Omnomnom: Apple Pie Slow Cooker Oatmeal

There is not much better than waking up to a kitchen smelling of apple pie AND not having to scramble first thing to get everyone fed. JiggleyBoy and I love steel cut oats, but they take upwards of half an hour to make in the morning, which we really just don't have time for. Enter slow cooker oatmeal. Basically you throw everything into your slow cooker or crock pot or whatever you call yours, turn it to low before you go to bed and BAM! You have a hot, fill-your-belly, breakfast waiting for you in the morning.
I cheat a little bit on my Apple Pie and Pumpkin Slow Cooker Oatmeal... but we still love them.
What You Need:

• Slow cooker
• Can of apple pie filling (this has some sugar added to it, but no spices - you could dice up some fresh apple and sweeten to your taste as well, which would be just as tasty)
• 1c Steel cut oats - don't use quick or minute oats, as these will cook WAY too fast
• 2c low fat milk (I use 1%)
• 2c water
• Epicure's Apple Pie Spice

What You Do: Everything together in your slow cooker, season to taste (I just generously sprinkle my Apple Pie Spice), set it on low and go to bed.
Alternately, if your cooker tends to be warmer on low (as my crappy little one is), you can also cook this like a double boiler by mixing everything into a heat safe bowl that fits into your cooker, filling your cooker with water and setting your bowl into the water (make sure the bowl doesn't float).




1c of SC oats makes 4 heaping servings. I throw it in some Tupperware, store in the fridge and heat it up in the microwave in the morning. You can keep it for about 5 days in the fridge... I'm not sure how much longer, ours has never sat that long. ;)
Hope you enjoy! Please share if you've got some more great slow cooker oatmeal recipes. If you try this one, I'd love to know what you think!
Also, don't forget that #JiggleyMommysFavThings for the month of November is EPICURE! If you place an order with my pal, Donna, you will get your name entered into a weekly and grand prize draw. You can place an online order HERE, just make sure you attach your order to the JIGGLEY MOMMY 'party'. Or you can contact Donna on facebook or through the JM facebook page

My Favorite Things: Epicure

On this installment of #JiggleyMommysFavThings is EPICURE!
I don't think I need to get into too much detail about why Epicure products are wonderful - they really speak for themselves. I started using Epicure because I wanted to find a lower sodium, healthier alternative to spices and dips. And Epicure gives just that. They use high quality ingredients in all of their products which really shows.
For the month of November I'm teaming up with Donna McAuley-Forsyth, an independent Epicure Consultant, to bring you some awesome deals and giveaways.
The Deets:

• Each week, everyone who placed an order, will get their name put into a draw for an awesome weekly giveaway (draws will be held on Sunday evenings)
• At the end of the month, everyone who placed an order throughout the month will get their name put into a draw for a GRAND PRIZE. (final draw will be held on Nov 30)
• For any order over $65, you'll get your choice of Creamy Ranch or Chipotle Bacon Cheddar dip FREE!
• Plus you can take advantage of some great specials this month. 

Donna has set up an online order HERE - so you can start your shopping ASAP (just make sure you attach your order to the Jiggley Mommy 'party', so your name can go in for the draws!) , but you can also contact her directly for product questions and to order or to set up a party, if you'd like (which is another way to get lots of free or discounted products).
Throughout the month I'll try to review different products or share with you one of my favorite recipes using Epicure.
I'll kick things off with Taco Seasoning. I seriously had a mini anxiety attack when I ran out and couldn't find the full bottle I knew I had bought. I add this spice blend to many of my different recipes including, home made tacos, taco salad, fajitas, stuffed peppers, chili, tortilla soup and even meatballs. I feel good about using this seasoning since it's fairly low in sodium compared to other taco seasonings out there.
Need a quick and easy supper? Why not try Epicure tacos? Just as easy as picking up a taco kit.
All you need is: lean ground beef, taco seasoning, taco shells, diced onions, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream.
What to do: Brown your ground beef with your onions, mix in 2 tbsp taco seasoning and a 3/4c of water, and reduce over med heat. Serve in taco shells (I prefer soft tortillas, myself) with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa - or any other taco topping you'd like. JiggleyBoy LOVES taco night when he makes his own taco. They are so customizable... use ground chicken, whole wheat tortilla shells, shredded spinach, add some diced avocado... the possibilities are endless. :)

**As with ALL other #JiggleyMommysFavThings, I am not paid or asked to promote any service or product. If I'm writing about it, it means that I genuinely like and/or use a product or service, and want to share it with you. I do not do it to benefit myself in any way. **

Omnomnom: Tuna Cakes

A week or so ago, a friend posted a picture of her tuna cakes. I drooled. I had heard of and eaten crab cakes before, but never did I even think of using tuna. So I did a pinterest search, and apparently I'm the only one in the world who hasn't made and/or eaten tuna cakes. They seemed easy enough, so I decided to give them a try tonight. Now it was a HUGE risk because Jiggley Daddy is more of a steak and potato kind of guy, but I must say SUCCESS! Jiggley Boy even tried a bite and proclaimed it "yummalicious"!

What you need for about 6 cakes:

- 2 cans of flaked tuna in water (drained)
onion thinly diced
- bell pepper thinly diced
- about 1/4c bread crumbs
- 1 egg and 1 egg white
- seasoning (tons of recipes I read all said to use Old Bay, but I didn't have any so I used a bunch of spices that I had on hand - I will be searching for Old Bay!)

Whatcha do:
 - sautée the onions and peppers until they start to get soft
 - drain tuna and mix together with onions/peppers, egg/egg white, about 1/4c bread crumbs and seasoning (do it to taste - I used a little black pepper, chili powder, garlic, ground cloves, ginger, seasoning salt and probably another shake or two from random spices in my cupboard)
 - Form into cakes and pan fry (I used a little bit of coconut oil to give it a little crisp!) until golden and cooked through

I made a mayo/chili/lime juice sauce for on top and it was ok.. next time I'd do mayo (or plain greek yogurt)/splash of lime/splash of honey/dill. I served our tuna cakes on a bed of baby spinach, with asparagus and broccoli lightly sautéed in EVOO and minced garlic. YUM!! Hope you enjoy!

**UPDATE (Aug. 24/2013) Go.Get.Old.Bay.Seasoning. I finally found some Old Bay and WHOA! It made my tuna cakes like 80% better. (If you are in Red Deer, I was only able to find OB seasoning in the spice isle at Sobey's South). I also added in about 1/2 cup of shredded zucchini (thawed, drained and squeezed excess juice out) - I love it when I can hide extra veggies in anything. :)