Overnight 5 Grain Bircher Muesli With Goji berries & Green Apple

Bircher Muesli by Meeta K Wolff -0077

Ready, steady … go! Most mornings many of us are dashing out the door, grabbing a quick piece of toast and a coffee to go. I know you all are smart enough to know that a good meal at the start of the day takes you further, keeping your energy levels balanced. For me a good breakfast also keeps any mood swings or headaches at bay and I realized a long time ago that a good regular breakfast kept me focused by improving my concentration levels.

We all know that scenario – you are getting a late start to the day and when compared to the consequences of arriving late for work or school, pausing for a bite to eat in the kitchen just does not seem as important. So – you skip breakfast again. “Breakfast is the main meal of the day!” We have heard that so many times from our mothers, from the health gurus, from fitness magazines – but when routine takes over many of us fall back into the old habit.

Breakfast for me is a major meal as there are often days that I know it will be the main meal replenishing me for several hours ahead. A few savvy plan-ahead breakfast ideas helps me get my busy days in order … I even have time to make coffee!

Apples-2016-by-Meeta-K-Wolff-0009

Portable breakfasts are my answer. Whether an office day or a shoot on-location, I am able to transport my breakfast easily and whenever I get a few minutes to pause I am able to enjoy my homemade breakfast at my desk or on-site. The other massive benefit of such portable breakfasts is that they are a lot less expensive than buying a quick muffin or a granola bar on the way to work.

The main criteria for these breakfasts-on-the-go for me are that they need to be made ahead of time and if possible in larger quantities two to three times a week. My favorite kinds of breakfast is porridge, granola or muesli. All make great portable breakfasts and easy to make the previous night.

Bircher Muesli by Meeta K Wolff -0080

Dr. Bircher-Benner, a Swiss nutritionist developed the Bircher muesli for patients at his Zurich sanatorium towards the end of the nineteenth century basically to get them to eat more raw fruit. This is such a great way to start the day, keeping off those mid-morning snack attacks away. Bircher muesli relies on the fruit – mainly apples – to sweeten the dish. Although Bircher-Benner’s original recipe uses rolled oats, I like adding a mix of grains like spelt or rye flakes with the rolled oats. I also like varying with different seeds like I have used here. Chia, flax, sesame, sunflower seeds all add a great texture to the muesli so go ahead and play around to find your favorite crunch.

Soaking the oats is probably one of the most important factors in the recipe. As Dr. Bircher-Benner I really like soaking my oats overnight- not only because it is the easiest way to plan ahead but I find the consistency to be just right. Some recipes will call for 10 or 15 minutes of soaking, if you like your oats a little chewier then there is nothing wrong with a short soak. While I used almond milk here, you can use regular milk, plain water or apple juice to soak the oats in. I also love some creamy yogurt mixed into my Bircher and anything from Greek yogurt to Skyr or quark works well. Here I use some almond milk yogurt as it balances the flavors well.

Bircher Muesli by Meeta K Wolff 0038

Bircher Muesli by Meeta K Wolff -0057

Apples are the main attraction so it cannot be missed! I love the crisp and pleasantly tart granny smith coarsely grated with the skin on. But feel free to use your favorite variety. Although dried fruit is not part of the original recipe, they have become popular. Golden raisins and goji berries highlight this recipe, but I also love dried sour cherries, apricots, blueberries or cranberries – soaked overnight to plump them up. Another must are the nuts – the original recipe uses hazelnuts but I find the aromas of toasted almonds so delightful with the oats and apples. It is a matter of personal taste and walnuts, pistachios or pecan nuts all work – slightly toast them to release their aromas. Half a vanilla bean and some cinnamon works incredibly well with the apples – keep away from vanilla essence as it tends to be fairly strong and overpowers the other delicate flavors. Finally a small drizzle of raw honey tops off the perfect Bircher Muesli. You can also use seasonal fruit – right now strawberries, and rhubarb are a great treat and gives the breakfast another dimension, but keep the topping amounts small as this is mainly about the oats and the apples.

Apples-2016-by-Meeta-K-Wolff-0032 Bircher Muesli by Meeta K Wolff -0055

This Bircher makes a great breakfast to make in a jar and bring along to work. I actually mix everything needed in the jar itself, topping off with the necessary in the morning. Cover with the lid and – ready to go!

