**Meal Prep** Steel Cut Oatmeal

Hey everyone! Hope you are having a great Tuesday!! One thing my husband and I have started doing on Sunday nights is Meal Prep. He works all week and in order for him to have the appropriate meals and no tempation to run to the snack machine...we have to prep his meals!! Even though I stay at home, I don't have much time with my little ones to prepare much so doing this ahead of time is a HUGE time saver!!

I love oatmeal. If you go under the recipes tab....you will see quite a few oatmeal recipes. It is delicious and super healthy. Steel cut oats are my fave!! I don't always have time to make them in the morning so this time around I decided to prep 4-5 servings ahead of time to save time during the week!

This is a very basic recipe. I like to add my sweetener and toppings right before I am ready to eat these. My favorite is sliced banana, drizzle of honey and chunky peanut butter! 

{Meal Prep} Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal

-makes 4-5 servings

• 1 cup Steel cut oats
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place all of the ingredients in your Crock pot. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. Enjoy right away or store in air tight container in the refrigerator.

To prepare: Place desired portion  (I make 1/2 cup or 1 yellow if doing the 21 Day Fix)  in microwave safe bowl. Add a splash of milk and and microwave until warm. (2 minutes works for me!) Top with fruit, nut butters, yogurt, nuts or seeds! :)

Enjoy!!

{Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup}

There is just nothing better on a cold and rainy day than a hot bowl of soup. I grew up eating this soup weekly during the fall and winter and I have always loved it. I would say it is my favorite soup of all time. It is hearty and delicious. I am also proud to say that my 4 year old gobbled this up and asked for seconds! This child never eats veggies!! I was amazed!! If you are looking for a simple and delicious soup...this one is for you!

Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 16 oz. organic mixed vegetables (mine has green beans, carrots, corn and peas)
• 1 cup frozen baby lima beans
• 24 oz. stewed tomatoes (I use canned tomatoes from my mother-in-law's garden)
• 2 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef and onions in a skillet until beef is fully cooked and onions are translucent. Place in Crock pot. Add remaining ingredients (except for salt and pepper.) Cook for 6-8 hours on low. Salt and pepper to taste before serving.

**Feel free to play around with the veggies in this soup! You could really use any veggies that you like!! Sometimes I add shredded cabbage to this as well! So good!

ENJOY!!! 

Crock Pot Apple & Sausage Dressing}

I am pretty sure you can't have Thanksgiving without dressing or stuffing! Am I right?? My Grandmother's dressing is out of this world!! I have no idea what she puts in it but it is absolutely delicious and perfect every year! This Crock pot dressing is SO simple but AWESOME!! My husband was COMPLETELY shocked at how good this was!! We both adored it! Take this to your Thanksgiving get-together....I promise you everyone will love it!

Crock Pot Apple and Sausage Dressing

• 8 oz. Chicken Apple Maple Breakfast Sausage (chopped into small pieces) **I used this brand
• 2 cups onions (chopped)
• 2 cups apples (peeled and chopped) **I used Gala
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. Herbs de Provence
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 7 slices Ezekiel bread (toasted and chopped into cubes)
• 14.5 oz. can organic chicken broth **or msg. free/low sodium

Add sausage, onions, apples and olive oil to a medium sized pan and cook on medium to medium-high heat until onions are translucent. Add spices, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add to Crock Pot that has been sprayed with olive oil spray.  Stir in bread and chicken broth. 

Cover and cook on low for an hour and a half. 

 Need some other ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner?? Click here!