Breakfast Delights : Homemade Bircher müesli

Müesli only “happened” in my life about a decade ago, while studying in Singapore. Before that my breakfast life was pretty much void of cereal, except for the odd Koko Krunch and Honey Stars. {Can anyone say sugar high?} We NEEEVERRR had Frosties (thank God!) and all the other nice brands, like POSTS, was just too expensive. Besides, a proper Asian breakfast isn’t a breakfast unless it contained a huge amount of carbs, namely in the form of rice. People from back home either have rice porridge, rice noodles, steamed rice cakes or bread to start the day. But I never could stomach a heavy meal at 5 in the morning, so Mum would make me drink a cereal-based drink called Nestum … every morning without fail … and I HATED it. Kept me full until recess tho.

I have never been an oatmeal porridge kinda gal. I mean I’d eat it but that doesn’t mean I like it very much. So in that respect I say thank goodness for bircher müesli. For starters, it’s nice and cold … it kinda wakes you up and you feel refreshed. And it contains a whole lot of fruit like sultanas, raisins and blueberries …. hardly the sort you’d wanna eat hot. I think perhaps the main point here is that it feels like I’m eating dessert first thing in the morning, and that cannot be a bad thing!

I struggle with healthy eating choices everyday. I love cream, I love fried stuff (omg … gimme Char Kwei Teow anyday!!) and I am not big on fresh fruit. I am thankful tho that I have given up my dependence on fastfood. I haven’t had a McDonald’s meal in years … except that one time in Luzern last year, but we were on a shoestring budget and it was Burger King, so that doesn’t count. And I still struggle with breakfast to this day. I know I should start each day with a proper meal but it never happens. Most of the time I find myself reaching for a muffin at 11:00 a.m, but by then I am well and trully famished so I’ll eat something else even less healthy … well, you know how the story goes from here. But happy days are on the horizon yet; R has started going to work earlier instead of at ten. So I am up at eight, fixing his sandwiches and when he leaves I have time to consider breakfast by nine. It’s been two weeks, and I think I could get used to this. So let’s get started on dessert …. erm, I mean …. breakfast.

I start off by adding two cups of müesli mix into a mixing bowl. You can use plain rolled oats if you like, but I am lazy and don’t want to spend time buying all the individual extras that go into this. I went for a fruit variety coz I am not a huge fan of nuts. There were nuts in the packet, just not very noticeable.

Then I rumaged in my cupboards and found an open pack of dried cranberries… quite possibly it’s been in there for ages. Well, waste not; want not. Into the bowl they went.

Then grate two Granny Smith apples, cored but unpeeled. I suppose you could use jarred apple puree too. Sprinkle some cinnamon, sugar and honey.

Pour in 1½ cups warm water … which I got straight out of the tap. Stir everything to combine. Then add in 1½ cups of skimmed or lowfat milk. Stir to combine again. Then  cover with clingfilm and chuck everything in the fridge to sit overnight. Yes. I think i failed to mention earlier that this is an overnight process …. not something you’d think of making the morning of.

The next morning simply scoop out the desired amount and add your favourite yoghurt and fresh fruit. Bananas, blueblerries and strawberries are all excellent choices. Get your anti-oxidant fix, people! I used an Apple Tart flavoured yoghurt which already contained cinnamon in it so I omitted the sprinkling of cinnamon sugar over mine. If the mixture thickens up too much overnight then just add a splash more milk and you’ll be good to go.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups muesli mix (rolled oats, raisins, mixed nuts)
• 1½ cup warm water
• 1½ cups lowfat milk
• 2 Granny Smith apples, grated
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 cups yoghurt of choice (sweetened or natural)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

I like foods that are versatile enough to make changes to yet it won’t change the “gist” of the dish too much (am I making any sense here??). Don’t like raisins? Then add dried tropical alternatives like pineapples and papaya instead. Don’t like the idea of cinnamon? Then add vanilla extract or vanilla sugar. Loathe berries as a topping? Then swap them for pears, bananas or kiwis. I am pretty sure I can worm chocolate sprinkles into the mix somehow but I restrain myself there for I am supposed to be focusing on HEALTHY CHOICES, not sneaky choices. Having said that tho, I am now curious about said chocolate version. Hold that thought and I will get back to you in the near future … although I don’t think you can still officially call it Bircher müesli then.

~ Enjoy! ~