Overnight Steel-Cut Oats - Crock Pot Method

My friend, LaDonna, has asked me to post my recipe for overnight steel-cut oats cooked in the crock pot.  It really couldn't be easier, and having breakfast ready and waiting for me when I get up in the morning just makes my day.

If you've made steel-cut oats on the stovetop, you know that it takes awhile, around 25 minutes.  That's because these oats have not been processed and broken down into flakes so that they'll cook faster.  On the plus side their nutritional content has not been processed out so they are much healthier for your body.  And with this crock-pot method they are as easy as instant oatmeal!

All you need is a crock-pot and a container that will fit easily into it:

I use this overly-large mug; it's really meant for soups more than coffee, and it works perfectly for a single serving of steel-cut oats.

For the recipe, just remember the proportion of water to steel-cut oats, which is 4 to 1.  So for a single serving, place 1 cup water and 1/4 cup steel-cut oats into your inner container.  Add a dash of salt and stir gently.  If you like, add raisins or other dried up fruit (I like dried apricots or cranberries); they will be plump and tender by morning.

Now pour water into the crock-pot until the level is the same as the level of the water in your inner container.

Set the crock-pot on low (don't forget to plug it in), and go to bed!

 In-process

 

Ready to eat!

In the morning, your steel-cut oats will be cooked perfectly and need only a stir and whatever additions (dried fruit, raisins, nuts, coconut) or toppings (milk, brown sugar, honey, etc.) you prefer.

*Be careful when removing the inner container - it will be hot!  Use pot holders or a dishtowel, not your bare hands!

I have also made steel-cut oats with milk or soy milk instead of water - both taste great. I'm especially fond of using vanilla-flavored soy milk - yum!

For more servings you can use a larger crock pot like this one:

Two bowls sit nicely side by side:

Or use a single, large bowl.  Make sure there is space around whatever container you use; you'll need to be able to get your hands (using pot holders) around it to lift it out.  And if you are worried you will forget to stir, be sure to get someone to supervise you:

To make a family-size amount simply put the inner container aside and place 4 cups water and 1 cup steel-cut oats (remember, 4 to 1!) directly into an 8-qt crock-pot (the smaller sized one).  Add a teaspoon or so of salt (depending on how much you like salt - I tend to go very easy on it) and whatever additions you want.  Turn the crock-pot on low and let cook overnight.  This makes 4 good sized servings.  Leftovers re-warm nicely in the microwave.

One last thing I've discovered: I can buy steel-cut oats in a simple plastic bag at Pedrotti's Produce in Davis, CA., for perhaps a third of the price of my local supermarket.  So check your local produce stands, especially those that are open year-round and stock dried beans, fruits, grains, etc., or perhaps you can find them at a good price in the bulk barrels at the larger supermarkets.

Enjoy!

Vegan Diet - My 28-Day Challenge

I've been talking about this on Facebook recently and am getting lots of questions, some concerns, and a ton of comments both for and against a totally vegan diet.

Instead of trying to keep up with multiple conversation threads on Facebook, and sending out individual emails answering the same questions over and over, I realized I should be posting to my blog so everyone who wants to, can follow along and see how things go.  Not to mention it will be a great way for me to really document this little journey and what I discover from it.

So, on Day Two, here goes!

The #1 Question - Why?

First, let me say I've been surprised to find that the subject of whether or not to eat animals is very nearly as emotional an issue as abortion or gay marriage! My own viewpoint has always been that animals are here on the earth for use (in healthy moderation) by mankind and, while I do totally object to any inhumane method of raising and butchering livestock (yes, I've read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, and it's horrifying), I have no moral issues about eating animals.  A line I still won't cross, though, is eating lamb or veal because I have an emotional objection to eating baby animals, and I consider the way veal is typically raised to be very cruel.

The reason I'm taking this challenge is for my own health. 

I'm 5'6" (purt near anyway), 136 lbs. and I have high cholesterol.

I know!  I was shocked, too, when my doctor told me a few years ago.  I always assumed that if I managed to keep my weight down and exercised regularly there was no way cholesterol would be a problem for me.  Wrong.  As it turns out cholesterol is manufactured by our own bodies, and how much our bodies create varies widely from person to person, and is hereditary.  Apparently, like my mom's, my body is highly proficient at mass-producing cholesterol.  So, for someone like me, it is important NOT to consume additional cholesterol because that's when the numbers shoot up to the danger levels.

Guess what?  Plant-based foods have NO cholesterol.  At all.  Ever.  Anywhere.

Hm!

At the same time that I was considering how to change my diet to reduce my cholesterol, one of my moms mentioned on Facebook that she was reading "The China Study," by T. Colin Champbell, PhD, and that she was learning a lot about the adverse health effects of the average American diet.  I decided to get the book and see if I could learn anything useful. That very same week I happened to catch a portion of The Dr. Oz Show. One of his guests that day was Rocco, a cowboy who had been on the verge of literally eating himself to death.  A month ago Dr. Oz challenged Rocco with a 28-day vegan diet.  Now Rocco was back to report how he'd done and to find out the results of a post-28-day diet round of blood work. 

