deliciously slow (with leah kent)

Note from Liz: I'm delighted to welcome Leah Kent as a guest today. She's sharing about one way she waters her soul: slowing down and making simple, delicious meals. Enjoy her post today!

I have always believed in the power of a simple but delicious home-cooked meal to feed a person from the inside out. When we eat well, it sets the foundation for living well. Connection and celebration and magic can happen around the dinner table, night after night. This is why the kitchen has always been my sanctuary and chopping vegetables is often my daily act of meditation.

Once our sweet little boy was born, it seemed like these treasured routines unraveled a bit. I wasn’t sure how to cook with his warm little body tied to mine in his soft, stretchy wrap pretzeled around my chest. Even in the glowy haze of falling in love with my newborn, I certainly missed parts of the life I had before.  

Never have I been more appreciative of every free moment I can find in any given day since becoming a mama. No one can prepare you for how time will shift and change when your world expands to embrace your new and precious little person. 

In these early days of mamahood the words “deliciously slow” came together for me one day. Rather than focus on the exhaustion, messy house, and unfinished projects, I chose to find at least one moment of joy and beauty each day and embrace it.  

Maybe I couldn’t do all the laundry that day, but I could walk with the baby to the end of the block and see the sun shining through the woods. I would take a photo of that moment and share it online like a journal entry of my newborn mama life. 

Deliciously Slow started as a daily photo meditation and grew into something else for me. I felt very challenged to keep making home-cooked meals once I was a mama. But I was committed to eating well and at home, so I started to use my slow cooker almost every night. 

I made soups, stews, steel-cut oats for breakfast, dried beans, roasts, and more. Being able to add the dinner ingredients to a pot and then walk away? It was life changing. I was able to relax more, enjoy my time with my babe, work on my business, and still eat things that made me feel good.

Preparing meals in the slow cooker has had such a positive impact in my life because it frees up time in the kitchen so I can tend to my creative pursuits. I want that for all women and mamas who want more space in their lives to do what they love while still nourishing themselves with beautiful food. 

That is how Deliciously Slow grew into a pay-what-you-can online course to help you prepare healthy slow cooker meals. It’s a seven day class with a beautiful printable cookbook where I share everything I’ve learned about how to use the slow cooker to make truly delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with whole food ingredients. Our fall session starts on November 2^nd and I invite all who are interested to join at a price that feels just right for you. 

I’m so happy to be sharing a recipe with you for one of my favorite slow cooker discoveries…breakfast. The first time I made overnight oats and woke up to breakfast I did a happy dance. A hot meal waiting for me with no thinking or cooking required? The morning felt so luxurious! 

That is my wish for you, too. To feel the luxury of spaciousness. To stay present and cultivate gratitude for the small miracles and pleasures daily life offers to us. To eat well, nourish yourself, and savor the deliciously slow moments. 

Deliciously Slow Spiced Fruit Steel-Cut Oats

Ingredients

1 cup steel-cut oats

4 cups water

1/2 cup dried fruit such as raisins, cherries, blueberries, or cranberries

1 tsp cinnamon mixed with a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, and allspice

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 T maple syrup

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the crock. Cover and cook overnight on Low for 7 to 9 hours

Stir oatmeal well before serving in the morning. Serve with desired toppings such as almond or coconut milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted or shredded coconut, and fresh cut fruit.  

Leah Kent founded Skill It to celebrate the everyday pleasures of living a {mostly} handmade and home-cooked life. A mama and artist, she loves sharing her passion for food, family, and creativity with others through her writing and teaching.

In addition to creating beautiful e-courses like deliciously slow, she is a certified holistic life coach. She makes her home in Rhode Island and relishes every opportunity to connect with the natural rhythms of daily life.

Deliciously Slow begins November 2. Learn more right here.