I’ve finally managed to shoot my first ever YouTube video! Since I’ve been the biggest healthy bircher muesli addict recently, I knew that it had to be this special recipe as it’s one of my favorites on the blog. I am still a bit insecure about the whole YouTube thing, but bare with me while I improve my YouTube skills over the course of the next videos. Regardless of quality and my English, I hope that this recipe will show you how easy it is to prepare a healthy breakfast and how little time or effort is required to do so. Breakfast is my favorite meal, so I hope that I can inspire some of you not to skip it because of a lack of time. You can easily prepare this healthy bircher muesli the night before, so it’s ready when you get up. Leaving the oats to soak over night will not only save you time in the morning, it will also make the oats more digestible, which is a win win situation I think. I like to top my bircher with banana slices, frozen or fresh berries and some nuts and seeds for an extra crunch, but you can also enjoy it just as it is. Let me know what you think, and I hope that some of you will give it a try.

Enjoy!

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*There’s a heavenly Christmas giveaway for all readers living in Germany at the end of this post.

So, I guess it’s safe to say that it’s finally Christmas time, now that Thanksgiving is over. Being American at heart, my boyfriend and I had ourselves a small little Thanksgiving dinner as well, even though we don’t live in America anymore. But it’s always a nice reminder of good old times in the United States. Now it’s inevitable that Christmas is around the corner and everyone is starting to stress out about Christmas gifts. I am a big fan of homemade DIY-Christmas gifts, which is why I thought I’d give you an early idea of an easy but thoughtful Christmas gift: homemade gingerbread granola in a mason jar. The stores in Germany are filled with “Cookies in a Jar” or “Bread in a jar” mixes, so why not do something different and make granola in a jar? Your friends or family will appreciate the homemade aspect of the gift, and everyone can use a good old Ball Mason Jar at home.

Of course it doesn’t have to be the original Ball Mason Jar, any pretty jar will do it. Just wrap a nice Christmassy strap around it, and your friends will love the thoughtful DIY Christmas gift. When you prepare it, your kitchen will smell heavenly, too, and it will certainly get you into a jolly Christmas mood.

The granola is perfect to start your day with an extra touch of Christmas feeling, because every bite of this gingerbread granola tastes like Christmas. It’s not particularly sweet, but it is nicely crunchy, with a wonderful nutty and gingerbread-y flavor. The spices really give it an amazing touch, and you’ll never want to eat another granola ever. I don’t think I will only have this granola during Christmas time. It will be my winter granola until at least the month of March. Don’t believe me? Then try it for yourself. It’s just sooooo good!

If you live in Germany, then I have a nice little Giveaway for you. Together with Lieblingsglas.de*, I am giving away two sets à 2 Ball Mason Jars as well as a pack of paper straw of your choice. Find more details in my German post.

INGREDIENTS

– 1/2 cup (65g) of whole almonds
– 1/3 cup (30g) of pecans
– 1/2 cup (65g) of hazelnuts
– 1/2 cup (40g) of pumpkin seeds
– 1/4 cup (35g) of flax seeds
– 1/4 cup (35g) of uncooked quinoa
– 2 1/2 cups (210g) of old-fashioned or gluten-free oats
– 1 teaspoons of cinnamon
– 1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger
– 1/8 teaspoons of ground cloves
– a pinch of ground vanilla
– 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin coconut oil
– 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
– 1 tablespoon of almond butter (optional)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320 °F).
2. Start by putting the almonds, pecans and hazelnuts into a food processor and crush for 2-3 pulses until they are broken into pieces. They should not be completely crushed, you still want to be able to identify them as nut pieces. Place the crushed nuts into a large bowl. Add all the dry ingredients except spices, and stir well until the ingredients are combined.
3. Next, melt the coconut oil in a small sauce pan. Add the maple syrup, spices and almond butter if you’re using it, and stir well until everything is dissolved.
4. Now pour the sweet spice mix over the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is slightly sticky.
5. Pour the granola on a baking sheet which you have aligned with parchment paper, and bake for about 20-25 minutes. After 10 minutes or so, take the pan out and stir well so the outer edges do not get burned. Repeat this every 5-10 minutes for the rest of the time.
6. Take out the tray and leave it to cool for about 20 minutes. By this time the granola should be nicely crunchy but not burned and your kitchen should smell devine.

Serve with milk, non-dairy milk, yoghurt or non-dairy yogurt, top with fruits. Stored in an air-tight container it should taste amazing for up to 6 weeks.

Enjoy!

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Those of you who’ve been following me on Instagram may have noticed my slight obsession with porridge. I love all sorts of porridges: almond milk porridge, oat milk porridge, blueberry porridge, pink raspberry porridge, apple cinnamon porridge – you name it. My newest obsession is coconut porridge, which is the creamiest most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten for breakfast. I am not exaggerating, it really is such a delicious breakfast that provides you with enough energy to make it through a busy morning at work or at school. Porridge is also a cheap way to start your day in an extremely healthy way. Oats can be really cheap when bought in bulk, and they also don’t have to be organic in order to be healthy. If you cook your porridge with more water than milk, you don’t even need a lot of pricey plant-based milk in order to eat a plant-based breakfast. 

I admit that eating porridge for breakfast may not seem all that exciting. However, you can make it exciting by topping your porridge with delicious and flavorful toppings such as fruits, superfoods or nut butters. I prefer a mixture of all of the above to make my porridge more exciting and colorful. It’s actually quite fun to play around with different flavors and spices, like apple cinnamon or vanilla and almond. I am sure everyone’s taste is different so I’ll just provide you with my basic coconut porridge recipe and you’re welcome to play around with different toppings and flavors. If you need more porridge inspiration then be sure to follow me on Instagram, which is where I share at least three or four porridge bowls a week.

 Enjoy!

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Healthy Bircher Muesli is probably one of my favorite breakfast dishes ever. The Suisse original recipe is made with cow’s milk though, and you usually get it in combination with yoghurt in Germany, which is why I haven’t had it it in a while. It never occurred to me that it would taste just as great with home made almond milk. So I finally made a big batch of it the other week, and I literally can’t get enough of it now. It’s heaven. Really, you’ll never want to eat anything else for breakfast. Well maybe pancakes, but that’s different. The original Bircher Muesli recipe only includes apples, milk, honey and ground hazelnuts. I’ve changed the recipe and added some seeds and substituted milk with almond milk though. The almond milk really brings out the nutty flavor of the muesli, and the grated apple makes it heavenly moist. It’s really the creamiest and most delicious bircher muesli you’ll ever make. It’s also packed with amazing goodness such as oats, healthy seeds, and nuts. Oats are some of the healthiest grains out there. Not only do oats contain more than twice as much iron as meat, they are also one of those „beauty“ foods due to their high biotin content. Biotin is responsible for healthy, glowing hair, skin and nails. Another great vitamin found in oats is vitamin B6, which is important for a healthy psyche. If you suffer from fatique or sleep deprivation, then this bircher muesli is the best breakfast for you. I’m really excited to share this recipe with you, and I am even more excited to hear what you think about it in the comments below.

Enjoy!

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