The slow cooker isn’t just for pot roast. Put it to work overnight for a satisfying winter breakfast.
If getting weekday breakfasts into your family is a rushed hassle, try using a slow cooker to do most of the work for you. Chop the ingredients the night before, place them in the slow cooker and wake up to a delicious fruit-enhanced oatmeal that’s ready to eat. This recipe is also great for feeding a crowd on a holiday morning or when everyone needs to get out the door in time for church.
Bonus: The apples, cinnamon and cider in this recipe fill the house with a wonderful fragrance to wake up to on a winter morning. Brew some coffee, and if you’re really starved, grab a homemade egg muffin to go after you’ve polished off the oatmeal.
Ingredients
Nonstick spray
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 cups fresh cranberries, or 1-1/2 cup dried, no-sugar-added cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
2 cups rolled oats (preferably not quick oats)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 cups skim milk
2 cups apple cider (or apple juice)
1 cup fat-free, plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
Spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick spray.
Place apples, cranberries, cinnamon and brown sugar in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Mix together.
Top with oatmeal and the 4 pats of butter.
Pour in milk and cider. Do not stir!
Cover and cook overnight (8 – 9 hours) on low.
Stir in Greek yogurt before serving and enjoy!
Adapted from a recipe by The Loveless Cafe, by Vanderbilt dietetic interns Katelyn Snow and Aileen McAinsh.
- Nonstick spray
- 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 cups fresh cranberries, or 1-1/2 cup dried, no-sugar-added cranberries
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 cups rolled oats (preferably not quick oats)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 2 cups skim milk
- 2 cups apple cider (or apple juice)
- 1 cup fat-free, plain Greek yogurt
- Spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick spray.
- Place apples, cranberries, cinnamon and brown sugar in the bottom of your slow cooker. Mix together.
- Top with oatmeal and the 4 pats of butter.
- Pour in milk and cider. Do not stir!
- Cover and cook overnight (8 – 9 hours) on low.
- Stir in Greek yogurt before serving and enjoy!