Not surprisingly, his cholesterol was greatly improved and, according to Dr. Oz, would continue to improve if Rocco stuck to his new healthy way of eating.

Shortly after watching the show I cracked open "The China Study" and, just be an amazing coincidence turned directly to page 231 and read:

"By definition, for a food chemical to be an essential nutrient, it must meet two requirements:

* the chemical is necessary for healthy human functioning
* the chemical must be something our bodies cannot make on their own, and therefore must be obtained from an outside source

One example of a chemical that is not essential is cholesterol, a component of animal-based food that is nonexistent in plant-based food.  While cholesterol is essential for health, our bodies can make all that we required; so we do not need to consume any in food."

And, for some us us, it's adverse to our health to consume cholesterol in food.

So that's the why of my new diet.  At the end of the 28 days I'll have my cholesterol checked again and see if there's improvement, and how much improvement. 

"I could never give up meat!"   I'm getting this comment a lot.  I don't think I'll have too much problem with that.  Mike and I have already been veering away from a diet heavy in meat, and for a few years now I've been tending toward mostly chicken, ground turkey, and the occasional steak.  I seldom eat bacon or sausage, and I'm really not a huge fan of fish.  I love tuna fish but a tuna sandwich always gives me a stomach-ache (I don't know why).  Several years ago when I was first diagnosed with high cholesterol I decided to give almost totally give up mayonnaise and butter.  I say almost because I do eat both occasionally, but I'm quite used to not putting butter on cooked vegetables, or mayonnaise on a sandwich.  I LOVE ice cream but, like tuna, I usually get a stomache-ache if I eat it (is that my body trying to tell me something)?

I think what I'm going to miss the most is MILK.  All my life I have had a glass of milk with dinner.  Soy milk just doesn't cut it.  Last night I ended up having a half a glass of soy milk and a glass of water with dinner.  I really, really missed that milk - oh, and so did my cat, Scout, since she usually helps herself to a bit straight out of my glass. 

I guess we're both going to have to adjust!

Never Give Up on Your Dreams

ACCEPTANCE!

As many of you know, my son Rodrigo, has been trying to get into a Physician Assistant program for nearly two years now. Yesterday he interviewed at UC Davis School of Medicine for their PA program and shortly after the interview, while he was driving home, the school called and offered him a spot! Obviously the interviewers felt the same way Rodrigo did after the interview: that he and their program were a perfect fit!

Needless to say, we are all ecstatic! This was his NUMBER ONE choice of schools, and one of MY two first choices since it's located here in northern California, and that means he and his new bride, Dianna, will be moving up this way, whoohooooo!!!

Here is a look at the Physician Assistant curriculum:

This curriculum consists of 112.5 quarter units over eight quarters with courses in:

* Advanced Principles of Primary Health Care
* Behavioral Science
* Ethics
* Family Practice
* Family Theory
* Fundamentals of Primary Health Care (medicine)
* Geriatric Medicine
* Health Assessment
* Health Care of the Western Farmworker
* Pharmacology
* Professional Development
* Clinical Preceptorships
* Clinical Geriatrics
* In-patient Rotation
* Surgery Rotation

Finally, after years of working in the administrative side of the health care profession, Rodrigo will be moving into the hands-on patient care area, and his desire to work with the underserved populations of California is one of the specific situations for which UC Davis' program prepares its students.

Just goes to show: never give up on your dreams.

Staying Calm While Uncertainty Reigns

I'm not referring to the economy, which is increasingly uncertain for so many people (including us), but to family issues. Mike's dad, Art, is doing well at the moment, but he had a heart attack Tuesday evening, went to the hospital, and had surgery today to have stints inserted into the arteries of his heart.

I took Mike to the airport early this morning where he caught a 7 a.m. flight to Tampa, Florida. He'll spend at least the next week in Zephyrhills to give Betty whatever support and help he can, and to keep track of what's going on with Art. Each time Art has a major health issue we get a little more worried. He's already had two quadruple bypass surgeries. He's a stubborn old bird (and Mike is just like him!) so our expectation is that he will pull through yet again.

Mike is good at staying calm and rational. I operate more on emotions (which is probably why we make a good pair). But although I felt strongly that Mike needed to go to Florida, I don't feel a strong inner indication that we are about to lose Art. Mike and I decided I would stay here so that I can finish up two client projects that need to be completed by Christmas. If circumstances warrant it, I'll hop the first plane I can get.

Mike called earlier this evening. He arrived in Florida and had been to the hospital. He said Art was doing well; he was even up and walking a bit! So things are definitely looking up. I wish I were there; I hate to miss out on any family get-togethers no matter the reason, but we have been planning to make a "real" visit to Florida in January or February, so I'll continue to plan on that trip. I'm just keeping in mind that it's GOOD that I'm not there now because if I were it would indicate a downturn in Art's health.

So I'm remaining calm (I refer to the photo above if I start to worry), and I'm optimistic that Art will be around to pummel me in dominoes or cards in 2009 because I'm really looking forward to it!