PRIME TIME WITH KIDS Stir up ready-to-eat muesli for easy breakfasts all week long

Donna Erickson

When you travel, what souvenirs end up meaning the most? Photos, clothing, impulse items stashed in the side pockets of your luggage? When I pondered the same question and reflected on special trips, I was surprised to discover that the recipes I’ve jotted in my journal are the take-homes that really live on.

Travel and food: a great combination! That’s what my Australian-born-and-raised neighbor Felicity Britton, a globe-trotting mother of two teenage daughters, and I got excited about in a recent conversation.

She recalled adventuresome days in her 20s as a marketer for a major cruise line. The lavish on-board breakfast buffet included a heaping bowl of a creamy-style, cold muesli (oats mixed with yogurt, milk, nuts and fruit, etc.) specifically prepared for the tastes of European guests. “I loved it,” she said. She inquired about the recipe and has prepared variations of it for over 20 years — truly, a breakfast staple in her home.

“This must be some travel souvenir,” I thought. Well, it is. The basic, healthy ingredients are easy for your kids to stir up in minutes for a week’s worth of breakfasts that store nicely in your refrigerator. Your chosen daily add-ins of seasonal fruit make the possibilities endless.

While I enjoy this yogurt and nutty, crunchy muesli with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of milk, Felicity likes to spoon a couple of tablespoons over a portion of Special K cereal. Her 13-year-old daughter eats it for an after-school snack as is.

Make breakfasts in 2017 a priority for your kids to fuel them for their walk to the bus stop and throughout their morning academics. Stir up the natural ingredients and be surprised, like my family, at how tasty and filling this healthy oat-based mixture can be. It lasts for a week in your fridge, but I guarantee it will be eaten well before that.

 

READY-TO-EAT MUESLI

Makes 8 half-cup servings.

1 1/2 cups whole-grain rolled oats

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 cups milk (substitute almond milk, if you prefer)

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup loosely chopped hazelnuts

1 large red apple, cored and grated

Let your young kids measure the first five ingredients and mix them in a large bowl while you chop the hazelnuts and grate the apple. Add the nuts and apple to the bowl, stir well and spoon into an airtight container.

Refrigerate at least two hours, and serve at breakfast or as a snack. Spoon into a bowl and top with fresh fruit, such as blueberries or raspberries.

This muesli keeps well for a week in the refrigerator.

 

***

Donna Ericksons award-winning series Donnas Day is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donnas Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is Donna Ericksons Fabulous Funstuff for Families.

 

© 2017 Donna Erickson

Distributed by King Features Syndicate