Monday, August 20, 2012

Breakfast Muesli: Brain Food Before School!


Getting back to my Swiss-German roots this morning with a recipe my grandma  refers to as her favorite breakfast.   This was a hit with my entire family, it's so healthy, filling, and has NO added sugars.

Traditionally, Muesli is made by soaking oats overnight in water with lemon juice.  This unlocks the nutrients in the grain and makes them more digestible.  However, if you forget to soak your grains, you can still make this quickly the morning of as a hot cereal.

Serves: 5

1 cup rolled old fashioned (not quick) oats
2/3 cup water
2 tbs lemon juice
Chopped fresh fruit of your choice, any combination of:
Peaches, nectarines, apples, oranges, mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, etc.

Chopped dried fruit and nuts of your choice:
Almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, etc.
Raisins, Cranberries, Apricots, bananas, etc.

1/4 cup flax seed meal (This is the power punch, adding DHA, Omega-3 fatty acids, and lignins)
1 cup milk
 cinnamon

Directions:
In a small to medium bowl combine water, oats, and lemon juice.  Soak overnight at room temperature.  (If you forget to do this, then combine water, oats, and lemon juice and nuke for 2 minutes in the microwave).

Your oats should still look like oats, but they should be softer and should clump together.  It should not look like oatmeal porridge, if this is the case, try using less water.

  • Divide oats between 5 bowls.
  • Top with:
Portion of chopped fruit
Portion of chopped nuts
Portion of dried fruit if desired

  • Divide flax seed meal between the five servings
  • Sprinkle with cinnamon
  • Divide milk between the five servings
Completed muesli should be no more than 1/2 cereal and 1/2 fruits/nuts.

Some people prefer to eat their muesli with yogurt instead of milk.

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