Slow Cooker Apple Oatmeal with Toasted Almonds and Raisins

Alison here, from Bit of Butter.  My mom, Kathy, is out of the country for the next few weeks, so I'll be filling in with some yummy recipes that I've been making.  Don't worry, Kathy will be back soon!

Things have changed for my husband, Kevin, and I since we had our daughter last August.  We used to have leisurely Saturday mornings filled with crosswords and coffee.  We'd often make pancakes from scratch, squeeze orange juice, and stretch our mornings until at least noon.  Not anymore!  Now, the "19 pound alarm clock" wakes us up at 7am (or earlier) and we're off and running.  We're lucky we if can grab a coffee and a piece of toast before one of us is on watch while the baby reaches across the counter for whatever is near her pudgy fingers.  

Enter, the slow cooker!  We've been using ours for years, but we never thought to make breakfast with it.  This oatmeal was amazing.  Creamy, rich, and easy to make the night before.  By the time we woke up at 7, the house smelled warm and cozy.

Slow Cooker Apple Oatmeal with Toasted Almonds and Raisins

adapted from The Yummy Life

Makes about 6 servings

1 cup steel-cut oats

2 cups apples, skinned and diced 

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 tbsp butter, cut into 4-5 small pieces

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup toasted almonds

1/4 cup raisins

Cooking spray

Liberally spray the insert of your slow cooker with cooking spray.  (We tried butter the first time we made this and it did NOT work.)  If you skip this step you'll probably want to go buy a new insert because it takes so much work to clean it you'll just want to throw it out.

Did you use the cooking spray?  Yes?  Good!  

Add all ingredients (except almonds and raisins) to the slow cooker and mix.  

Cook on low for approximately 7 hours.  

Serve in the morning, topped with raisins and toasted almonds)

You can toast the almonds the night before or wait until the morning.  We also served ours with a little milk and added salt to taste.  A perfect breakfast!

I am participating in On the Menu Monday, hosted by Yvonne at Stone Gable.