There’s something so European-chic about muesli; I can just picture a fashionable French lady eating it on her balcony while watching the sunrise. But that’s not the only reason I’m getting into it lately. Muesli is also a super filling yet healthy breakfast option that comes together in a snap.
The Original Muesli
Muesli was actually invented by Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner as a meal for patients in his hospital. If a Swiss physician thinks it’s good enough to eat, then so do I! The original Bircher-Benner recipe consisted of grated fresh apple; a tablespoon of nuts usually consisting of almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts; one tablespoon of oats that have been soaked in water the night before; lemon juice; cream; and honey. Sounds pretty yummy!
To make my own version of muesli, I chose quinoa flakes as my grain and also added some sliced almonds, raisins, walnuts, and dates. I mixed it all together in a big bowl and had my breakfast for the next two weeks all ready to go. Super simple!
Make It Your Own
I chose quinoa flakes because they are high in protein and don’t need to be soaked overnight like oats do. You can use any grain that tickles your fancy, though. Grains like barley flakes, corn flakes, rye, amaranth, millet, or oats (of course) are great for muesli. Once you have your grain base, the sky’s the limit. Add in a nut like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, crushed peanuts, Brazil nuts, toasted coconut, or cashews, as well as seeds like pepitas, sunflower, sesame, or chia. I also like to add ground flaxseeds due to their high omega-3s and anti-cancer properties. Next, add dried fruit, and again…sky’s the limit! There are raisins, dried cranberries, mango, pineapple, dates, figs -- you can even add in some freeze-dried strawberries or bananas for an extra boost of flavor.
Once you have your mix completed, store it in an airtight container (like a jar) and you’ve got a handy breakfast whenever you need it! Traditionally, you would also add some sort of fresh fruit to your breakfast bowl, which could consist of bananas, berries, peaches, pears, or apples like in the original recipe.
The final step is a good slug of milk which could be either a plant-based milk like almond or coconut or even something like yogurt or cottage cheese if you can handle dairy.
Easy Quinoa Muesli
Here’s the recipe for my version of muesli, but feel free to tweak it to your liking.
Ingredients
- 3 cups quinoa flakes
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup chopped dates
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
Directions
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and then transfer to a container for storage.
- Scoop out about 1/4 cup of cereal and mix with fresh fruit and milk for a quick morning meal.
