Mixed Berry Muesli

I'm a BIG planner. So when I started to learn more about how our winter vacation this year would look, I became abnormally concerned about what I was going to eat. Rather than staying in a hotel or condo, we were staying on a sailboat for 7 nights---a totally new experience for me. Aside from the whole not-on-dry-land thing, we would be having two meals, lunch and breakfast, on the boat each day. A provisioning list was submitted through a local grocer a few weeks before; and I was strongly advised not to add many fresh foods due to price and quality. Would I have enough fruit, vegetables, water? Especially with being in close quarters, I was worried about getting sick or my body rebelling against me and a "vacation diet".

My solution was to purchase a variety of freeze-dried foods to bring along in a checked bag. I went so far as to buying freeze-dried peas, spinach, and kale granola. (And all three items were barely touched during those 7 days.) Along with my questionable vegetable purchases, however, I bought a few bags of freeze-dried fruit for breakfasts. To go with it, I had Greek yogurt placed on our provisioning list...but when our groceries arrived: no Greek yogurt!

By the grace of God, they had almond milk in stock at the small market the first night we arrived. Each morning of vacation, my go-to breakfast ended up being giant bowl of my freeze-dried fruit and a oat-y cereal they bought called "muesli". It turned out to be my favorite thing. Ever.


It's hard to believe that I'd never tried muesli up until this point. Raw oats instead of sugar-dusted cereal never sounded appealing to me. Turns out, it's simply fabulous. Modest and comforting. Chewy and nutty. And so filling!

I'm not the biggest fan of overnight oats, so the traditional way to eat muesli isn't the intention of this mixed berry recipe. It's best when served like regular cereal, maybe allotting 1-3 extra minutes of soaking before digging in. For some added substance and sugar, you can top it with some yogurt and fruit preserves. I have even drizzled mine with a bit of agave nectar.

Mixed Berry Muesli

Servings: 5

2 cups multigrain hot cereal (Trader Joe's, Country Choice Organic or Bob's Red Mill) OR any combination of the following rolled grains: oats, barley flakes, rye flakes, wheat
1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1.5 ounces freeze-dried mixed berries (Simple Balanced or Nuts.com)
2-4 tablespoons dried cranberries
Pinch of salt
Milk and/or yogurt for serving

• To toast grains and nuts, preheat oven to 350 degrees and scatter grains and almonds on a large baking sheet. Every 5 minutes, toss and redistribute grains with a spatula. Bake for a total of 15 minutes, or until the grains smell toasty and are only slightly browned. Be careful not to overcook them!
• Once cooled, mix grains and nuts with the remaining ingredients (flaxseed meal, chia seeds, berries, and salt) in a large jar or bowl. Place lid on jar and shake OR stir with a spatula to thoroughly combine. Store in an airtight container for about 1 month.
• Serve with milk (let it sit for ~5 minutes to slightly soften cereal and berries) or with yogurt (let it sit in fridge for one hour or overnight).