Popular Porridges
Tag Archives: muesli
10 Best Recipes for Enjoying Oats in the Summer
I’m pretty stubborn, so I continue to sweat over a stove to cook my daily porridge, which I then take to my bedroom and eat while standing directly in front of the air conditioner. However, I understand that’s not everyone’s cup of chamomile tea. If you don’t want to say goodbye to your filling, fibrous oats, here are my ten favorite recipes that avoid turning on stoves or ovens!
Overnight Recipes
> Ambrosia Overnight Oatmeal
Bright from the citrus and creamy from the coconut! (more…)
Oatmeal Enthusiasts: Meet Elnè and Claudine!
It’s time for my first Enthusiast duo! I have often admired the oatmeal photos shared on Elnè and Claudine’s Instagram account, @happyhealthyhangry, and after finding out it was run by a sister pair, I couldn’t think of a reason why they both shouldn’t have the spotlight together this month.
We’re Elnè and Claudine, two sisters living in South Africa who have slowly but surely developed an obsession with oatmeal. About two years ago we both decided to start living healthier lifestyles. The first thing we cut out was sugar. So, no more breakfast cereal. This is where oatmeal, especially quick oats, came into play. It was a convenient and healthy breakfast perfect for Elne, who is a university student without a stove, and Claudine who needs to get up early for school.
We started experimenting with different flavor combinations and cooking methods. The first of which was simply adding a heap of peanut butter to oats, which is still a favourite. We became more and more adventurous and after discovering The Oatmeal Artist’s blog our horizons have broadened even further and we find inspiration in the loads of recipes she has on her blog. Sometimes our crazy combinations work (can anyone say Bovril and banana?) and sometimes they don’t. We take full advantage of the end of year holiday in South Africa which provides us with more than enough time to experiment and fine tune our oatmeal baking skills.
As of 2016 Claudine will start a new chapter in her life by joining her older sister Elnè, now in her fourth year of studying medicine, at university. Claudine plans on pursuing her love of cooking by becoming a food journalist. We plan on staying oatmeal enthusiasts for the rest of our lives.
Saturday 26 Dec 2015: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Smoothie
After the massive amounts of food consumed on Christmas, neither one of us felt like having a heavy breakfast. Cue the smoothie. A bit of oatmeal keeps you full, without that heavy, sluggish feeling. Making this smoothie is very simple; just blend about 2 tablespoons of uncooked oats with frozen yogurt, Peanut butter, cacao, milk and any sweetener you prefer (we use a low kilojoule sugar substitute). (more…)
Fig & Toasted Hazelnut Muesli
I haven’t posted any muesli recipes in. . . a year? Wow.
I developed a negative association with muesli after I survived off it last August when our stove didn’t work. Because I was forced to eat muesli every day (hence the burst of muesli recipes last August), I now have a slight resentment for it.
However, giving it another shot this month reminded me of why I love it. So versatile, and perfect for hot summer mornings. (And we have too frickin many a lot of hot summer mornings in New York.)
Truthfully, I’m not much of a hazelnut fan. They’re my second least favorite nut (after the brazil nut, which tastes like equal doses of harsh sorrow and bitter remorse). Yet, I was determined to give them a shot for this autumn-inspired muesli combining figs and hazelnuts. Plus, I’m on a nut-toasting craze, and perhaps freshly toasted hazelnuts would not suck blow my mind!
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Peach Banana Muesli
Week 6 of not having a stove. ?
It’s becoming painful, yo. When so much of your happiness relies on your ability to cook and prepare food, not having a functioning stove is a terrible blow. We’ve been dealing with our electronic company for weeks trying to convince them to turn on our gas. Every time, it’s “You need to do X.” So then we do X. We wait. We call back. They say, “You did X, but you still need to do Y.” We say, “You never told us that, but okay.” We do Y. We wait. We call back. Etc.
FOR SIX WEEKS. ??
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Grape and Dark Chocolate Chunk Muesli
. . . Because chocolate chunks are just plain better than chocolate chips.
