I leave before 7 a.m. for daycare dropoff and work, which means that I eat breakfast after I’m at my desk. There’s a deli on the ground floor of my building, so I’m able to buy breakfast and lunch there, but that adds up quickly.
In an effort to keep the complex mornings as simple as possible–and to keep costs down–I’ve started making a big batch of steel-cut oats and reheating a serving once I’m at work. I also take a small container of walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon to mix in.
For a while, I was making the oats in the slow cooker, but I found that they wound up mushy. If you like mushy oats, then that technique will work well for you; I’m having better luck with the following method:
- Stovetop
- Saucepan
- 3 parts unsweetened almond milk
- 1 part steel cut oats
Put all of those together and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 25 minutes, stirring several times. Cool and refrigerate.
If I start this process early enough, I set aside a portion for the next day. If I don’t, I do that in the morning. Once at the office, I transfer it to a microwave-friendly dish, heat it up, and stir in the toppings.
Someone will tell me I shouldn’t be boiling the almond milk. You can also use water.
I’m doing this. I gave up on my steel cut oats because they take so long and I didn’t love them in the slow cooker. Going to have to give them another try.
I made them in the slow-cooker for quite a while, and am much happier with this method. Being able to make things ahead and reheat is key for my mornings.
YUM. Have you ever tried making large batches (like for the week? or for a group) in the crock pot??
oh i just saw your comment above. what didn’t you like about the slow cooker method?
I liked it at first, but eventually they got kind of gummy. They seem to last better when I make them on the stovetop.