Slow Cooker Bluberry Muffin Oats

Hi I've never really prepped a few days worth of breakfast before- if I needed something to grab and go, I'd just throw together some overnight oats like this or this. But, as my schedule has gotten busier and busier I decided it would be really convenient to just have everything ready to go.

I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. It uses a mixture of steel coat oats and quinoa which adds some protein and omega-3 fatty acids to an otherwise carbohydrate based meal.

If you've never bought steel cut oats, you can find them right near the regular oatmeal. Both rolled oats and steel cut oats start as oat groats. The groats are roasted and can then be further processed and rolled into flakes (rolled oats) or cut into several pieces (steel cut oats). For this reason, steel cut oats take longer to cook, but provide a chewier texture and nuttier taste. As far as nutrition, they are pretty much identical.

The end result? Really delicious (and makes your kitchen smell amazing)! This is a really nourishing, filling breakfast that you can further customize with various toppings. I've topped mine with yogurt (for extra protein) and peanut butter (to add healthy fat).

You can find the original recipe here!

Slow Cooker Blueberry Muffin Oats 

Serves 6

Recipe by Jamie

Ingredients: 

1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
5 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1-2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons flaxseed
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3-4 tablespoons stevia (or pure maple syrup or honey)
3/4-1 cup cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I used 3/4 cup frozen)

Directions:

1. Spray the inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients and stir. Cook for 7-8 hours on low (overnight if you'd like).

2. Spoon oats into a bowl and add a splash of milk (optional) and other desired toppings. Store in the fridge.

*To reheat a serving, add 1/3 cup milk or water and cook for 1 minute on high in the microwave. Stir, then cook again another minute or so or until hot. It's also good cold- stir in some yogurt and it's just like overnight oats!

Nutrition Information per serving:  206 calories, 6 grams Fat, 32 g Carbs, 6 grams Protein