Hold On To Autumn With Slow Cooker Pumpkin Oatmeal

This recent trend of plowing straight from Halloween to Christmas just rubs me the wrong way.

Fall is by far my favorite season. Everything from Thanksgiving feasts with family and friends, to the gorgeous autumn leaves that blanket the city from late October through November just make me all fuzzy in inside, and I want the opportunity to enjoy it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas as much as the next person, but when the holiday season lasts from September through January, folks just get sick of it.

Tom Turkey and his friends deserve their due, so we’re going to show ’em a little love with this week’s recipe: slow cooker pumpkin oatmeal.

Whether your kids are young or old, mornings are often chaos, and having an easy-to-prepare breakfast is a must.

The great thing about this oatmeal recipe, is that you can fix it on Sunday, store it in an airtight container, and then just heat a serving in the microwave throughout the week. It’s super tasty and better than the store bought packages because you know exactly what’s inside.

First things first, pull together your ingredients:

• 2 cups of steel cut oats
• 1.5 cups of pumpkin puree
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon of nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon of ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Spray cooking spray or add butter to the sides and bottom of your slow cooker. Do not skip this step.

Next pour all of the ingredients into your slow cooker, and add seven cups of water. This is the perfect spot to have the kids come into the kitchen and help out. Stir the mixture until there are no big pumpkin puree lumps.

Turn the slow cooker on low, and go about your day.

After about four hours, you should have a delicious batch of oatmeal to share with your family throughout the week. We’ve topped with brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and nuts, but it’s easy to customize to your taste. Enjoy!

Have a fall recipe? Email editor@bklyner.com, and share it with us!