Although most of my favorite food blogs are vegan (or at least vegetarian), I take inspiration from all food lifestyles. I check FoodGawker at least twice every day and browse until I have viewed each new recipe, and I know the times of the day that the site is usually updated. It might be an addiction…
Ever since I “met” Haley from Cheap Recipe Blog, hers is one of the sites that I often find inspiration. Recently, she shared a cheap and easy entertaining idea of serving frozen grapes, dark chocolate, and wine for dessert. Um, I love all three of those things, so YES.
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Product Review: MixMyOwn Healthy Breakfast
Recently, Klara, a reader, approached me about a fantastic new company she and her husband launched called MixMyOwn Healthy Breakfast. The concept is simple: you choose from a ton of options to create your own healthy breakfast cereal (either a muesli or granola). The ingredient choices range from sweetened to unsweetened, organic to conventional, and classic to unique.
Klara gave me a wonderful opportunity to try and review my own custom-made cereal. Creating my mix started out a little overwhelming. I wanted everything, but I knew I wanted it to be a cohesive mixture. For example, I couldn’t add chocolate to a tropical mix, and I wouldn’t want mango in a strawberry-banana mix. This was the hardest part–but in a fun way. I also loved how I was able to choose organic and unsweetened varieties.
Eventually, I went the “strawberry banana” route (although it contained raspberries and goji berries as well). Choosing the base of my cereal was difficult. I initially chose muesli since granola can give me a stomach ache sometimes (all the sugar), but then it felt like a waste (since I make homemade muesli all the time easily). I chose the oil-free granola. This was “special” to me because I tried making an oil-free granola once and it turned out terribly, so I wanted the luxury of having someone else make it for me. 🙂
The packaging is fantastic. The back tells you the ingredients used, the nutrition info (even though it’s a custom mix!), AND a QR code in case you want to order the exact same mix again without having to work through the options and lists again. Nice touch.
My package from MixMyOwn also contained this little baggie of goodies. I’m not sure if everyone gets the same thing, but it’s cute. The coconut in there looks delish.
Throughout the entire ordering process, from first opening the web site to holding the actual package in my hands, I could see that this company has a passion for breakfast and pleasing modern needs. They recognize that there is a demand for information (clear ingredients list that says exactly which products are organic, for example), as well as a demand for the option of better-quality ingredients. As further proof, Klara passed on this list of 7 tips for healthier breakfasts, and I agree with all of them (although I believe all fruits and veggies are superfoods!).
7 Tips for Healthy Breakfasts that Combat Weight Gain During Holidays and Throughout the Year
1. Don’t skip breakfast – skipping breakfast leads to snacking and overeating the rest of the day – muesli, granola or multi-grain flakes cereal is quick, easy, low in calories and helps prevent snacking and overeating later in the day
2. Eat low-calorie and enjoyable breakfast foods – looking forward to breakfast makes it less likely to be a meal that gets skipped – with over 100 ingredients and a variety of options, custom-mixed cereals from MixMyOwn.com give customers a variety of combinations with their favorite flavors
3. Avoid foods high in cholesterol and fat like fatty breakfast meats and fried eggs – whole-grain foods like muesli, granola or multi-grain flakes have little fat and almost no unhealthy cholesterol
4. Eat foods high in fiber – fiber prevents some fats from being absorbed by the body and reduces risk for heart disease – MixMyOwn.com’s custom cereals have up to 4 grams of fiber per serving.
5. Include protein – protein builds muscle and staves off hunger – muesli, granola or multi-grain flakes with nuts and whole grains can add significant protein without adding excess saturated fat; MixMyOwn.com’s Tutty Nutty premix contains 3.9 grams of protein per serving.
6. For fast, portable breakfast make your own smoothie – homemade smoothies can drank while commuting to work and can contain fresh ingredients with less sugar and fat – muesli is a great smoothie ingredient as in this Banana Muesli Smoothie recipe from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/health/banana-muesli-smoothie-recipes-for-health.html?_r=0
7. Include superfoods – superfoods boost the immune system, aid with weight loss and lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer – favorite superfoods include nuts, seeds, berries, oats, and soy, all of which can be included in any custom cereal mix at MixMyOwn.com.