Recipe: Overnight 5 Grain Bircher Muesli With Goji berries and Green Apple

By
Prep Time:
Total Time:
Makes: 2 jars

 

Ingredients

  • 150g mixed oats and flakes, like rolled oats and rolled spelt flakes
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon flax seeds
  • 300ml almond milk, plus extra for serving
  • pinch of fleur de sell
  • 1/2 vanila bean, seeds scraped
  • small handful yellow raisins
  • small handful goji berries
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons almonds, toasted
  • 1 green apple, grated
  • 2 teaspoons raw honey
  • 50g almond milk yogurt



Method

  1. In a jar add the mixed oats, flakes and soak with milk. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean, add cinnamon and pinch of fleur de sel. Add the chia and flax seeds, saving a small amount of each for the final topping. Finally add the goji berries and raisins. Mix well with a spoon, cover then refrigerate overnight to allow the oats to soak through and the dried fruit to plump up overnight.
  2. The next morning toast your almonds, grate your apple, then dollop the yogurt to the top of your bircher. Top off with the grated apple, almonds, the rest of the chia and flax seeds and finally drizzle the honey over the top.




Verdict

Bircher Muesli by Meeta K Wolff -0074

No excuses for skipping breakfast anymore, with this ready-in-minutes option. This recipe can be made in larger quantities as it will keep for at least 2 days in the fridge without the addition of the yogurt. You will have to add some more liquid after 24 hours to keep it moist. There are many options and variations to this recipe and I encourage you to play around with your favorite ingredients for new flavors every time!

Looking for more breakfast ideas? Don’t miss my Breakfast of Champions – The Big Breakfast post for an incredible range of ideas of breakfast options from me and from many of my friends across the social network platforms. Hope you enjoy it!

From breakfast to fiery hot – next week we will paint this blog red! Stay tuned!

More portable breakfast ideas from What’s for lunch, Honey?:

Four Grain Berry Pistachio Nut Granola Bar (02) by MeetaK Granola Berry Nut Chocolate Intens (0002) by MeetaK QuinoaBreakfast_WM-3-by Meeta K. Wolff

Granola Bars - Four Grain Very Berry Pistachio Nut

Granola - Berry Nut Chocolate Intense

Quinoa Breakfast with Almond milk, Fresh Fruit and Toasted Pecans


All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2016 Meeta Khurana Wolff unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First

Continue »

28 comments:

  1. Overnight oats are great...funny I just did a post on this too. Perfect way to start the day...and so easy!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like everything about this recipe! That's exactly what I want to eat for breakfast Monday-Friday! Thanks for sharing! Pinned!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lisa! Glad you liked the recipe. It's an easy recipe and hope you do make it from Monday - Friday!

      Delete
  3. I with you, porridge, oatmeal, and granola are my favorites at breakfast time - this recipe looks wonderful! Great photos, too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have been seeing a few of these overnight oats recipes and I am really curious to try this! I like how you added chia seeds too - great idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you enjoy this when you make it! It's wonderfully versatile so you can add whatever suits your fancy!

      Delete
  5. I've been experimenting with all sorts of overnight recipes using oats and this one really has some great additions. Time to get experimenting. Love the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tell me about all the experiments. Hope they go well!

      Delete
  6. Nothing like being prepared and overnight bircher muesli helps in that regard. great ingredients. Looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  7. breakfast is definitely the most important meal but you are right sometimes life gets in the way of breakfast. Prepping the the night before is great way to ensure you get your breakfast in. Love this Meeta. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Shumaila! Anything to make life easier and better ... glad you liked it!

      Delete
  8. Yum this looks like my kind of healthy breakfast! Just bought for de sel for the first time and love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fleur de sel is awesome - I put it in my granola a inch in my brownies. Looking forward to seeing how you use it!

      Delete
  9. Sounds like an easy way to get a great nutritious breakfast! Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  10. This sounds like a delicious breakfast and your photos are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fantastic photos for a fantastic recipe! That Green Apple flavor is gonna come right through. Thanks for sharing!!! - Levan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Yes it really brings a wonderful tangy flavor to this.

      Delete
  12. Wow! I love the look of that muesli. I am trying this soon so that it will keep us full in healthy way.

    ReplyDelete
  13. That's like a breakfast made in heaven haha! Such beautiful shots. Thanks so much for the recipe. Pinned!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Aah Meeta!! I am in Love with everything in this post - the new table, props and the recipe.. LOVE It!! I was waiting to hop by since the facebook post.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love overnight oats, so this overnight muesli is a must-try. All the fruit sounds delicious--goji berries, raisins, and shredded apple. Yum! I bet my 3-year-old son would love it too!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta