Overnight Slow Cooker Oatmeal

Breakfast slowly cooking away while you sleep, ready to eat when you wake! My family is off and on with oatmeal, so I thought this might be another way for them to like it. I've made another recipe like this before, but it burnt. I decided to try another recipe (I actually combine several here) and cook it for less hours, keeping it at warm until we woke. I put mine in at 10 pm (of you have a timer on your slow cooker that would be great, no need to stay up later to get this going) and it kept warm for a few hours before we woke and guess what? It wasn't burnt this time! The kids did eat some of it, but I guess today was their off day to liking oatmeal. Had it been gluten free oats, I'd of eaten it all up.

Overnight Slow Cooker Oatmeal

2 Cups regular oats (gluten free if you need GF)
4 Cups water
1/2 Cup milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 TBL. butter, cut up
1/4 C. brown sugar

1 peeled, diced apple


Add all to slow cooker, give a gently stir to combine, cover and cook on low 5 hrs, keep on warm until ready to eat, serve as desired.


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Grilled Steak and Cheese Sandwiches

I have been craving these since I went gluten free and can no longer eat at our cheese steak shop, so I finally decided to try my GF dinner roll recipe as a hoagie. It worked great! Mr. loved these and still talks about them. We happened to have a friend over so he was lucky to get one too, he loved it. Warm soft rolls full of delicious grilled steak, onions and peppers with melty gooey cheese....you know you want some!

Grilled Steak and Cheese Sandwiches
adapted from BHG

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce (Tamari for gluten free)
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (be sure it's gluten free)
Ground black pepper
1 large sweet vidalia onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings
2-3 bell peppers, sliced
1 1/2 pounds beef steak, sliced thinly (I used our fave trip tip steak)
3 slices Provolone cheese, divided
3 slices Mozzarella cheese, divided
3 slices American cheese, divided
6 soft hoagie rolls (gluten free recipe here)

Combine oil, the vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Divide marinade in half, in large baggies or bowls, add half to the onions and peppers and the other half to the steak. Let it all  marinate for a few hours if you have time.

Heat grill on medium, using a smaller grill tray (so food does not fall through) grill the peppers and onions until softened slightly, remove and keep warm. Add steak and grill, tossing to cook it, takes just a few minutes. Remove, set aside. Discard marinade.

Turn on oven broiler.
Wrap each roll in a foil boat (it helps them stay put while in the oven and easier to serve and eat) place on baking sheet, add some peppers and onions and steak to each roll. Cut each cheese slice in half, add a half of each kind to each roll. Once each roll is assembled, place under broiler for cheese to melt. Enjoy!

fresh baked gluten free rolls, for me!

grilling peppers and onions

grilling the steak, grills fast!

assembly line

stuffed with steak, peppers and onions

melted cheese, ready to eat!

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Cinnamon Toast

Bake and broiled cinnamon toast! We're guilty of the toasted bread slathered in butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar way, then I saw this. So my lucky family was able to indulge in this treat one weekend. It smelled amazing cooking away, that warm buttery cinnamon with vanilla, Mmmm! I will be making a loaf of gluten free bread so that I can try this myself too. They loved it, except the burnt edges, watch your broiler! It's cinnamon toast like you've never had before!

Cinnamon Toast

slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman

8 slices bread
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. Stir to completely combine. Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges. Place toast on a lined cookie sheet. Place sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbly. It takes just a minute or so, watch it! Remove from oven and cut in half.

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Strawberries and Cream Smoothie

I'm part of a Facebook smoothie group, and this is one non green smoothie that was posted. I love all the ingredients and in smoothie form it's just delicious. No one knows there's avocado in it either! I made this after our big hike up the mountain, it was refreshing and filled me up for a few hours.

Strawberries and Cream Smoothie
adapted from my smoothie Facebook group/via #SmoothieAlchemy 

2 cups strawberries
1/2 large avocado
1 banana
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1-2 cups coconut water

Add all ingredients to a blender, blend well. Serves 4-5.


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Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Fruit Dip

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This is my new most favorite snack! It's a creamy greek yogurt with the flavors of peanut butter and cinnamon. I love it with sliced apples and bananas. Mix up a bigger batch to have on hand all week.

Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Fruit Dip 
from Family Fresh Meals 

6 oz plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy with fresh fruit.



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Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Um, I will never buy canned refried beans again. You have got to try these! Super simple, makes a lot (serves 15 so you may half the recipe or make bean burritos to freeze!) and they tasted so good!! We all loved them.


Slow Cooker Refried Beans
from Allrecipes

1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
9 cups water

Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water
and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher (I used my immersion blender to puree them), adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

ready to cook all day

cooked and drained

pureed, ready to serve

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Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

There is a recipe blogged that my Husband likes for chicken enchiladas, but I was not in the mood to make gluten free cream of mushroom soup for it, so I decided to give these highly rated ones a try. So glad I did, because I loved the sauce on these. I went ahead and used some chicken and pork I had as leftovers, shredded and frozen for a later use, it came in handy! I wrapped a few up in my gluten free tortillas (liking Rudi's brand) and the rest in regular for them.

I served these with homemade Mexican rice, homemade slow cooker refried beans (to be linked) and gluten free cornbread.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas 
adapted from mexican.food.com

1 lb chicken breast, diced (could also use beef or pork)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies, divided
8 flour tortillas, softened (8 inches each, gluten free blend)
1 1/2 cups reduced fat Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour (gluten free blend)
1 (15 ounce) can low sodium chicken broth (gluten free)
1 cup light sour cream

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a fry pan, cook chicken and onion together in oil over medium-high heat until chicken is just done. Shred, combine with one can of green chilies. (I used some precooked chicken and pork I had frozen and shredded prior)
Divide cooked shredded chicken evenly between 8 tortillas; add 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese to each tortilla.

Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in 9x13" baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in flour to make a roux; stir and cook until bubbly; gradually whisk in chicken broth then bring to boiling, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and one can green chiles; pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.

Top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese (baking dish may be double-wrapped and frozen at this point) and bake at 400' for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish is bubbly.

These worked great!

gluten free rolled enchiladas, no breakage!

mexican rice, cornbread and beans

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