A big heaping bowl of irish oatmeal for breakfast almost always hits the spot for me, but I haven't had any for quite a while now. I guess I have it in my mind that oatmeal isn't exactly a summer sort of breakfast, so I tend to brush it aside for these grueling few months of 100 degree weather.

However, oatmeal was a specific request on the part of my grandmother, and since it's getting down to her last few weeks here... I thought I would finally oblige!

I didn't want to make the same irish oatmeal that she had before when she was here last summer to visit. No, no. I wanted to try something a little different.

Blueberries and bananas anyone?

This blueberry banana oatmeal was a pretty amazing thing to wake up to this morning. I had nearly forgot all about it until I started down the stairs and got a whiff of that sweet oatmeal that had been cooking all night long in the kitchen. Yum!

I ended up tossing in some leftover frozen blueberries that I had stored away in my freezer, but fresh would work just as well, if not better. As you can see, my blueberries started to run and turn my oatmeal and milk purple. If you do use frozen, just be sure not to stir them around too much (or at all really), unless you are in the mood for some purple oatmeal.

I topped my oatmeal with a bit more milk and some organic vanilla granola. That's it! This oatmeal was sweet enough with the banana in there and I didn't feel that it needed anything else added. Next time though, I may try some slivered almonds or other kind of chopped nut in place of the granola - just to mix things up!

Crock Pot Blueberry & Banana Irish Oatmeal
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 4 • Size: About 1 1/2 Cups • Calories: 248.4 • Fat: 2.9 g • Carb: 51.3 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 6.7 g • Sugar: 20 g • Sodium: 326.9 mg

Ingredients:
1 C. Steel Cut Oats
4 C. Water
1 C. Fat Free Milk
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 C. Blueberries (I used frozen.)
1 Banana, Sliced

Directions:
Coat the inside of your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray or line with a removable liner.

Combine all of the ingredients into the crock pot, except for the fruit.

Secure the lid and cover to cook on low for 6-8 hours on high for 4-6 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, toss in the blueberries and banana.

Cover and continue to cook for the remaining 30 minutes or until the blueberries are warmed.

Serve with added milk, granola, or any other toppings that you prefer and enjoy!