Steel Cut Oats in a Jar with Berries and Flax Seeds

Tis the season for oatmeal.  Around this time every year I start craving a bowl of steaming oats topped with fresh berries, nuts, and a splash of milk.  Preferably, I like the oats in a mug or something I can get my hands around to keep my palms warm, while I'm enjoying breakfast. I was inspired recently to pre-make several mornings worth of oats and place them in my favorite glass jars for a quick reheat and tasty meal to go.

When life gets crazy, and is always is around this time of year, I don't have much time to sit and enjoy breakfast, so taking a jar full of hot steel cut oats on my way out the door is the perfect solution.  This is a simple recipe for steel cut oats with flax seeds, chia seeds and berries that you can make on a Sunday before your work week, then enjoy all week long.  This recipe brightens my mornings every time and make life just that much easier.



The idea of oats in a jar is quite simple and you could use almost any oatmeal recipe.  Ingredients to avoid would be any that you think would get soggy or not stay fresh for a week in the fridge (like bananas).  Some of my favorites include Pumpkin Pie Oats and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Oats - both of which are great recipes for 'Oats in a Jar.'



Steel Cut Oats in a Jar with Berries
4 days of delicious breakfast to go

INGREDIENTS
1 cup of steel cut oats
3 cups of water
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of flax seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon of chia seeds (optional)
1/2 cup of frozen berries
4 jars

DIRECTIONS
Bring the water to a boil then add the steel cut oats along with the seeds. Let oats come to a boil, then turn to a medium low simmer for 25 minutes until the water is almost all absorbed.  Stir in the maple syrup. Divide this mixture into 4 jars then top each jar with a generous amount of frozen berries. Screw on the lids then refrigerate until your busy morning begins.

Remove the jar lid, then microwave for 1.5 minutes covered with a paper towel (to prevent the berries from splattering all over your microwave). Stir and enjoy with a splash of warmed milk!