Recipe of the Week: Muesli

One of my favorite foods to have for breakfast is muesli.  It’s delicious, good for you, and super easy to make. The best part is it keeps really well, so you can just make a batch at the start of the week and store it in the fridge for several days.  So what exactly is muesli? Muesli is kind of like a raw granola that, when soaked in milk or yogurt overnight, makes a yummy cold oatmeal-like dish.  I know that cold oatmeal isn’t exactly the most appealing food and neither is soggy granola, but you’re just going to have to trust me on this one.  It really is good, I promise! 

Muesli is one of those foods that can be made a hundred different ways.  You can add pretty much anything you want—from every kind of dried fruit to fresh fruit, to almonds, sunflower seeds, or coconut chips.  I personally like prunes, cinnamon, fresh apple slices, fresh blueberries, almonds, and plain yogurt in my muesli.  During the summer months I like to add peach and plum slices instead of apple. 

To make muesli, you add raw old-fashioned rolled oats, milk, dried fruit and if you want, a sweetener of your choice into a large container.   Mix it all together and let it sit in the fridge for at least a half hour.  I personally like to make the mixture the night before, but it’s not necessary.  After your muesli has soaked for the desired time, add whatever toppings you want: fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt, and seeds. 

Some tips: 

• A rule of thumb for adding milk to your mixture is to make sure you add enough to cover the top of the oats. 
• Add yogurt to the mixture in addition to milk for a creamier consitency. 
• If you can’t eat dairy you can subsitute almond milk or soymilk.  You can even use water.  
• If you’re adding dried fruit, keep in mind that the sugars from the fruit will soak into the oats, so be careful when adding sweetener.
• If your muesli is too dry or thicker than desired after you’ve let it sit, just mix in a little more milk before you eat it. 
• Don’t add anything you want to be crunchy, like nuts or seeds, the night before.  

For those of you that need more detailed instructions, check out the recipes below: 

• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-muesli-with-red-berries-recipe.html
• http://www.nutritionstripped.com/nourishing-muesli/

Happy eating! 

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