Back to basics: Muesli

Muesli is probably the most common cereal at the Swedish breakfast table. The number of brands and flavours in any grocery store seems endless.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so eating a super nutrient-dense meal is very important! Most branded cereals are full of sugar and additives, so switching to natural muesli mixes is something the Swedes have perfected.

Muesli is great to eat with yoghurt, milk or as we do in Sweden with “fil”. The base of muesli consists of rolled oats with numerous additions such as rolled rye flakes, wheat flakes, nuts, seeds, berries and fruit. Whole oats are great source of iron, dietary fibres and antioxidants. Here are some ingredients that are super healthy and great to mix up to keep things always interesting:

Seeds and nuts:

Flax-seed: very rich in Omega-3, beneficial for your heart and helps avoiding cancer.

Sesame seeds: a good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fibre.

Sunflower seeds: an excellent source of dietary fibre, protein, Vitamin E, B vitamins, and minerals.

Nuts: nuts can be super beneficial for your health and the characteristic that most nuts share in common are richness in fibre, antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium, fat - but mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (e.g. omega 3) great to lower cholesterol, and protein.

Fruit:

Bananas: super rich in potassium

Peaches: rich in carotenes, potassium and gives a sweet taste

Apples: great source of dietary fibres and vitamin C

Berries:

Strawberries: a great source of vitamin C and antioxidants

Raspberry: High in ellagic acid, a phenolic compound that may help prevent cancer, inhibit the growth of cancer cells and stop the growth of some cancers. Also high in antioxidants and vitamin C.

Blueberries: called the antioxidant powerhouse


A great way of enjoying muesli in the summer is roasting your own muesli, and adding the seeds of your choice and then adding fresh berries and fruit. You can also add some honey for a sweeter taste. A breakfast tasty enough to be a dessert! But when fresh berries and fruit are scarce here is a great recipe for home-made muesli, a great way of avoiding the unnecessary additives in the processed ones:

2 tbs reseed oil
0,5 tbs liquid honey
1 tbs cinnamon
5 dl rolled oats
5 dl rye flakes
0,5 dl crushed flax seed
0,5 dl peeled sesame seeds
0,5 dl sunflower seeds
1 dl pumpkin seeds
100 g roughly chopped hazel nuts
100 g roughly chopped apple rings

Mix oil, honey and cinnamon. Pour the rolled oats and rye flakes in a spacious bowl and add the oil mixture. Mix well and scatter over a roasting pan with oven paper. Roast in the middle of the oven in 225 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. Stir the muesli a few times during the roasting. Let the muesli cool off and then add the rest of the ingredients and put the muesli in a jar with a tight seal. If you put in a vanilla pod the muesli mix will absorb a nice flavour.

Enjoy!