Resolution Muesli
If you're not into introspective crap, you'd better surf on over to a real food blog. Or just skip down to the recipe.
Emily and I had an urban retreat last weekend. She stayed at her place, and I stayed in Julia's apartment across the alley (Julia's out of town). We had planned to go to St. Mary's, but the nuns called and said they all have the flu. No thanks. This household has had enough sickness in the last month. So, (twist my arm), we suffered on Capitol Hill instead. We went to the new Elliott Bay Books. There is NOTHING like a new book store to create needs you don't have. And a delicious dinner at The Tin Table, then Molly Moon salted licorice ice cream. After we said goodnight, I walked to Madison Market in the dark to get a few things for breakfast. I loved being there right before closing, childless and wandering the aisles, trying to decide between grapefruit or orange juice. At 10:30, the couple in front of me at the checkout was clearly buying things for dinner--a loaf of bread, salad fixings, a six-pack. I cannot remember the last time I ate dinner after 8:00.
The next morning, Emily and I had some time alone before we met up. We're different in lots of ways, but we are two peas in a pod when it comes to making charts, graphs, and resolutions about our lives. Sheesh. I realized lots of things about my time, energy, and sustainability in this stage of life. One of them is that I haven't been taking care of myself. I've been staying up too late, eating too much sugar and white flour, avoiding the gym, not dealing with my back pain, not making great decisions about my time. While I was eating muesli from the co-op, I made a bunch of lists and decisions.
Then I came home and made this muesli to start the week out right. Please don't take this recipe as a slight against granola. I adore granola and always will. But I have to talk behind its back for a minute and say it's full of fat and sugar! I've always thought of muesli as thoroughly unappetizing compared to its crunchy granola cousin. But, for some reason, walking through the market at night, this is what I chose. And it tasted so good the next morning, sitting in the sun with my colored pencils, making lists.
Like it or not, I'll be dragging you through these resolutions. Emily bought me Mark Bittman's Food Matters for an early Mother's Day gift (do you believe I get Mother's Day gifts from her?!), and I'm devouring it. Chickpeas three ways this week. Get those beans soaking, friends.
Resolution Muesli
If you don't have quick oats (I didn't), you can put regular rolled oats in the food processor and pulse a few times. And endless combinations are possible for the seeds, nuts, dried fruit, and fresh fruit here. And I particularly love it after its soaked in soy milk for 10 minutes.
3 cups quick oats
1 c. mixed seeds and toasted nuts (I used hazelnuts, walnuts, raw sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds)
3/4 c. dried fruit (I used dried cherries)
pinch salt
2 Tb. brown sugar
milk or yogurt for serving
fresh fruit for serving
Mix oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, salt, and brown sugar together. Store in an airtight cannister.
To serve, mix with milk or yogurt and let sit on the counter or in the fridge for at least ten minutes (and you can leave it overnight in the fridge). Stir and top with fresh fruit. This morning, I put a pile of grated apple on top. Yum.
April 26, 2010
Reader Comments (17)
Yum yum yum...a no bake version of granola and less fat too! =]
Meanwhile, I'm still just pondering the chart I talked about making with you a few weeks ago. Maybe I made one too many charts in my graphic designer days or something and I'm subconsciously revolting. Must get to the bottom of that. Anyway, pulling another split-shift on sleep tonight and I think I'll mix up some whole-milk yogurt with some honey and cold cereal before heading back to bed. That's about as fancy as I get. Yogurt has always been a survival food for me, as far back as i can remember...
This post always seems so timely, I'm a seasonal oats cereal fan. It goes like this. Steel cut oats with milk the dead of winter when it is absolutely critical that your breakfast stick to your ribs.
Crunchy granola in the fall and and early spring, and Muesli late spring moving into summer.
Funny you should post this, I just bought the fixings for my first batch to have ready for the first of May. It always give me this delusional feeling that maybe it will help shed some of those granola pounds by the 4th of July. The only problem with this is, it gets dowsed with lemon curd and rhubarb sauce. It's hopeless around this house.
Interesting... usually I opt for granola over muesli because it's got more 'zazz' by which I probably mean crunch, flavor (sugar), etc. And to me muesli has almost always tasted dusty- does anyone else get that? I will try zazzing it up with fruit. Since I won't want to do oatmeal with fixins on the hot summer mornings coming up, this might be an entirely brilliant substitute!
Oh, and about resolutions and charts and such- I have started to flag in the past few weeks on my Excel chart of resolutions from the new year- friends being (more) involved would be a good idea-- thanks!
always wanted to make muesli. i have the best of intentions and then i end up making granola or oatmeal instead. had it a bunch during my trip to germany and switzerland a long time ago. will try now.
cheers,
*heather*
you crack me up...talking behind granolas back for a minute :)
such a treasure to spend a chunk of alone time with you and ourselves.
love you, sister.
yummy! I make a similar version of this recipe and it always feels so nourishing. I use everything you have in your recipe except the sugar. I find that a small handful of golden raisins (instead of the dried cherries) and sweet halved red grapes provide enough sweetness. I mix everything up the night before including the grated apple, a big pinch of ginger powder and 1/4 tspn of cinnamon powder and a couple of teaspoons of ground flaxseed. I also soak the whole mix in rice milk. The milk soaks in quite a bit overnight so I add a little extra.
*** love your blog ***......it's always inspiring and always beautiful!
I will try this. I have loved muesli while traveling in Europe and hope I can recreate it. Yours looks great. I too have been eating too much granola and need to moderate. Food Matters is a great book and inspiring. I recently picked it up too. Keep on keepin on Sarah!
I fell IN LOVE with muesli while backpacking in Europe - eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner on multiple occasions. Thanks for the inspiration to move away from so much of the processed cereal I eat (still...often for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and back to the better stuff!
Oh yea - I also saw your colored pencils on the table in the picture and just added "colored pencils" and "pencil sharpener" to my shopping list. Not only are they so handy but they're decorative when they're in a pretty clear holder =)
I'm so excited you're doing chickpeas. I'm a vegetarian and I barely know what to do with them!
This blog is awesome, thanks so much for taking the time to write it.
You mention your back pain that you're not dealing with. I to was not dealing with my back pain as well especially after my once a week volleyball nights. I invested in a stretching dvd called "Back in Shape" which I purchased through http://www.collagevideo.com/. Its a 30 minute dvd that I do everyday (almost) and i'm amazed at how pain free I've been, even after rather rambunctious games of volleyball. You might want to check it out. BTW, I really enjoy your blog.
so seriously--never had muesli. I think you've inspired me to try it. I'm sure my girls will love it. As for summer breakfasts, I'm a plain yogurt with fresh fruit & a little granola on top sort of gal. I'll be trying this soon.
Moses just made homemade granola. 2 big ziploc freezer bags and they were gone in a matter of 2 days. We ate it for breakfast, snacks, and dessert even. You are right full of sugar. I haven't been eating sugar since Lent and Man oh Man do you ever notice sugary things when you haven't been eating it for a while.
I am embarrassed to say that I didn't even know what Muesli was and had to ask the Master Chef of the house. So now I am curious how it tastes and will have to put it on our grocery list.
I had to ask too. Looking forward to meeting you by the way :)
YEah! Spring cleaning for the body, mind and soul.
I'm catching up on your blog and am so thankful for this simple recipe. I've become quite addicted to granola lately and maybe it's time for me to take a muesli break. Thanks, as always, for your honesty, wit and wisdom! Coming to your blog always feels like visiting an old friend. And then getting really hungry.