Müesli Breakfast Cereal

Homemade Holiday- Breaking The Fast

Over the years I've come to do without a lot of things. Due to my oldest sons allergies some of my favorite things just don't come into the house. One example of that is muesli breakfast cereal. Muesli is a classic Swiss/German breakfast originally created by Swiss physician Maximillion Bircher-Benner. Packed with nuts and fruits it was served to patients as a form of therapy. Popularly called "the dish," it is another for health, for life, type of recipe. Most packaged recipes contain walnuts, pecans or other nuts that Riley is allergic to, and they can be fairly expensive. Quite accidentally I found out that even just being around oily nuts causes him to have reactions. So if and when I buy nuts I have a specific recipe in mind, and I try to find them in super small portions. This keeps doodle from exploding, and it keeps the nuts from going stale. (No one likes old nuts)  

Muesli cereal can be packaged or made fresh. The original recipe from Bircher-Benner was a simple mixture of oats, lemon juice, apples and sweetened condensed milk. I've made my own recipe's with plenty of variations but most recently I've been making quite an excess of dry cereals to store. They are cheap, healthy and packed with nutrients. Riley is not a good eater and when I can, I try to convert him to really good quality nutrient dense foods. This recipe contains dry milk, toasted wheat germ, sunflower seed kernels as well as almonds. A punch of oat flour and a sprinkling of raisins and cranberries this recipe is packed with calcium, iron and antioxidants. 

Müesli Breakfast Cereal 

This recipe can be tweaked to your liking. It is by no means a science. For the most nutritious and best quality cereal look for natural fruit and oats that have no additives. Use more nuts, seeds and fruit as you would like. WHATEVER you like is what is best. Pecans and walnuts are packed with healthy fats and protein. Cranberries and Blueberries are super foods with oodles of antioxidants. I use a basic ratio of 2 cups oats, 1 cup nuts and seeds, 1 cup fruit. (so half oats, half nuts and fruit)  

Dry milk although it is a processed item, I use it when making homemade yogurt and with cereals for varying reasons. It is entirely optional but good if you can get this cereal into your picky eaters. It is a punch of extra calcium and vitamins. It makes this muesli uniquely wonderful for baking. (cakes, cookies, or even bread!) 

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup oat flour

1/2 cup dry milk (optional)

2/3 to 1 cup dried fruit 

1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels

1/2 cup blanched slivered or sliced almonds

Mix to combine. Store in air tight containers. Will keep as long as you need it to. (Fatty nuts will go rancid eventually.)

Preparation-

My favorite way to eat this is half cooked/half soaked or raw with yogurt and jam mixed in. Originally muesli was soaked overnight because the oats were still whole. Soaking is no longer "required" however I usually sometimes do. Oats and nuts can be difficult for the body to digest and soaking breaks down the enzymes that inhibit digestion and the absorption of minerals. You can cook this just as you would oatmeal, you can sprinkle it as-is on top of yogurt, or you can soak it. Then again, you could... Add some sugar, butter and eggs and bake it! 

My method of soaking is: Cover muesli with milk, let rest at room temp for 8 hours, refrigerate overnight. Add sugar, honey, jam etc. to sweeten. Eat! (You can make multiple days worth at once.) Soaking, and souring does multiple things. It makes the oatmeal even easier to digest, and it sours or cultures the milk which has a unique tangy flavor that is packed with nutrition. 

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