Wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with this turbo-charged breakfast.
I was 21 years old, adventurous and overweight, when I took a road trip around the South Island of New Zealand with my brother Dave. Before the trip, he had patiently worked to encourage me to add fruit and weight training to my routines, both of which I stubbornly resisted. While in New Zealand, Dave discovered muesli, ordering it every chance he got and constantly singing its praises. I kept ordering sausages while glaring at the grains. As we hiked Milford Sound, though, Dave’s lean physique made me wonder if I shouldn’t start considering eating a little healthier. I decided to start right away and began to order muesli on the regular. It wasn’t a buttery sausage, but I felt energized, and I started to think that maybe there was some magic about muesli after all.
Originally intended to be consumed as a meal starter similar to bread and butter, a Swiss doctor concocted the mixture as a way to treat his patients’ health problems. Hearty and filling due to being packed with nuts and seeds, the handfuls of dried fruit and coconut provide a powerfully sweet punch to combine with the high fiber content. Chewy, thick and decadent, muesli is an energy bar in bowl form, with a variety of creamy options to turn it into a smooth and crunchy breakfast bonanza.
Is Muesli Healthy?
Muesli won’t make you live forever, but it might make it feel like you will! Fiber-rich and full of whole grains, muesli’s nutritional benefits only get better with protein from nuts and a bath of milk or yogurt.
Watch out for the sugar-heavy, calorie-rich dried fruit. Carefully measure out a portion, replace it with fresh fruit, or skip it altogether. By weight, dried fruit contains higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and fiber than fresh fruit, but the sugar content is something to keep an eye on.
Muesli vs Granola
Muesli and granola are both mixtures of nuts, oats, and seeds, with a common addition being dried fruit. The main difference is that granola is baked and sweetened, therefore having higher concentrations of calories, sugar and carbohydrates. Muesli has the edge in nutritional benefits, but both can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.
How to make ahead and store
It can be eaten immediately or can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Some say to store at room temperature, while others say to refrigerate—go with your gut.
Serving Suggestions
Yogurt is the quintessential way to eat muesli. Perhaps try it sprinkled on top of this recipe for Chia Seeds In Yogurt. If you’re on the move though, bag up the muesli and snack on it while you sip this Vegan Coconut Milk Smoothie or this Almond Milk Smoothie. And if you’re feeling fancy and industrious, add muesli as a topper on a Smoothie Bowl.
Ingredients
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almonds slivered
- 1/4 cup pistachios chopped
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup dried blueberries
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine rolled oats with cinnamon and all of the nuts and seeds.
- Mix in unsweetened coconut flakes, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, and raisins until evenly distributed.
- Serve immediately with your choice of milk or yogurt, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition information are estimates only and may vary based on the specific brands, ingredients, and portion sizes you use. This data is provided for informational purposes only.
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