Muesli
My husband and I have a division of labor approach to managing our home, kids and life. For example, he is in charge of sports, car issues, and electronics, and I handle meal preparation, communication with teachers and writing the checks (with mostly his money.) But the last few months I have been much busier than normal for me and I have begged asked my husband for help in the mornings with breakfast and lunch-making. On days I need to leave by 7:00am, we have worked out an arrangement where we split meal preparation duties. He’s does lunch and I’m on breakfast. You won’t tell him that I got the easier job, right?
Since I love prepping in advance, most of our breakfasts are done the night before, at least in part. Typical morning meals in our house are oatmeal (soaked the night before), pancakes (batter made the night before and kids taught how to cook them), yogurt and granola, egg and vegetable stratas (prepared the night before and baked in the morning), and muesli, the ultimate do-ahead, meal-in-a-bowl breakfast. I first discovered muesli eons ago while on vacation in Hawaii. The hotel breakfast buffet is always a little tough for me with the choices being either sugar (sweet pastries) or hi-fat, low-quality animal protein (sausages, ham.) But once, right there with the platters of inflammation, was this curious bowl of creamy raw oats and fruit. One bite and I was hooked on muesli’s subtle, natural sweetness and the long-lasting energy it gave me. Everytime I traveled, I searched for muesli on every breakfast buffet and never considered making it at home. Little did I know how easy it was to make.
Muesli is essentially raw oats soaked overnight in yogurt, fresh juice and grated apple. The soaking process actually helps make the oats more digestible and the minerals more absorbable. I love it because it tastes creamy and delicious and makes me feel satisfied all morning long. Muesli tends to replace hot oatmeal in our house when the weather turns warmer. I usually make a batch once per week and it becomes an instant, but nourishing breakfast-to-go if I’m running late or for the kids if I need to leave before they come down for breakfast. It is a must-try if you are hosting house guests this summer! What you will also love about this recipe is that it is easily adaptable to the various palates in the house. Mr. Picky tops his muesli with strawberries, bananas and pecans and the girls have taken to raw cacao nibs, chopped almonds and blueberries. But really the sky’s the limit!
Muesli
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats use gluten-free oats to make a gluten-free muesli
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice or apple juice
- 1/2 cup water or use all juice for more sweetness
- 2 cups unsweetened whole yogurt (use almond milk to make a dairy-free or vegan muesli)
- 2 apples unpeeled and grated (I use my food processor with the grater attachment, but grating them by hand is fine, too)
- Toppings: fresh berries or sliced bananas dried fruit, chopped nuts, flaked coconut, raw cacao nibs, raw honey or maple syrup
Instructions
- The night before: In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients, except toppings, in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning: add sweetener to taste, if necessary. Divide the muesli among four bowls and top with favorite nuts or fruits.
Notes
20 Comments
This is delicious! I tried it both with the yogurt and the almond milk, and my personal preference is the almond milk, but both are good. And it makes eating a healthy breakfast so much more convenient. I just make a big batch on Sunday nights and take a little every day as the week progresses. Thank you Pamela!
The most convenient breakfast, for sure! I agree, almond milk is delicious here and definitely makes a great dairy-free option. Thanks, Melissa!
I love muesli and this one is by far the best one I’ve had… I mean i just prepared it and tried it and loved it i know its only going to get better as it sit in the fridge for tom. morning, whats great is that it isn’t sweet at all but it doesn’t need anything else in my opinion. Thanks for another great recipe 😉
Thank you, Marli! Hope you have a delicious breakfast tomorrow!
I’ve made this a couple of times (with orange juice) and it’s really good. This morning I happened upon a wonderful set of toppings for my serving: A sprinkle of cinnamon, a pinch of cardamom, a couple drops of vanilla extract, a touch of pure maple syrup (probably not needed though), some ground flaxseed, lightly toasted walnuts and half a peach, diced. It was sooo good! Thank you.
That sounds INSANE! Thanks for sharing that. I am definitely going to try it.
Pamela
I have been doing tons of European travel for work and really fell for muesli mornings like your Hawaiin dream. Now you are unlocking how easy it is for me! Bless you my dear old friend who first past me great wisdoms across the cubicle wall.
best
Deb
Deb, So great to connect with you again over muesli! Coincidentally, I have eaten muesli the past three mornings in a row and loving it. Hope you get a reprieve from your travel and can enjoy some at home, too. xo, Pamela
This is my absolute favorite thing to make for breakfast! I substituted goat yogurt for the whole milk yogurt and it tasted amazing as well!
You inspired me! I made it last night with sheep’s milk yogurt and devoured it for breakfast this morning. I am much more partial to sheep and goat dairy — so much easier for most people to digest.
Made a batch last night and had it for breakfast today. Yummy! I might be the only one eating it in my family, though. I will probably halve the recipe in the future since it yields quite a lot. Thanks, Pamela!
Well at least you liked it! If it’s only you eating it, I would for sure cut it in half. When I make this recipe, it serves all five of us.
Sadly, this was not the breakfast hit I wanted it to be. Myself and 10YO and 6YO ate it and loved it…husband, 9YO and 4YO couldn’t eat it! I’m hoping to disguise the leftovers in a smoothie tomorrow.
3 out 6 ain’t bad, but it ain’t great either! The good news is that it will still be good for you to eat tomorrow. The best advice I can give you about getting the other two kids to try it again and hopefully like it, is to allow them to put whatever they want on it, including a little honey if it’s not sweet enough. Otherwise, try again in a few months. My 7YO son didn’t like it last year and now he loves it. Go figure.
The smoothies were a hit!!! I used the muesli in place of yogurt and protein powder. Threw in frozen berries and OJ. Kids loved it, and I even revealed my secret ingredient when they were done, and they still admitted they loved them!
I applaud you and your resourcefulness! Genius idea. Thanks!
Pamela, thank you for the easy recipe. I’ll have to try the homemade version as the storebought are way too sweet! I celebrated 24-yrs breakfast-lunch free making meals marriage a few weeks ago. When we married, I said, why should I do everything while we both work a job? If you were still single you’d be cooking for yourself! He even washes the dishes after I’ve cooked dinner (we have no real dishwasher) unless he’s done lots of outside work. Tradition can change!
Marty, where were you when I got married 16 years ago?! Good for you and thanks for the great response.
Not sure about the muesli, but have had hubby making luncheons and myself doing breakfast for years!!! Celebrating out 25 wedding anniversary next week!!
Well, I’m just late to the party, aren’t I?! Congrats to you on 25 years! That is something to celebrate.