Meals and recipes that save you money - Winter Version.

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Tonight I put oatmeal in the crockpot. It will be ready in the morning and I will have extra's for a few other days this week. My recipe makes 8 servings and cost about .25cents per serving and it keeps you full all morning.

Crockpot Oatmeal

1 cup steel oats (I find you do have to use steel oats)
4 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp margarine
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Place the ingredients in your crockpot before bed. Set on low. It is done in approximately 8 hours.

What do you make to save money during the Winter that your family enjoys?

 

[sherry7]

I love steel cut oats in the crock pot. They're aggravating to cook the normal way, so this is the only way I usually make them. If you want to avoid cleaning all of the gunk off the crock, try making them this way: http://annkroeker.com/2008/03/25/overnight-crockpot-steel-cut-oatmeal/

I make a lot of stuff in the crock pot, and I suppose most of it is fairly cost efficient. Chili and soups are my favorites.

 

[Mrs D]

Holy cow! I would have NEVER thought to do oatmeal in a crock pot! DH was just saying how steel cut oats have so much protein but there's no way either of us could cook them before he's out the door for work. Won't he be surprise when he wakes up to this - just gotta run out to get the oats tomorrow!
Thanks ladies!

 

[neatokimmo]

Dumb question, how are steel cut oats different than what comes in the big canister?

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Dumb question, how are steel cut oats different than what comes in the big canister?

1. What is a Rolled Oat?
Rolled oats originate from something called groats, which are the hulled cores of the grains. The oats are then formed into flakes via a rolling mechanism. You can easily recognize rolled oats by their flat, flake-like shapes.

2. Study Steel-Cut Oats
Upon a quick glance at a bag of steel-cut oats, you'll see that they are noticeably smaller than rolled oats and are similar in appearance to cut-up pieces of rice. A whole-grain oat, the steel-cut variety, is made of the inner kernel (groat) and has been split in two to three sections. Other names you might encounter for such oats include coarse cut, Irish and pinhead.

One primary difference between the two foods is that it takes longer to cook the steel-cut oats than the thinner, rolled flakes. Understand that cooking such oats will take at least 50 percent more time than it would with the flakes. Still, this does depend on the cut of the oat and the recipe you are following.

3. Understand the Uses for Both Oats
You can make oatmeal with both rolled and steel-cut oats. Some people prefer steel-cut oats in their recipes because they have a more substantial texture or a bit of a crunch. Additionally, steel-cut oats have a nuttier flavor over rolled or regular oats. This can lend a toasted quality to an otherwise ordinary bowl of oatmeal.

As far as the nutritional content of rolled and steel-cut oats is concerned, you'll find that they are both healthy. Oats possess vitamin E, iron and a wonder antioxidant known as avenanthramide. As published in "The Journal of Nutrition," this unique oat compound helps to prevent damage to LDL cholesterol, making it a very heart-healthy choice.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/7851-understand-difference-between-rolled-steel-cut/#ixzz1461edYr0