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The Math
- 4 cups grains
- 1 1/2 cups nuts/seeds
- 1/2 cup dried fruit
Start with a ratio of four parts grain + one part nuts/seeds + one part dried fruit.
Keep in mind that the more fruit you add, the sweeter it will be. The more nuts you throw in, the more expensive your grocery bill. Remember, also, that the grains will become soft when combined with milk or yogurt. Muesli with extra nuts will be overly crunchy; muesli with lots of fruit will be very chewy.
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The Grains
Grains make up the base of your muesli…and rolled oats are traditionally used in muesli because they have a nice texture and thickness….
You can use basically any grain for muesli—rolled oats, wheat bran, whole rye, whole barley, sorghum flakes, quinoa flakes, millet puffs, and millet flakes.
Before you start mixing your ingredients together, first spread the oats out on a cookie sheet and bake them at 350F for a few minutes. This will make your oats more aromatic and crispier.
- Brazil nuts
- cashews
- chia seeds
- coconut flakes
- hazelnuts
- macadamias
- peanuts
- pecans
- pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- pistachios
- poppy seeds
- sesame seeds
- sliced almonds
- sunflower seeds
- unsweetened coconut flakes.
- walnuts
will give your muesli a delicious crunch,,,not to mention te fact that nuts and seeds will make your muesli even healthier because they contain omega-3 fatty acids and protein.
Choose any nut, seed, combination that you like…or omit them altogether if you’re allergic to them or simply don’t like them.
Before mixing your ingredients together, also take the time to toast your nuts in the same way that you do your grain. This will not only give the nuts a little extra crunch, but also make them more flavorful.
Don’t add oil or any other liquid to the pan when toasting your grains and nuts. Toasting the nuts release their oils, so anything added will make your muesli taste a little greasy.
The Fruit…1C
The third ingredientw that you will want to add to your muesli—now that you have stirred together your grains and nuts/seeds, is/are fruit(2)…Dried fruit will add both sweetness and chewiness to your muesli.
This can be any fruit that you like…as long as it’s dried and not fresh. Adding fresh fruit will make your muesli too soft and cause it turn bad much more quickly.
There are no set-in-stone rules as far as what fruits to add…simply choose whatever fruits that you and your family like.
A few ideas as far as what fruits you could add…as long as they are dried or dehydrated…are…
- apple chips
- apricots
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bananas
- blueberries
- cherries
- cranberries
- currants
- dates.
- figs
- mango
- papaya
- raisins
- strawberries
Here are a few things to remember…as far as adding fruit to your muesli…
- Add only enough d to make your granola taaste seweter…but nout so much that your granola is too sweedt.
- Avoid dried fruit that contains added sugar.
- Chop up your dried fruit into bite-sized pieces before adding to your muesli.
- Do not add any additional sugar to your muesli. You shouldn’t need it…and as we already know…it’s not good for you.
- Experiment until you find the “perfect” recipe.Avoid dried fruit that contains added sugar.
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Make sure that any dried fruit that you use does not contain dded sugar.
- Save fresh fruit for when you actually get ready to eat your muesli.
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The Spices
If you would like your muesli to have even more of a taste that your family will enjoy, feel free to add spices. Spice (that are often used to make your muesli more flavorful include cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and ginger,
Store a cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves, or a vnanilla bean with your muesli to infuse different flavors.
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Stirring Your Muesli
Now that you have put all of your “stuff” into a container, put the lid on the container and shake until everything is combined.
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Storing Your Muesli
Store the muesli in an airtight glass jar or plastic container. Your muesli will stay good for up to two months as long as it stays dry.
The easiest way to enjoy your muesli is to add milk or stir it into some yogurt. Waiting for about ten minutes to half an hour before eating it will soften up the grains a little.
You could also soak your muesli in milk overnight….at a 1:1 ratio. To make overnight oats, combine 2/3C muesli wotj 23C milk in a small lidded container. Refrigerate overnight. Enjoy cold in the morning.
Soaking or cooking your muesli will break down the oats, making them easier to chew and digest…and making the muesli more nutritious becsuse the nutrients—such as the fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants. vitamins, protein, omega 3 and minerals found in muesli—are more easily absorbed by your body.
