The $10 Food Day #4: Slow Cooker Apple Oatmeal
Steel cut oats taste great when prepared in a slow cooker. This recipe incorporates apples for extra flavor. Consider this ultra cheap breakfast recipe to add to your rotation.
It’s been awhile since the last $10 Food Day series. A year and a half, to be exact.
Is it possible to eat on $10 a day?
In all honesty, it’s a challenge coming up with 4 crazy cheap recipes that cost less than $10 total. But I did it, and I’m super excited to share them with you!
What Is The $10 Food Day?
A one-day menu featuring four recipes (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack), enough to feed a family of four – for less than $10 for the entire day. I’ve done three $10 Food Days before:
Consider mixing and matching recipes to come up with a menu your family will love.
Steel-Cut Oats Made In The Slow Cooker
Slow cooker apple oatmeal. Why haven’t I made this sooner?
Besides being cheap, this recipe is extremely easy. Just throw all the ingredients in a crock pot the night before, and you wake up to a delicious breakfast that is ready to go.
I love the idea of apple-themed breakfasts this time of the year. I always seem to manage to get some free apples in the fall from friendly neighbors. Even better, when I’m trying to stick to a $10-a-day food budget.
More Affordable Oatmeal Recipes
How to make steel cut oats in a slow cooker
The Cost
- Steel cut oats (1 1/2 cups) = $1.08
- Milk (2 cups) = $.34
- Apple = $.70
- Other ingredients (butter, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon) = $.25
Total cost for entire recipe = $2.37 (enough for four huge servings or eight small servings)
Another low-cost oatmeal recipe: Simple baked oatmeal (Just $.46 per serving)
Where You Shop Matters
For purposes of sticking to a $10-a-day food budget, it matters where you shop. Prices vary dramatically from grocery store to grocery store. A few months ago, I went to eight different types of grocery stores to compare prices on common food items. It was eye-opening.
= Find out what grocery store is the cheapest =
Check Back For The Remaining $10 Food Day Recipes!
Over the next few days, I will be posting the remaining three recipes (lunch, dinner, and a snack). Be sure to check back on the blog, or follow me on Facebook to get notified there.
Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Apple Oatmeal
This recipe makes a huge batch. You may have enough left for breakfasts throughout the week, depending on how many you are feeding.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups steel cut oats
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups milk (any kind will work - I used 2 percent)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 apple, chopped
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray (or coat with butter). Place all ingredients except for the apple in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
- When there is an hour left, stir in the chopped apple. Serve with brown sugar, honey, chopped nuts, cinnamon, additional chopped apples, or other toppings.
This looks so good! I am still trying to hunt down a steel cut oat that does not have a “may contain” or “processed on equipment” warning label for tree nuts. When I do, this will be the first recipe I try (minus the nuts, of course!).