Tam’s Healthy Bircher-Style Muesli

Since I started full time work at the beginning of this year, I have been struggling to find the perfect mid-morning snack. Even though I have a good breakfast, by 10.30 my tummy is rumbling, and my mind is telling me that I deserve a treat.

However, my cheese sticks and muesli bars were not cutting it. For one thing, they were expensive, and for another, they produced too much needless packaging waste. Plus, muesli bars are chock-full of sugar, and cheese sticks are basically just delicious morsels of fat and bad cholesterol. Hmph.

So yesterday I was at work feeling particularly hangry (the state that occurs when you’re so hungry that you start to feel angry), and I decided that something had to be done. Hence, I put together a recipe for some delicious Bircher-style muesli (which means it has a lot of fruit, seeds and nuts in it), that is healthy, nutritious and cheap! I made it when I got home and enjoyed a bowl at work today.

P.S. You may have heard that muesli is not exactly a health food. This is often the case with store bought varieties, particularly those with dried fruit added. Dried fruit is usually packed with sugar and preservatives, which is why I chose to make my own – much healthier! Also remember that as with anything, portion control is important. The bran and oats in this recipe make it quite filling, so my suggested serving size is no more than 100g.

Ingredients

• 500g organic rolled oats
• 100g bran (look for a low sugar variety)
• 250g dried apricots (no added sugar), chopped
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• 3 bananas, thinly sliced
• 250g organic fruit, seed and nut mix (no added sugar) (mine had raisins, dates, pepitas, sunflower kernels, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, walnuts and pecans)
• Fat free natural yoghurt to serve (no added sugar, plus look for one that has a low natural sugar content too)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 95 degrees Celsius (200 Fahrenheit). Cover a tray with baking paper.
2. Thinly slice your apple and bananas (or other fruit you wish to add), and lay the pieces out on the tray.
3. Place the tray in the oven, with the door slightly open, and cook for 3 hours, turning once.
4. Meanwhile, chop apricots and nuts finely.
5. Combine oats, bran, apricots and fruit, seed and nut mix in an airtight container. Mix well.
6. Once apples and bananas are ready, add to muesli mix.
7. Serve with a dollop of fat free natural yoghurt or a small amount of low fat milk.
8. Store the remainder of the muesli in the fridge to preserve the life of the dried fruit.

Bon appétit!