Overnight Oats or Bircher Muesli

This is another bandwagon that I am shamelessy jumping on! Nearly all healthy eating websites are promoting this as a convenient breakfast. I don’t think they’d approve of my version using so much Greek yogurt though. Basically, overnight oats are 1 part oats mixed with 1 part liquid and left to soak overnight in the fridge. This soaking softens the oats so there is no cooking needed. Pop them in a small jar and you have a healthy breakfast on the go!

While I do like granola, I have never been a fan of porridge. I always thought of it as a lot of work for tasteless mush. As a result, I had no desire to try Bircher Muesli, despite recipes for it being in at least 4 of my cookbooks. Then I went for breakfast with a friend and they had a massive bowl of it on the counter and were serving it with proper thick Greek yogurt and blueberries. It looked so good I had to try it. And I wasn’t disappointed, it was heavenly.

This is a basic recipe, but really anything goes. I’ve gone with the 1:1 ratio but some prefer 2 parts liquid for a looser muesli. You can experiment and see what works best for you. You can also use any liquid, or a combination. I’ve gone just with Greek yogurt and the result is creamy, rich and thick. You could use apple juice, just water (if you feel like you need to be particularly virtuous!), milk or yogurt. If you want to keep it dairy free you could use an almond or rice milk. However, a lot of these milks have so many chemicals in them that I think dairy couldn’t possibly be worse for you.

A lot of recipes use dried fruit, I’m not a fan so I went with the fresh apple instead. You can top with any fruit you like or even a compote or jam. Sprinkle over nuts or seeds to add some crunch.

You can make a large batch of this and it will keep in the fridge. So on a Sunday night, you can make enough breakfast to get you through the week.

Makes 2 very filling portions

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup or 100g rolled oats, these are the regular porridge oats, instant oats will get too mushy
• 1 cup or 250ml of Greek yogurt
• 1 apple
• 1 tbsp honey

Method:

• Measure out the oats and yogurt and mix well together.
• Add the honey and peel the apple and grate it into the oats. Mix everything very well together.Do this quickly to stop the apple from going brown.
• Cover the bowl with clingfilm or portion the oats into individual jars and put it into the fridge to soak over night.
• In the morning add some water if you want to loosen it a bit. Top with anything you like! I’ve used an extra spoon of yogurt, some fresh strawberries and topped with some granola for crunch.

 

Suggested toppings: bananas & peanut butter; chia seeds & blueberries; coconut & pomegranate seeds; toasted seeds & fruit compote.