Gut Health Week: Balsamic Goji Berry Oats
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: February 18, 2018

Happy Sunday! We're kicking off Day 4 of our Gut Health Series with this good-for-your-belly Balsamic Goji Oats recipe. This easy breakfast is from health coach and chef Jennifer Iserloh's latest cookbook The Healing Slow Cooker. This gorgeous new cookbook - aimed to lower stress, improve gut health, and decrease inflammation - contains more than 60 hassle-free slow cooker recipes that address different stages of healing: Detox and Calm, Rebuild and Strengthen, Circulate and Stabilize, Sharpen and Rewire, Sustain and Protect, and All Systems Go. Each chapter contains specific healing ingredients that help lower stress, decrease inflammation, and improve gut health. Plus, each chapter also includes a detailed guide to the featured ingredients and how each will help nurture and heal.
	This nutritious breakfast will soothe your belly and get you ready for the day! Make a big batch and store in the fridge to eat all week long.
	Check out the other nutritious recipes featured thus far in our Gut Health Series below:
Green Tea Shiitake Mushroom Soup from The Healing Slow Cooker
Middle Eastern–Spiced Walnut and White Bean Balls with Cauliflower Rice and Fried Onion from The Beauty Chef
Jerusalem Artichoke Soup from Eat Your Way to a Healthy Gut
 BALSAMIC GOJI OATS
	"Poppy seeds and hempseeds add texture and healthy fats to this unusual but delicious take on your morning oats. Poppy seeds aren’t just for the tops of bagels and desserts; they are an unsung fountain of nutrition. They contain high levels of grounding nutrients (even in small amounts) like calcium, iron, protein, and fiber. Hempseeds, like poppy seeds, also contain these same nutrients, plus the addition of zinc and magnesium." ~The Healing Slow Cooker
	SERVES 4
	1 cup [160 g] steel-cut oats
	1/4 cup [60 ml] balsamic vinegar
	2 Tbsp brown sugar or stevia
	2 Tbsp poppy seeds or hempseeds
	1/2 cup [60 g] goji berries or 1/4 cup [35 g] dried cherries
	Place the oats and 4 cups [960 ml] water in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on the high setting for 2 to 2½ hours, until the oats are tender. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, poppy seeds, and goji berries. Spoon into bowls and serve immediately.
	Nutritional Stats per Serving
	303 calories, 11 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat (0 g saturated fat),
	0 mg cholesterol, 14 g sugars, 10 g fiber, 45 mg sodium

Recipe and excerpt reprinted with permission from Chronicle Books. All rights reserved.