Saturday, September 12, 2009

7 Grain Breakfast in the Crockpot!


I love to do breakfast in the crockpot! It is soooo easy, and I love not having to worry about cooking when we have a busy morning. We like oatmeal, but get tired of it occassionaly. Here's a recipe for what I made this morning. I make this ahead in large batches and store in an empty oatmeal container.

7 Grain Cereal

1 c. brown rice
1 c. barley
1 c. whole oat groats
1 c. kamut
1 c. rye berries
1 c. wheat
1 c. quinoa

To cook: For each serving, add 1/4 cup of grain mixture and 1 cup of water to crockpot. Cook on low overnight for 8-10 hours. Serve with milk or yogurt to make a complete protein.

We also like to add peanut butter, cinnamon, honey, raisins, prunes, or diced apples....not all at the same time. Experiment to see what your family likes. If you add the fruit and cook it with the grain, it gives it a great flavor and naturally sweetens it.

This makes 28 servings at 13.5 cents per serving. Of course, your cost will depend on what you pay for the different grains. I found all of these at our local natural foods store. Some of them were organic, so more expensive.

Some of the grains may sprout overnight. Don't freak out. The first time I did this, I was totally surprised in the morning when there were teeny, tiny little white things in the mixture. I thought at first it was worms. Upon closer inspection, I could see that the grains were starting to sprout. This is actually supposed to be really healthy for you. It's pretty tiny and once you realize what it is, it's not that noticeable.....so not gross to eat.

I have two crockpots. One is the little one for dips and fondues. This would be great if you're making one or two servings. The other one is ginormous.....great for cooking a whole chicken or turkey breast, but not so great for cooking 4-6 servings of hot cereal. Crockpots are most efficient if they are at least 2/3 full. My solution is to use an oven safe glass bowl that fits inside my crockpot. Just put all of the ingredients in there and cook away.

Hope you enjoy this healthy, economical and time-saving alternative to traditional hot breakfast cereals!

No comments:

Post a Comment