Happy Humpday all!
So glad to hear some of you may be trying veggies for breakfast (and that some of you already eat them)! Woohoo! Way to go TCL readers!
Also, I’ve been slacking off on replying to comments lately so if you’ve asked a question and I haven’t responded…I promise I’m getting there!
Know what’s in this slow cooker? Not your average overnight oats…that’s what!
Back to this morning…I must have overeaten last night because I still felt full-ish this morning. Ugh! I was thinking of steaming up more green beans, but I really wanted to eat the leftover pancake I had since I didn’t think it would last much longer. And while fiber from green beans would be filling, I thought protein in the form of a fried, local egg would be better.
So, sans veggies, I had a yummy breakfast of an oatmeal pancake with peach compote and a fried local egg.
I had my first pumpkin latte of the season! It was yummers but a little more sweet than I remember. May-haps I’ll ask for less syrup pumps next time?
Lunch was crowder peas from my parents garden with brown rice.
Plus a salad later with spinach, carrots, tomatoes (picked this morning from my garden), sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast and balsamic dressing.
I even got to try some of the healthy “Lucky Charms” I bought for hubby. They’re pretty tasty! I liked them way better than the “real” thing.
Lookie what hubby surprised me with when he came home with groceries. Awwwwwwwwwwww! <3
For dinner, we had rice pilaf and a crab cake made at a local grocery store plus steamed green beans. The crab cake was ok, but I really, really want to try making my own from scratch! Ellie Krieger has a faboo recipe I’ve been itching to try for the longest time.
Dessert tonight was a little unexpected…
…a rye bagel. It really wasn’t dessert, but since it was a post-dinner treat, it sure seemed that way. 🙂 Hubby and I froze the 20+ bagels my mom got us, but they defrost so nicely. Just defrost in the microwave and bake for a few minutes at 300 degrees F – they taste like they’re fresh from the oven!
Have you noticed how much I like re-heating food in the oven yet? 😆
I was inspired by those Trader Joe’s frozen steel cut oats I got awhile back and googled till I found this Alton Brown recipe for Overnight Oats. No, they’re not rolled oats mixed with yogurt or milk…these are steel cut oats mixed with water and milk and I’m hoping for creamy-luscious oats first thing tomorrow. I’m pretty miuch just cooking oats, water and milk (no fruit or sweeteners) because I want to choose my mixins later.
The reviews seemed really mixed on how the recipe turned out. Apparently, there’s a lot of variation for slow cooker heat-levels. I’m crossing my fingers things turn out ok tomorrow morning.
I have a tough errand to run tomorrow. Any guesses what I’m doing?
I’m not a huge starbucks fan in general [prefer caribou :)] b/c their drinks are always way too sweet. However, sometimes there is no other option and sometimes I just want some pumpkin coffee in my life! I found a way around the overly-sweet drink…regular coffee + 1 pump pumpkin [for a small] + milk. YUM
DMV perhaps? I need to try the slow cooker oats. That sounds nice waking to slow cooked rather than ‘hurry up and nuke ’em in the microwave” oats. Looking forward to seeing how they come out.
good guess! you were right!
I’ve used that recipe before (except I use half nonfat milk and half water), and it always turns out fine.
I also like to cook a big pot of steel cut oats early in the week (just in a pot, not the slow cooker), portion them out into smaller containers, and then eat them cold throughout the week.
oooh lookin forward to see how the oats turn out!
I keep hearing that the pumpkin isn’t as good this year. Do you think they changed it? I hope not!!
I have done steel cut oats in the crock many times. It really is a great way to prepare ahead of time.
maybe it’s the whipped cream? i dont remember them adding that before but i noticed it in my cup this monday.
I tried regular oats in the crock pot and it didn’t go so well. They were a mess and completely over cooked and mushy.
I think you have to stick w/ steel cut since they have such a longer cook time. Rolled are probably too fragile for the slow cooker…though possibly the chewy version by Bob’s Red Mill could work? Probably still not overnight, though…I bet it has a shorter cook time.
Lookin forward to seeing how the oats come out! I may need to get a crock pot 😉
I am also very excited to hear how it all turns out! Lauren I really like the idea of making them in a pot too. I just made muffin veggies frittatas yesterday to get me through my work week.
Toootally thought the “unexpected dessert” was going to be made in the crock pot! I’ve heard you can make pies, rice pudding, and more in there!
I’ve heard the same but never tried sweets in there. Maybe next time!? 🙂
maybe with the pumpkin spice lattes it just depends who makes them. i thought mine wasn’t very sweet, which is fine by me- sometimes i think starbucks’ syrups are way too sweet (esp. my favorite – caramel). so maybe it just depends? or maybe we just have different tastes! 🙂
Looking forward to see how the oats came out!
Maybe the person making the pumpkin spice latte put in too much syrup? Or maybe things just seem sweeter to you now? That happens with me sometimes.
i have a free coupon for starbucks for my birthday, and i really can’t wait for it to get JUST a little bit colder out so i can a pumpkin spice latte! normally i go for plain coffee, but this is a special treat 🙂
I agree that the pumpkin latte seems sweeter. I also think the chai is sweeter too.
You had mentioned in an earlier post that you have been naturally cutting back on sweets and I wonder if that has anything to do with it. I know when I stopped drinking soda (3-4 a week) that every sweet thing I ate or drank after I had stopped was almost too sweet.
I use to get a tall 5 pump no water chai and now I get a tall 4 pump no water chai. I do plan on going down to a 3 pump chai soon.
You should definitely try getting 1 less pump of the syrup and then try cutting down even more if it is still too sweet.
could be! 🙂
Try toasting the steel cut oats in a dry pan before you cook them. The oats develop such a rich, nutty flavor. Yum!
I can’t wait to see what you think of the slow cooker oats. I’ve done this before (love oatmeal, love steel cut oats!), but mine were not good at all! Seriously bad. I threw the whole batch out and was slightly heart-broken by the waste of food and the let down. Perhaps I did something wrong. I’d kind of love it if I did. I have the exact slow cooker you do, so here’s to hoping! 🙂
PS – made two of your recipes on labor day. They’re posted on my blog today. 🙂 Love them! Thanks for the inspiration.
I thought the original batch was so so but when I reheated the leftovers stove top and added my favorite mixins, it was much better! 🙂 Maybe just use the slow cooker for the original batch…then re-heat when you’re ready to eat?
Thanks for telling me about the recipes you tried. I’ll check it out!
I have yet to make oats in a crockpot — I’m excited to see how yours turn out!
I love Lucky Charms — sadly for me, no “healthy version” ever tastes close enough!
Have you tried the Three Sisters kind yet? I thought they were pretty close! 🙂