Winter brings with it a need for comfort foods. Carbs, sweets, and fat are what we tend to crave.
Given the long, cold days, there’s nothing like a bowl of something slightly sweet, carby, healthy, and seasonal to make your day a little brighter. Studded with bits of bright orange clementines and the colourful crunch of the green and purple pistachios, the winter blahs just became a little brighter. But don’t just reach for the first box of muesli on your grocery store shelf!
Store-bought muesli is regularly touted as a “health-food,” but further inspection lays those claims to shame. Often laden with excess sugar and fat, this less than ideal cereal can spike your blood sugar and leave you in a funk.
Fear not, our carb-craving, muesli-loving friends! Making your own is plain simple. The homemade version is lower in sugar and higher in fibre, protein, and medium-chain fatty acids–all nutrients you want to be giving your body.
Let’s fight these winter blahs with vibrancy!
DIY Muesli Ingredients
- 2 cups oats, gluten-free if you prefer
- ¼ cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt for higher protein
- 2 Tbsp milk of your choice
- The juice of 3 clementines (mandarins, tangerines, or oranges will also do, but you will have to adjust the amount. You want enough liquid to make it relatively easy to stir.)
- 1 sweet apple (e.g. gala, golden delicious), coarsely shredded
- 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey to sweeten, optional
Toppings
- Chopped clementines (or mandarins, tangerines, or oranges)
Pistachios - Unsweetened, flaked coconut
Method
1. Mix the oats, coconut, cinnamon, yogurt, milk, clementine juice, and shredded apple together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. In the morning, taste the mixture to see if you like the level of sweetness. If not, add some maple syrup or honey to taste.
3. Scoop into snack (or breakfast-sized containers) and top with additional chopped clementines, pistachios, and flaked coconut.
