut oats (whole oat kernels that have been cut into small pieces) over traditional rolled or instant oats is that they are high in fiber, maganese, selenium, vitamin B1, and have a lower glycemic index than the others. Steel cut oats also aren't loaded with trans fat like so many of the convenience packaged varieties.

Here are the main ingredients (the recipe below is adapted from one I found here):

• 1 c. steel cut oats


• 1 1/2 c. water


• 2 c. unsweetened almond milk


• 1 1/2 T. granulated erythritol


• 1 1/2 T. butter


• 1/2 tsp. vanilla


• 2 tsp. ground flax seed (a.k.a. flax meal)


• 1/4 tsp. salt


• 1 c. grated apple


• 1 tsp. cinnamon


• optional add-ins: almonds, sugar-free maple syrup, flavored unsweetened almond milk, etc...