Overnight Steel-Cut Oats (Pumpkin Spice & Apple Cinnamon)

Steel-cut oats are an easy make-ahead kind of breakfast that gives you sustainable energy all day long. Flavor options are endless. My two favorites are apple-cinnamon and pumpkin spice (which I will explain below) but get creative. This recipe is hard to mess up! If you create something new, post a picture on Instagram or Facebook and tag Playful Fitness. I would LOVE to try your favorite version!

Ingredients

General Ingredients

  • 2 cups steel cut oats

  • 6 cups water

  • 2 cups milk unsweetened cashew, almond, coconut or dairy

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (see directions for when to add this)

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

  • 15 ounces unsweetened applesauce (berry applesauce or peach applesauce adds a fun twist)

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)

  • 2 apples cut into cubes (I prefer green apples because it gives it a tart kick. Baking apples are good too because they won't get too mushy but really any apple will do

  • 1/4 raisins or apple-juice-sweetened dried cranberries

  • 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal (Fall Favorite)

  • 15 ounces pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)

  • 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1 1/2 pumpkin pie spice mix, or more to your taste

  • If you don't have already made pumpkin pie spice, you can create it with individual spices

  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger ground (I usually add more ginger because I like it)

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ground

  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves ground

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • ¼ cup Maple syrup

Optional

  • 1/4 cup apple-juice-sweetened dried cranberries

  • 1-2 Bartlett pears cut into cubes

  • 1/2 cup walnuts

  • Great, healthy toppings (throw on top of individual bowls)

  • Drizzle of grade B maple syrup (instead of brown sugar)

  • Walnuts

  • Almonds

  • Pumpkin seeds

  • Apple-juice-sweetened dried cranberries

  • Dried cherries

  • Raisins


Directions

Overnight Slow Cooker Option

  • Add all ingredients (including apple-cider vinegar) into a 6qt or larger slow cooker and stir to combine the night before you want to eat them

  • Cover and turn on low heat for 8 hours (overnight)

  • Oats are ready when the mixture is thick and oats are tender.

  • Add toppings if desired, enjoy!

Morning Cook Option

  • Put oats in a mason jar with water and apple cider vinegar to soak overnight (8 hours). Make sure water covers the oats.

  • Cut/prep all other dry ingredients and put them in a saucepan in the fridge, ready for the morning

  • In the morning, pour the oats through a strainer to get rid of water and apple cider vinegar, rinse and dump them into the pot

  • Add in liquid ingredients (drop the water to 5 cups instead of 6 because your oats absorbed some water overnight. Still ingredients well

  • Bring concoction to a boil

  • Cover and reduce to a simmer, cook 10-30 minutes (depending on how chewy you want your oats and how thick you want your oatmeal to be--the longer you get the softer and thicker your oatmeal will become) ​

    Goodies In this Recipe

    Soaked Oats-Soaking your oats in apple cider vinegar overnight (whether you are doing the slow cook option or the soak and stove top option) helps break down the phytic acid which is an enzyme inhibitor that coats grains and legumes. Phytic acid is the amazing stuff that lets you keep grains, nuts and beans in your cabinet for months without them spoiling, but it also makes it harder for your body to digest these foods. Soaking them doesn't change the way they cook, it just changes the way your body processes them and dramatically increases your nutrient absorption.

    Steel Cut Oats-Steel cut oats are often termed a "power food" because of their protein, fiber, and nutrient content. First off, steel cut oats are far less processed than rolled oats or instant oats so they are exposed to fewer chemicals, making them a more pure food. Any nutritional benefits you get from instant or rolled oats are vastly increased in steel cut oats. Every 1/4 cup of dry steel cut oats has 5g of fiber (including 2g insoluble fiber). The insoluble fiber in steel oats includes d-beta-glucan. D-beta-glucan is what's responsible for that "stick to your ribs" feeling with oatmeal that keeps you full all day long because it slows gastric emptying and lowers glycemic response, improving and sustaining blood sugar levels. The high fiber also improves cholesterol levels. That same 1/4 cup also includes 7 g protein which comes complete with trace amounts of all the essential amino acids. Oats are also an excellent source of B vitamins and iron as well as a source of vital trace nutrients including thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and niacin.

    ​

    Cinnamon- Cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps control blood sugar. This is important because it helps you stay full longer, reduces cravings and keeps you from having an energy spike and crash (which is what happens with normal, sugary breakfast cereals).

    Pumpkin-If you go the Pumpkin Spice route, you are getting an extra superfood dose. Pumpkin is high in beta-carotene which your body converts to vitamin A, essential for eye health. In addition, one cup of pumpkin contains 7g of fiber and 3g of extra protein.

    Apples- The old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" might not be too far from the truth. Apples are packed with vitamins C, A and flavonoids as well as small amounts of phosphorus, iron, and calcium which all act as immune system boosters. So if you add apples to your recipe you're getting some extra yum and some extra goodness.

    PLUS both versions are super tasty! :)

BreakfastHally Brookeoats, pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, coconut milkComment