Donny & I did end up going to see the new James Bond movie last night. We went on an official date. My favorite kind of date too…sweat pants included!
We both loved the movie! Not as many cool cars in it, but plenty of action.
Does anyone else think that Christoph Waltz makes a fantastic bad guy?!?! He was the controlling husband in the movie Water for Elephants and he’s been in quite a few other movies. He was in Django Unchained, but I never saw that movie to know what kind of character he plays. I think he makes a great bad guy. He is in Spectre and just gives such a great creepy vibe. Maybe it is his voice. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I like watching him.
Donny had a catering gig on Saturday night and it went really well. We served appetizers of shrimp & grits, a mashed pea and grilled vegetable bruschetta, and a smoked chicken taco. There were two different salads, roasted potatoes, steak with caramelized onions & bleu cheese, pork tenderloin with a cherry sauce, and a pumpkin mousse parfait. It was awesome! Almost everything was served family-style, which I’m a big fan of in terms of serving and receiving. Very cool.
One more BBQ dinner coming up this weekend and then hopefully a break from catering for a while! We have been doing a lot lately. Very fun, but a lot of busy weekends.
On to oatmeal. I’ve been making steel cut oats in the slow cooker for the past few weeks. I love the slow cooker because you can turn it on and walk away. You don’t have to worry about it for a few hours and it makes that part of my meal prep so easy. I made a batch of this Pear & Pomegranate Steel Cut Oats and then took it for my mid-morning snack at the office all week long. I enjoyed it with a side of egg whites or protein powder, depending on the day. The actual oatmeal recipe doesn’t have a ton of protein (as much as I prefer to consume per meal) so I add some on the side.
I love pears but I always seem to forget about them! They are great in this recipe because as the oats cook the pears get cooked as well. The pomegranate arils are not added until after cooking.
Just a heads up, I topped all of my servings with the pomegranate right away and by the end of the week the color had left the arils and seeped into my oats! Haha no big deal, just be aware of that. You could always leave them off until you are ready to eat them.
One disclaimer… this oatmeal recipe is not very sweet. The pears, pomegranate, and cinnamon all add a subtle sweetness, but if you prefer a sweet oatmeal then add a natural sweetner to it. I’d suggest 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup or some stevia.
Also, use a slow cooker liner for this (and everything you do in your slow cooker). The oatmeal gets caked to the sides a little bit, so the liner makes clean-up quick and easy. My favorite kind of clean-up actually…..
- 1 c steel-cut oats
- 4 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 medium, ripe pears
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 - 1/2 c pomegranate arils
- Chop the pears, making sure to remove the core and seeds.
- Place all ingredients, except the pomegranate, in a slow cooker. Stir.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
- Top with 1 tbsp of pomegranate arils before serving.
- Store leftover oats in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Pomegranate arils will lose their red color so sprinkle on top just prior to serving.
- Use a slow cooker liner to make clean up a breeze!
Have you tried making oatmeal in a slow cooker before? What flavors did you use?
