Making muesli

In my previous post about the beauty of breakfast I talked about muesli, so of course I have been asked what I put in mine! Here's the run down.

Regular muesli for Phill

I need to eat gluten free but my husband doesn't need to avoid gluten so we make two separate batches. I start with two big containers - one for Phill's muesli and one for mine. I then get a base muesli  - for Phill it's whatever brand of natural muesli with fruit looks nice and is a good price from the supermarket - usually Carman's, Mornng Sun or a generic from Woolworths, Coles or Aldi. We will be adding lots to it so if its mainly oats that's no problem, but some have dried fruit, almonds or coconut already in them. Alternatively you can just start with plain rolled oats or oats and barley (Superfoods make a barley/oats mix like this is which is great). For me I get whatever gluten free muesli looks the best (knowing that they are often sweetened and higher GI than Phill's oats so I will be bulking mine out more and eating smaller serves when its done). I tend to choose Carman's, Freedom foods or the generic GF muesli from Woolworths or Aldi. 

Gluten free muesli for me

Now for the fun bit - time to start adding goodies to it! 

Phill's has more grains and fruit than I do - rice bran, wheat germ, barley flakes, dried mango, pineapple, paw paw, apricots, cranberries and sultanas, LSA mix and anything else that jumps out at me in the supermarket.
Mine has more seeds and nuts and less grains and dried fruit (to keep the GI low) - I have dried apples, sultanas and diced prunes, and lots of sliced natural almonds. I then top up both boxes with psyllium husk, coconut and all the crunchy things I can find - pepitas, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, quinoa, rice bran, buckwheat etc. And finally a good slop of cinnamon in both for taste and blood sugar lowering effects (the evidence is pretty patchy on this so I don't know if it really does anything, but it tastes great so that's my excuse for adding it to everything!! )

While it costs a little more the first time you do it and need to buy all the bits, you will end up with a huge container, tailored to your tastes and needs and will be much nicer than any brand you get at the shops. I tend to use mine as a crunchy topping on my fruit and yoghurt, Phill eats his as a traditional cereal with milk, and it works fine for both options. Our big containers of muesli last weeks and weeks and taste great :)

YUM! 

Lyndal @ Lean Green and Healthy