One of the hands-down best breakfast foods is a simple bowl of muesli. This munchable morning food has got everything: oats for carbohydrates, nuts for protein, milk or yogurt for dairy, and fruit for… well fruit. Unfortunately, pre-packaged muesli can also contain a bunch of preservatives and a frightening amount of sugar or non-nutritive sweeteners. If you want to enjoy all the benefits of this breakfast of champions the best—and cheapest—way to do so is to make your own.
Before you rush off to the grocery store let’s just clear up what muesli actually is. Unlike granola which is baked in honey or sugar muesli is raw. Pretty much all muesli is comprised of a combination of the following: Rolled grains such as oats, barley, and rye; Dried fruits such as raisins, dates, berries, mango, and banana; Nuts and seeds such as Brazil nuts, macadamias, hazelnuts, and pecans; And finally spices such as salt, cinnamon, and cardamom.
Any muesli you make should involve a combination of grains, fruit, nuts, and spices. In terms of ratios it’s best to start out with four parts grain and one part nuts and fruit. This will result in the best mix of chewy and crunchy textures as well as a perfect blend of salty and sweet flavours.
Once you’ve gotten the basic proportions down, feel free to mix things up a bit and try different combinations until you settle on a version you like. To get you started here’s one of my favourite recipes taken from BBC Good Food
Ingredients:
3 cups of oats
1 cup of mixed nuts, toasted
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cranberries
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
Method:
Here’s the easy part: Combine all the ingredients in an airtight container, and that’s it!
Now you’ll have a delicious and healthy muesli ready to go every morning. Serve it up with some milk or yogurt and some fresh fruit if you’re feeling fancy.
