“The oat is the Horatio Alger of cereals, which progressed, if not from rags to riches, at least from weed to health food.” ~Waverley Root, Food(1980)
Irish Oatmeal Breakfast Recipe
In honor of National Cereal Week, here is my family’s favorite go to breakfast. It’s nutritious, sorry if that is repetitive, but the teacher side of me is always yelling to be heard. The other great benefit is that it sticks to your ribs and keeps you full until lunch. No more nagging hunger pains. Yeah!!! 
For each serving place the water, a dash of salt and the oatmeal in a medium size pan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and cook for 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, gather your toppings. We love toasted pecans, toasted walnuts, raisins and dried cherries. Maple Syrup and brown sugar are also delicious. Use any toppings that you enjoy. 
Since it takes a while to cook Irish steel cut oats, a nutritionist recommended to a friend of mine to use a crock pot to cook a week’s worth of oatmeal. Microwave each daily portion.
Here is a basic Irish Oatmeal recipe for the crock pot. Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 2 cups steel cut oats
- 8 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Place all the ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. If you cook it longer, the oats come out mushy. Spoon out a portion and top with healthy items like nuts and dried fruit.
Toast pecans in a small frying pan on low for about 5 minutes. 
For more fun recipes using cereal check out the Vanilla Chex Brittle from the Chew.
Irish Oatmeal with Healthy Toppings
By Published: October 18, 2013
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 30-35 mins
- Ready In: 35 mins
“The oat is the Horatio Alger of cereals, which progressed, if not from rags to riches, at least from weed to health food.” …
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 heaping cup steel cut oats
- dash salt
- dried fruits and nuts of choice
- pure maple syrup or brown sugar
Instructions
- For each serving place the water, a dash of salt and the oatmeal in a medium size pan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for 30-35 minutes.
- Top with dried fruit, nuts, maple syrup or brown sugar
