80--- Overnight Oats

This recipe is almost like having a personal chef. You wake up in the morning, and breakfast is ready!

As we've already discussed, oats contain a type of fiber known as beta glucan. This magical fiber has the ability to lower cholesterol levels more than any other type of fiber! Studies have shown that consuming 3 g of soluble oat fiber per day (equivalent to one bowl of oatmeal) can lower your cholesterol levels between 8 and 23%! To top it off, antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of heart disease.

Show someone that you love them and that you want their heart to be healthy forever! Make them some crock pot/ slow cooker oatmeal!

Overnight Oats
Serves 4

1 cup steel cut oats

3 cups water

1 cup skim milk (for dairy-free, replace with 1 cup water)

1/2 cup dried fruit of choice (I used cherries-- so yummy!)

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans, almonds, etc)

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Dried fruit and nuts for garnish

Place all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Stir and serve! Garnish with a few pieces of dried fruit, nuts and milk, if desired.

Nutrition info per ~1 1/4 cups: 292 calories, 7 g fat, 10 g protein, 45 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber