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by casscomerford • May 9th, 2009 • posted in Food
We weren’t an oatmeal family. We did cold cereal and with enough begging it was of the sugar cereal variety. I remember the weight watchers meeting that I went to in 2004 where someone was talking about a two point breakfast that kept them full until 11 and I decided that I would find a way to love Oatmeal. I ate a lot of it and while I was consuming these breakfasts I found that I liked it….I didn’t love it. Until this post. Then the people at Quaker (Hi Jessica!) reached out to me and said “Hey there – your oatmeal looks yummy want some more?” and I said SURE I’d love more Oatmeal. They sent a LOT of great oatmeal products and I started working on my recipe.
I then hit the jackpot. Here’s what I did.
- Five apples chopped into bite size pieces (skins on for health)
- Sprinkled cinnamon and brown sugar (just a bit) on top of the apples
- Pour in 1/2 a gallon of the light soy milk of your choice (or juice, or milk, or water)
- 5 Tablespoons of Ground Flax Seed
- Stir in 4 (4.5) cups of the Steel Cut Oats which is a product I had NOT used before Quaker sending them to me.
Slow Cooker for 5.5-6.5 hours. Let me tell you everything that was NOT increidble about the regular oats was PERFECTION with the Steel Cut Oats. Because I can’t let a day pass without you trying Steel Cut Oats and because it’s my blog-versary week I’m going to have a contest.
Comment on your favorite oatmeal topic and you will win a Crock Pot of your own and a container of Steel Cut Oats and the most INCREDIBLE cinnamon from The Savory Spice Shop (and yes, it does make a difference).
I know Oprah likes Oatmeal and I have to say Oprah – you’d love my oatmeal – want to Flip me on in for a demo?
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• Yeah, I’m still talking about Oatmeal. •
by casscomerford • April 19th, 2009 • posted in Family Life, Food
Ross has this thing that he says “Don’t tell me how to build a watch – just tell me what time it is.” and needless to say, I like to tell him how to build the preverbal watch. But it’s Sunday night and I’m tired so let me catch you up real quick:
- First: I ate everything and gained 55+ pounds while pregnant with Lexi
- Second: I lost 55lbs while eating tons of stuff that I shouldn’t have been able to eat while losing weight but I was breastfeeding so it worked.
- Third: I stopped losing weight and I really wanted to get down to my dream size. I read the book Skinny Bitch – stopped eating meat and lost 10lbs that I have always had a hard time losing. I felt great – healthy – full and connected to my body in a way that I have never been before.
- Fourth: My milk supply started to go away. I had to blame myself and the only thing about the situation I could impact was the eating meat. So I started eating everything again. I gained 5lbs back, stopped feeling so great, didn’t feel healthy, full or connected and my milk supply stayed away.
- Fifth: Lexi is loving life on formula and I’m trying to get back some of the good stuff from Step Three.
Yes, that was the short version. And now for the point of the post. I struggle with breakfast. I’m very hungry in the morning and without eggs – breakfast is hard. I like oatmeal – but the only kind I’ve ever had is the Quaker Instant Oatmeal. Then last week in my quest to use every food item in our home before we move (which is alarmingly soon) I found the gigantic container of the Old Fashioned Quaker Oats. So here’s what I did.
Slow Cooker – Make sure you line it with one of these because you will consider dumping the container or soaking it for a week (or two) without the Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner
I wanted to make enough oatmeal for a few days for me, Lexi and Ross so I made a lot – this made 7 grown up portions and 4 baby portions. The rule is two parts liquid to one part oats.
4.5 cups of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
2 pinches of Sea Salt
2 pinches of Cinnamon (optional)
1/2 gallon of Light Vanilla Soy Milk (you could use any liquid here: milk, water, apple juice, goats milk)
Cooked for 5.5-6 hours on Low. When I made this initially I cooked it for 7 hours during the day and realized that was a bit too long if you’re going to keep it in the fridge and reheat as you need a little bit more “stewy” texture then “oatmeal bar”. I also chopped in an apple – if I were to add fruit to it again I’d add it closer to the end of the cooking cycle as my apples were mushy flavorless bits after 7 hours.
Each morning I took out my pyrex container, heated it up in the microwave for 90 seconds added some almonds, blueberries and some honey and savored every warm bite. If you’re trying to find a meat free breakfast alternative I highly recommend this. And it’s very affordable.
- Ana: April 20th, 2009 at 7:50am
I am also an oatmeal in the morning girl. My accupuncturist recommended that I add cardamom along with my cinnamon. It aids in digestion. If you end up trying this, you may want to add it to 1 portion to see if you like the flavor so as not to ruin the whole batch if it's not your thing. It comes in pods and as a powder. I use the powder. Go easy, it's a strong spice, but I love it!
- Bessie.viola: April 20th, 2009 at 8:52am
I've never been much of an oatmeal girl, but Maddie definitely is - I may have to try this next weekend so she can have individual servings through the week. YUM!
- Leslie Collins: April 21st, 2009 at 6:55am
Yumm! I will have to try this. We love oatmeal. Thanks, Cass.
