I don’t know where you live, but here in Delaware, it’s super cold outside. I know I said there weren’t enough layers in the world for 11 degree weather, but this is a whole different type of cold. I am talking three degree weather, wearing similar layers that I wore to the game and within two minutes of being outside, my legs felt like Popsicles. And my poor hands had to come out of their warm gloves because my shoe string wanted to come a loose. They were no longer warm the whole walk to the bus stop.
Days like today, I just want to stay inside, drink and eat something that’s going to warm my insides and lay in bed all day until the cold passes. Kids have it so good and they don’t even know it.
To ward against this Polar Vortex, this weekend, I made a nice hot serving of crock-pot apple cinnamon oatmeal. Yum. It’s been one of my favorite treats since I was a child. I liked oatmeal so much, I used to eat it straight out of the packets. My aunt said that’s why it took so long for my face to break out when I was going through puberty, but when it did, it was not a pretty sight. Anyway, I decided to share the goodness with you. Enjoy!
What you will need:
– old fashioned oatmeal
– apples
– margarine (optional)
– brown sugar
– cinnamon (I also used a cinnamon stick)
– nutmeg
– ginger
– vanilla extract
– milk ( I used almond milk)
As the crockpot is warming, I add in the milk, cinnamon and cinnamon sticks, decored and chopped apples as well as the other seasonings such as nutmeg, ginger and vanilla extract. I let that simmer for about 20-30 minutes. The goal is to ultimately soften the apples.
Once the apples are soft, I add in the old-fashioned oats. I like my oatmeal thick so I try to match the amount I put in with the amount of milk I have in the crock pot because I know the oats will absorb a lot of the milk. At this point, I also add in the margarine and brown sugar. I do all of this by sight and let it stand for another 20 minutes and cook until the consistency and sweetness is what I like.
Then enjoy! I paired mine with some toasted harvest bread from Whole Foods and a pineapple slice. I also added in some sliced almonds for some added protein.
I hope this helps you stay warm wherever you are.