I was giddy as soon as I opened up my bag of granola. I saw the giant vanilla bean sitting amid all the other ingredients, and I knew it was going to be excellent (the vanilla bean is one of the choices in the final list of special add-ins; I highly recommend it). I picked out a clump of granola first, and–success!–it was crunchy. Already, it was better than the homemade oil-free granola I made once. 😉
My mix already contained dried bananas, but I added sliced banana to mine anyway because (if you haven’t noticed from the majority of my recipes) I’m pretty adamant about starting my days with banana. 🙂 I also know that a true “serving” of granola is pretty small, so I would need to bulk it up with fruit. I always eat granola with banana, so it was the obvious choice.
My mix was incredibly flavorful. Each of the ingredients had retained their individual flavors, so each bite had a different impact. I loved the bites with coconut in them–so nummy!
If you are interested in learning more about this company, here is more information directly from Klara:
About MixMyOwn.com
Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, MixMyOwn.com is dedicated to promoting a wholesome lifestyle for customers by providing a way for customers to choose their own whole-grain and multi-grain cereal ingredients and have it delivered fresh to their doorstep. The MixMyOwn.com website offers nearly 100 responsibly chosen ingredients — including many 100% natural, unprocessed, organic and non-GMO, preservative-free and sugar-free options*. Ingredients include 31 types of dried fruits, 20 types of nuts and seeds, and five whole-grain bases. Or customers can choose from one of eight pre-mixed breakfast cereals. MixMyOwn was created by entrepreneur couple Klara Charvatova and David Filipi in July 2013. The company uses U.S.-based suppliers only and ships orders to all U.S. states for a flat rate.
For more information about the advantages of custom cereal and MixMyOwn.com, please call Klara Charvatovaat 702-354-1936 or send e-mail to klara@mixmyown.com.
**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account! You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!
PB and J Muesli
There is neither peanut butter nor jelly in this muesli (although I definitely contemplated both). Instead, it contains a delicious mix of fresh grapes, crushed peanuts, and (bonus!) sliced bananas, flax, and raisins. It’s like PB&J, in a muesli-friendly form.
Coconut Mocha Muesli
I’ve been wanting to make this for so long, but I was hesitant to give myself access to the chocolate-covered espresso beans. Self-control is not my strength. I have excellent self-control about items that I know I can’t have (all mainstream junk food, i.e. Doritos) and non-herbie items (a buttery cinnamon roll), but when it comes to “okay” foods (peanut butter, dark chocolate), I have a hard time putting on the brakes!
Alas, I threw those espresso beans in my cart and prepared to make this muesli. I struggled to keep them around long enough and reserve them for this muesli! I think I gained ten pounds from the entire container.
This recipe can be made with three items: oats, espresso beans, and shredded coconut. However, feel free to add extra ingredients like sunflower seeds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, or whatever pleases you. I added walnuts.
Coconut Mocha Muesli
What you'll need:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
- handful of dark chocolate-covered espresso beans
- 1/8 cup shredded coconut
How to make it:
- Combine all ingredients.
- Serve with milk of choice or yogurt.
Pomegranate Muesli
I am all about the muesli lately. It all happened when I discovered that pomegranate seeds make the best friggin’ muesli ever. Why?! Because they can make the bulk of your muesli instead of nuts and dried fruit, which are wonderful and nutrient-dense, but they’re also crazy filling and dried fruit is a ton of sugar. So using pomegranates? Brilliant.
Pomegranates are crunchy like a nut or seed, but sweet like dried fruit. They have the added bonus of being absolutely beautiful to look at.
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POSTED IN: 5 ingredients or less, dried fruit, muesli, not porridge, nuts, pomegranate, yogurt
POSTED IN: 5 ingredients or less, dried fruit, muesli, not porridge, nuts, pomegranate, yogurt
Autumn Muesli
I don’t know what it is about muesli lately, but I am all about it. I think it’s because I’ve been setting my electric blanket too high at night, and when I wake up in the morning, all I want is cold muesli.
This muesli essentially just celebrates autumn. Okay, so maybe pumpkin didn’t make it in (don’t worry, that’s coming!), BUT there are pepitas, which are pumpkin seeds, so . . . I guess that counts! I also used dried apples, raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, and pecan pieces. DIVINE.
My first bites were certainly pleasant, but I felt that something was missing. It was almost too light and bright and sunshiny. It needed more autumn. I took a risk and added a dash of cinnamon, and wow, it made all the difference!
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