• I love breakfast. Breakfast makes me happy. A good warm, hearty meal gets me all warm and fuzzy feeling. What I do not love, is making breakfast. To make a big breakfast in my house, I either have to wake up well before my brood or accept that we are going to eat a little bit later than usual. I’m not sure about you and yours, but my kids wake up hungry. The thought of waiting that extra twenty minutes could be their undoing. Most days I would rather not risk it. For this reason I often turn to crock pot breakfasts. Things that I can assemble the night before to enjoy the following day.

    I prefer to have breakfast ready at 8am, so for a dish that needs to cook 8 hours it needs to be turned on at midnight. Not a problem if you head to bed at that time or thereabouts. I’m in bed by 10:30 though. So I need my crock pot to magically turn on for me while I am sleeping. All you need to do this is a light timer. You know, the kind you use to have your Christmas tree turn on and off. Or the kind you use to have your lamps turn on and off while you are on vacation. Simply set the timer to come on at midnight, plug it in and your crockpot (set to the appropriate setting) and go! So easy.

    For this recipe you will need:

    2-3 firm apples sliced

    1/2 cup packed brown sugar

    2 teaspoons of salt

    1 tablespoon cinnamon

    2 cups old fashioned oats (not instant or you will end up with gruel for breakfast)

    1 cup apple juice

    1 cup water

    2 cups milk

    Spray your crockpot with non stick spray, or line it with foil. Place all of the ingredients into your slow cooker in the order listed. The is no need to stir. Turn that thing on at midnight or 1 am. Enjoy hot apple cinnamon oatmeal when you awake.