Crock Pot Oatmeal & Shrimp Puttanesca

This weekend marked an early end to my gluten free experiment. I am glad I tried it, and I think I had good reasons for being curious if it would be helpful for me, but I do not think that I suffer from a true intolerance. After the cookies and chicken fried steak on Friday, I had another cookie Saturday, some beers Saturday night, then breakfast tacos (flour tortillas) on Sunday - so obviously I didn't remain gluten free at all this weekend. I also noticed very little change once I began eating gluten again. I felt a little bloated by Sunday, which was likely a combination of unhealthy choices and gluten. I think, from here on, I will continue to try to avoid gluten - but not focus on being gluten free. Overall I learned some great ways to replace gluten, and I think that generally led to healthier eating. But I am not going to avoid cookies and english muffins like the plague, or utilize replacement ingredients.

Now I am no longer doing gluten free, I am trying to focus on whole and healthy foods.

Last night I combined everything to make these overnight, slow cooker, pumpkin pie steel-cut oatmeal to eat in the mornings this week. I've been on an oatmeal kick, and this recipe seemed like a great option. It was easy to pull together, and was quite delicious and filling this morning. I used the "double broiler way" that she mentions in her post, which was particularly easy because I just pulled the bowl of oats out this morning and put a lid on it to save the rest of the oats for later this week (it makes a ton).

I added some almond milk and pecans on top this morning. When I first removed the bowl from the slow cooker it needed quite a good stir, and it smelled amazing! I will definitely make this, and variations of this recipe again.

Tonight I tried another recipe I had recently pinned on Pinterest, it was a guest post on Against all Grain for Shrimp Puttanesca with Sweet Potato Noodles. I got to use my fun little spiralizer thingy again, and Mr. X wasn't here for dinner, so I didn't have to worry about subbing something for the sweet potato (he isn't a fan...)

Mine turned out soupier than the recipe, maybe I didn't let it reduce long enough. My fun spiralizer also was a bit too small for the sweet potatoes, so my noodles were a little small (don't worry, I've already found a bigger/better one). I am really loving making "noodles" from veggies, and this sauce was amazing. I tripled the garlic and added at least twice the red pepper flakes...in the end I am kinda glad it was soupy,  I was slurping the "broth" right out of the bowl! And there is plenty for lunch tomorow! Mmmmmmm.....I can't wait for lunch!