- Jessica: April 22nd, 2009 at 1:36pm
Hi Cass, my name is Jessica and I work for Edelman, Quaker’s PR agency. I came across your blog today and thought your crock pot oatmeal looked delicious! I wanted to see if you would be interested in receiving some more samples of Quaker products too, including a new canister of Old Fashioned and some Instant Oatmeal too. If so, please e-mail me and we can talk more. Talk to you soon!
- Healthy Diet Lets Woman Lose Thirty Pounds In Thirty Days: April 30th, 2009 at 9:41pm
Hi, nice post. I have been wondering about this issue,so thanks for writing. I'll definitely be coming back to your site.
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• New Secret to Life: Oatmeal in the Crock Pot •
by casscomerford • July 22nd, 2008 • posted in Food
My boredom is probably well recognized at this point, yes? Today I made Jam and Pickles. No, I’m not kidding and Yes, you can call me Donna Reed.
Want to read about making JAM? You know you do. Go visit Chop.Stir.Mix and when you see me and if I have a little red something on my face you’ll know it’s this Jam and you’ll give me a pass.
- SciFi Dad: July 22nd, 2008 at 3:29pm
Holy Crap.
You better have that baby soon... it looks like you're running out of things to do.
Next week on CJC: I Churn My Own Butter! - Steph The WonderWorrier: July 22nd, 2008 at 3:54pm
Mmmm. The jam looks DELICIOUS.
I'm going to have to drive down and steal some!!!!!! haha. :-)
If delicious jam is in the cards, I say stay pregnant! ;-)
KIDDING. Don't hurt me. - Morgan: July 22nd, 2008 at 5:22pm
...haha at SciFi Dad's comment...
:) Looks really, really good. :) - Steph: July 23rd, 2008 at 7:51am
That looks YUMMY!!!
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• You got a little something on your face •
by casscomerford • May 21st, 2008 • posted in Food
There is a big difference between Way Upstate, Upstate NY and NY. Sometimes I think that people forget that outside of The City there is a whole other state up there – and it’s a big state. I’m from Way Upstate – Western NY to be specific….a place where people laugh at school being closed for under 2 feet of snow. Aside from snow fall accumulations there is a different way of talking up there – there is a hard “a” involved – it’s not pretty. Back when I moved to Westchester one of my Future Husbands biggest laughs of the day was hearing me say Bagel. Because it should be pronounced Bay-Gul and I said it more like Baaaaagel.
I’ve been wanting Bay-Gul’s for breakfast and I was so desperate to have Bay-Gul’s in the house for breakfast this morning that I made a huge mistake. I bought Thomas’s Bagel’s. These are not really Bay-Gul’s these are Slices of Bread in the shape of a Bay-Gul’s. It’s not fulfilling my need for a Bay-Gul at all…and the Bay-Gul’s that I really want are the REALLY good homemade boiled this morning Bay-Gul’s and no, Bruegers does not cut it either….it’s like saying that hotcakes from McDonalds are really good pancakes…they don’t even call themselves pancakes – they know they aren’t pancakes, they are called hotcakes for a reason (no offense to the hotcake which I also enjoy). So this brings me back to the Bay-Gul….I’m remembering 2 specific Bay-Gul experiences that have shaped my life – the first was in Jersey….at my Aunt & Uncles and I’m seriously considering a road trip in that direction at some point over the weekend just to get a big ass bag of Bay-Gul’s that I can then slice and freeze and ration out like crack. And the other was in Ozone Park with my friend Mike….I don’t even know if it’s safe for me to travel there for the purpose of getting Bay-Gul…but how many people are really going to screw with a very large pregnant women? I think my “don’t screw with me sign” is firmly affixed to my forehead as no one has said anything stupid to me in almost 3 days.
Do you have a regional specialty that has imposter’s trolling around the corner? And yes, I am aware that an entire post about Bagel’s is a little scary but I’m pregnant and I am only able to have one complete thought at a time while I’m busy worrying about the other 10,000 things to do before arrival.
- Randomstuff: May 21st, 2008 at 7:39am
I'm originally from Way Upstate Eastern NY, north of the Mohawk upstate. This is where the apple cider doughnut originated, and where they do it best. I'm now in the suburbs of Philly and there are apple orchards, but they can't make the doughnuts right.
- Kat: May 21st, 2008 at 8:13am
Haha I totally get your love for Bagels. After my year in the US I was shocked to see that I couldn't get any in the whole of Germany. Things have changed since and you can get Bagels in almost every Supermarket now. Anyway, on to your question. Yes - imposter food. Thüringer Rostbratwurst = Thuringian sausage, they are great BBQ food and there were a lot of imposters and they tasted nothing like the original. Luckily they passed a law that now only the original can be called Thüringer Rostbratwurst ... mmmmh gotta go and see if I can find one.
- Kat: May 21st, 2008 at 8:16am
Btw love the new layout. What made you switch to blogger?
I just updated my linklist with your new URL - Ladybughugs: May 21st, 2008 at 8:16am
So, are you channeling Lil'bug this morning or is she channeling you? We had a tantrum because she wanted a baaayyyy-gul! Fortunately, she was already strapped into her 5-point harness (which, if she's really of a mind to, she can get her arms out of, by the way) so it didn't hold us up any.
