Pumpkin Oats

I wrote a while back about my obsession with slow-cooker steel cut oats. I ran out of apples and cranberries a few weeks back and REALLY wanted some more oatmeal. I remembered I'd come across "Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal" and had a few packs of frozen pumpkin puree from the fall left in my freezer just begging to be used. This version is so scumptious and has the added benefit of some vegetable involvement!

This makes a nice large vat of oatmeal and makes approximately 20 muffins worth if you are planning to use your muffin tin to freeze it in small batches.  (so for me this is 10 days worth of breakfast!) So just think, a few minutes of effort, a few hours of patience and you have a healthy, hearty, quick breakfast for TEN days! I found that I really liked mine topped with some sprinkled cinnamon, a tiny sprinkle of plain white sugar (like less then 1/4 tsp), a small bit of butter and dark chocolate chips!

2 c steel cut oats
6 c water
2 c skim milk (you can alter the ratio of milk and water a bit if you want more calcium)
28 oz canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
2 -3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves or allspice
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

1. Spray your slow cooker dish well with non-stick spray
2. Add all the ingredients, stir it up
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until oats are done

To freeze, spray muffin tin well with non-stick spray, fill each tin with oatmeal mixture (fully cooked), allow to cool and them place it in the freezer for a few hours. When it's frozen, remove the pan from the freezer, carefully run warm water over the back of the muffin tin pan to loosen the "muffins" and pop them out, place them in a large ziplock bag, place them all in the freezer. When ready to eat, remove desired amount of "muffins" and place them in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 3-4 min or until fully heated. Stir and top as desired.