slow cooker steel cut oats

Thank you Tropicana Essentials® Probiotics for sponsoring this post.

2018 got off to a rocky start in the Kinnaird house. After kicking the flu round 1 a week or so after Thanksgiving, it hit again right around NYE. And it hit hard. SO much so that the kids on their own decided they needed to start eating better…hello silver lining. 

I guess that’s what happens when they miss out on holiday break fun; they have no desire to get sick again and are willing to eat or drink anything available to keep it from coming back.

We’ve started incorporating oranges, carrot sticks, and water into our snacking routine. Spinach, broccoli, and peas are eaten for lunch and dinner, and without complaints. Charlie has even asked to replace his beloved sugary cereal with oatmeal.

Along with a diet overhaul, we have replaced our usual morning juice with Tropicana Essentials® Probiotics. Tropicana Essentials® Probiotics is made with 100% juice with no added sugar or artificial flavors. Every 8-ounce serving provides one billion live and active cultures for gut health and your whole day’s vitamin C. That’s all fine and good, but it is SO delicious, the kids have no idea how good for them it is.

Now, even though our holiday break is long gone, and our busy school-sports schedule has taken over, eating right is still a top priority, especially at breakfast time, and it does not get any easier than this slow cooker steel cut oatmeal. A few minutes of prep the night before and you have a nutritious breakfast ready and waiting for you.

Print Recipe

slow cooker steel cut oats

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 cups steel cut oats
• 8 cups of water
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks (optional but i highly recommend)
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

• Combine oats, water, salt, and cinnamon stick (if using) in a 6-quart slow cooker
• Cover and cook on low 8 hours
• Serve with your choice of toppings

I love to make a large batch so that we have enough for a few weekday breakfasts. Covered properly and refrigerated, oatmeal can be safely kept for about 5 days. If you don’t like eating oatmeal every day for a week, you can even freeze your slow cooker steel cut oatmeal. Once the oats are completely cool, place ½ – ¾ cup per serving into an airtight freezer bag. Label your bags, and keep in the freezer until you are ready to use. From frozen, the oats will take about 3 minutes in a microwave to heat up (make sure to use a microwave safe bowl).

There are countless way to enjoy your oats, but lately we have been obsessed with comice pear with cardamom and honey. If you are feeling a bit extravagant, add some cream as well. A few of our other favorite flavor combinations

• greek yogurt + cocoa nibs
• Banana + almond butter + dark chocolate
• Coconut cream + dried coconut + almonds + dark chocolate
• Granola + dried berries

Or you can go old school like Stella does with butter and brown sugar and a splash of milk.

Enjoy!

You can find all three delicious varieties of Tropicana Essentials® Probiotics – Strawberry Banana, Pineapple Mango and Peach Passion Fruit – in 32 oz bottles with the other refrigerated juices at Walmart.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tropicana Essentials® Probiotics.