Bircher muesli

Eating breakfast is so important, it gives you energy, boosts weight loss, and can elevate your mood, that's why I'm supporting Farmhouse Breakfast Week this week.

All week long I will be Tweeting, Instagraming and Facebooking with the hashtag #BreakfastWatch. Feel free to join in and share your breakfasts with the world. I'll also be posting breakfast recipes and tips here on The Road to Less Cake throughout the week.

I'm kicking off Farmhouse Breakfast Week with a bircher muesli recipe. I think it is easy to skip breakfast when we have a busy day and/or are up early, but having something when you get up is so important, it could stop you reaching for the biscuit tin in the office kitchen or the junk food in vending machine in the staff room. Making something the night before or a big batch at the weekend can really help you to eat healthier. As the saying goes...fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

My bircher muesli is a great portable breakfast if you don't have time to make any before you dash out of the house in the morning. You can put in a pot in the refrigerator the night before, then just grab it right out the fridge in the morning and pop it in your bag. Eat it on the train, bus or at your desk when you get to work.

You will need...

[serves 6]

180g (1 1/2 cups) oats
60 ml (1/2 cup) pressed apple juice
120ml (1/2 cup) unsweetened almond milk
480g (2 cups) organic fat free natural yogurt
2 small apples, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
30 blanched almonds
Plus toppings of your choice, I used blueberries

Let's get mixing...

Mix together the oats, almond milk, apple juice and yogurt together in a bowl. Then mix in the honey and cinnamon. If you haven't already done so, peel and grate your apples and then mix them  with the rest of the ingredients.

Now comes the fun part, smashing the almonds. Put the nuts in a freezer or sandwich bag and crush, bash, smash with a rolling pin. Keep going until no whole almonds are left, I left mine in quite chunky pieces as I wanted to have a little bite in my bircher muesli, but you could always crush them finely.

Losely wrap cling film over the bowl and chill over night. In the morning serve into six bowls and enjoy. Or you can do what I did and ate them as breakfast on the go over the space of a week.

It's not the prettiest looking breakfast, but believe me it does taste good. The oats are soft and creamy, but without the high calorie and fat content because I used fat free natural yogurt. Do be careful with fat free products though because sugar or artificial sweeteners can often be added in, but usually with natural or Greek yogurts you are OK, as sugar isn't added in. I used Yeo Valley 0% fat natural, which is organic and has no added sugar. But always check food labels. There is a slight bite from the grated apple and almonds, which add flavour and make a more substantial/meal.

I added the almonds in not just for texture but because having protein, such as nuts, at breakfast is a good idea because it keeps you fuller for longer. Almonds are super good for you, they can aid weigh loss, are full of healthy monounsaturated fat, they can lower cholesterol and can even help to burn tummy fat. 

The cinnamon really comes through and works well with the apples, we all know the two are a match made in heaven...well, in a bowl. I love cinnamon and added the spice not only for flavour, but because it is great at curbing sugar cravings. Cinnamon normalises blood sugar levels, therefore meaning it helps to reduce our hankering for the sweet stuff. Add some cinnamon to your breakfast and you might not feel the need to eat that biscuit or chocolate bar at 11am with your tea or coffee break.

What did you have for breakfast today?

Have you ever made bircher museli before?