This was after the tantrum about saying hi to the doggie that she heard bark down the street as we were getting out of the house (this one held us up because, have you ever tried to get a rigid toddler to bend to conform to a car seat?) and after the second tantrum about wanting to go to school with her big brother (not today). I think she needs one of those 'don't screw with me signs.' Because, really, I need to know when to brace myself for these things. - Ladybughugs: May 21st, 2008 at 8:23am
BTW: Mmmm... cheesecake for breakfast (twitter)! Especially if you can't get a real bagel. Cheesecake is an awesome breakfast. Lots of dairy and calcium. Also good for breakfast? Almost any pie because FRUIT! Hey, beats a lot of the sugar-laden cereals they push in the supermarket. What kind of cheesecake? Did you make it yourself? Will I find the recipe at http://www.chopstirmix.com/ ?
- Alexis & Brian: May 21st, 2008 at 9:04am
ahhh, the pursuit of a good baygul. I often do stock up on bayguls when I visit Jersey, because I can't find any good bayguls in the DE/MD area. Also really good pizza is hard to come by. Its all chain places like Dominoes and Papa Johns. I love NY/NJ pizza that comes from a little hole in the wall mom & pop joint, just can't find any where I live now :(
~Alexis - Michelle Smiles: May 21st, 2008 at 11:14am
Mmmmm...bagels. I love me a good bagel but they are hard to find! I hate when they make bread in a bagel shape and try to pass it off.
I agree with above - good pizza is tough too. And moving to the south I thought good BBQ would be plentiful but it isn't. Good ice cream is also in short supply. - AndreAnna: May 21st, 2008 at 12:06pm
The Jersey Shore is known for it's guidos as well as its funnel cakes! And we do have some pretty awesome bakeries and bagels.
I get one every Wednesday at work because they get them delivered here from one of my favorite places!
And thanks, now I need cheesecake. - Catnip: May 21st, 2008 at 5:46pm
I definitely can't get a good bagel in NH either. Have you ever tried to make them from scratch? I'm seriously thinking about trying it. And now I'm craving lox.
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• Bay-Gul aka Bagel •
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I've never been an oatmeal person either, but that sounds pretty good. I've heard steel cut oats are better for you anyway because they aren't processed with heat. Definitely going to try this.
I never ate oatmeal before I was pregnant. Now I am like you and I eat it everyday. My favorite is to cook it with a vanilla bean and strawberry extract. I haven't heard of steel cut before. I will definately look into that!
I am not a big oatmeal fan, but after seeing your recipe for oatmeal in the crockpot, I tried it. I liked it, but didnt love it as well. It was something I rather forced myself to eat because I knew it was better than those yummy chocolate donuts sitting in the corner of the fridge. The main thing that bothered me about the oatmeal was the texture of it. It just wasn't "right". So..maybe the steel cut would fix that and then I will love something thats healthy for me, for once!!
I've been a lover of oatmeal since I was little. My Mom tells me it was frequently my answer to "what do you want for breakfast/lunch/dinner." Even now, at 31, I eat oatmeal for breakfast or even dinner at least 5 nights a week. I am ALL OVER this recipe. It's not secret I can't cook, but I CAN use a crockpot and have the food come out really good. Another favorite thing of our's to do with oatmeal? Morgan has a sand/water/sensory table. I regularly fill it with different things of different textures for her to play with. Oatmeal is a favorite. Especially this time of year. Any that ends up on the ground is eaten by the chipmunks, rabbits and birds. :)
I absolutely love oatmeal and continue to try and get my girls to eat it. I have it almost every morning (McCann's Irish Oatmeal from Trader Joe's) with a sprinkle of brown sugar and golden (CALIFORNIA) raisans. YUM! My favorite thing about this recipe is you can make it in the microwave in 3 minutes and it is delicious. Thanks to my mom on this mother's day who introduced me to this oatmeal on one of her visits!
Love oatmeal every morning. I find that organic rolled oats (get it at a local health foods store here in the Roc) does not cook down or get as mushy as regular rolled oats. It holds its shape a little better. I have yet to make a huge crock pot of it, mostly because it's just me eating it each morning. I am definitely interested in the steel cut oats. My friend made them once while I was at her house and they didn't turn out too well, but I am going to try out your recipe. And, I agree, good cinnamon (and vanilla, for that matter) DOES make a difference!
Okay, fine, I'm in. TRY to convince me, I dare you! Madeline and Jimmy both eat the stuff like it's going out of style, but I haven't been able to find the love yet. Maybe you'll change my life. :)
it almosts sounds like it would taste good. I am not an oatmeal eater at all, my kids and husband eat it but I've never really been able to stomach it. Maybe if I win, I start loving it.
I OD'd on oatmeal when I was pregnant. I'd have that and a big glass of orange juice every day (and I read that's like, a superfood combo or something so bonus!) and loved it. But once that kid popped out I haven't been able to really eat it since. i really want to get back into it since it's so good for you. And I hear yummy things about Steel Cut Oats but they are spendy. Would love to give 'em a try!