Chai Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats + Weekly Workouts

How was your weekend? We had the biggest pre-Thanksgiving snow in the Chicago area in over 100 years - 11 inches according to the official recording at O'Hare Airport. In the city we had less than half of that in accumulation, but it was still way too much for me. I made the most of it by cooking up a batch of Chai Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats overnight on Friday, so we could enjoy a warm breakfast while watching the snow.

This Chai Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats recipe would also be perfect for a healthy family breakfast before Thanksgiving this week. It only takes a few minutes to mix the ingredients, and I love that it cooks overnight and is ready to go when you wake up. Keep this in your recipe file for winter mornings that look like this:

Pass the spoon!

I used a new chai spice blend that I picked up a few weeks ago from Savory Spice Shop in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. This chai spice includes cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, star anise, allspice, and bay leaves.

You can also make your own if you don't have chai spice in your cupboard - the DIY Chai Spice Mix recipe from Fit Foodie Finds sounds delicious!

Chai Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats
Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients~
1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups water
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 teaspoons chai spice seasoning
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

How to~
*Cook on LOW in a slow cooker / crock pot for 6-8 hours.
*Keep leftovers refrigerated. Reheat each oatmeal serving for one minute with 1/4 cup almond or regular milk. and stir well.

Today also marks the end of week three of the November Fitness Challenge. Earlier this month, I posted about the Nike Get Out Here Contest and my November Fitness Challenge. Nike is challenging athletes to "Get Out Here" this winter as the season changes and we are tempted to hibernate indoors. I'm also challenging myself to "Get Out Here" with five workouts per week in November, outdoors as much possible.

I didn't get outside as much as I would have liked, but I'm hoping to fit in several runs outdoors runs in the final challenge week. Here are my week 3 workouts:

Wednesday, 11/18: Ran 3.1 miles
Thursday, 11/19: 45 minute Cardio Barre class; ran 2 miles
Saturday, 11/21: 20 Minute Home Bodyweight Workout
Sunday, 11/22: 1 hour Pilates class; 3 mile walk

Did you workout this weekend? What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Affiliate link: