Make ahead, warm, hearty, fall breakfast yumminess? Yes please!
As a European, I had never heard of a slow cooker before my American fiancé a couple of years ago mentioned that we should get one. So we did, and I have to say that it is now my favorite kitchen appliance! It is so easy to use, and I love how you can prepare meals in advance. That being waking up to ready-to-go breakfasts like this recipe, or coming home after a long day and dinner being on the table already. Not to mention the smell of delicious food that fills the whole apartment as the slow cooker is working its magic. Mmmm.
A lot of mornings we start our day early with a workout outside, regardless of the weather. Especially this time a year, coming back inside to a warm already prepared breakfast makes everything easier and better! It also allows me to take an extra long warm shower because I don’t have to worry about hurrying to make breakfast before Lance has to leave for work. It’s time saving, easy to use and makes delicious flavorful meals. Really, what is not to love??? Come to think about it, a slow cooker would make a great Christmas gift for my Danish family…
But enough about slow cookers and more about granola stuffed apples! When I made this I was a bit afraid that it would not be filling enough. We like a healthy filling breakfast to ensure high energy levels throughout the day, and that means that we often have a lot of grains in the morning. It turned out though that this breakfast was plenty filling – even for my fiancé Lance who has been known to have the appetite of a horse! 😉 I put everything together in the evening and set the timer for 5 hours. The slow cooker then kept the apples warm until we were ready to eat.
You can use any granola that you like, but the below granola recipe is one of my favorites. Unlike the ones that you buy in grocery stores it is actually purely based on healthy whole ingredients and is free from refined sugars. No more sugar spikes that leave you tired before lunchtime already!
Let me know how you like it.
Love,
Steph
Slow Cooker Granola-Stuffed Baked Apples
INGREDIENTS (2 portions)
- 4 large apples
- Granola (see recipe below)
- Yogurt of choice – for example coconut yogurt or Greek yoghurt
- Honey
METHOD
Wash and core apples, leaving enough of the core at the base of the apple to contain the filling. Add the granola to the cored apples and place them in the slow cooker. Add about half an inch of water to the slow cooker and cover with lid. Cook on low for 5 hours. Serve with yogurt of your choice and a drizzle of honey for extra sweetness.
Super-fast Goji Berry Granola
INGREDIENTS (2 portions)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
- 1 cup almonds
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbs honey
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup goji berries
METHOD
Put almonds in a food processor and blend slightly. I like to keep the pieces big and chunky! Heat pan over medium high heat and add almonds and rolled oats. Roast for about 2 minutes and add all other ingredients except for the goji berries. Roast for about 5 more minutes, stirring often not to burn. Take the granola off the heat and add the goji berries.
NOTES
I like to overstuff the apples for a more even balance between the apples and the granola.
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