Best Healthy Breakfast for a lazy day
What is your go-to breakfast or brunch when you can’t be bothered? Mine is a muesli yogurt bowl.
This easy no-cook breakfast for a lazy day – or any day for that matter – Nothing is more perfect than this simple and quick breakfast, yet colourful and nourishing bowl that can keep you going for the day ahead.
One of the reasons I love muesli is that I can create a beautiful painting on my breakfast bowl with colourful seasonal fruits at their best. The usual suspects for my plate are mangos, oranges, papayas, apples, cherries, blueberries, passion fruits, bananas, and/or pink dragon fruits. The combinations are endless depending on the season. Regardless, I always have a few packets of frozen fruits in my freezer all year round. After sprinkling chia seeds, flaxseeds, almonds, walnuts or nigella seeds on top, Voilà!! The crunch and nourishing breakfast in no time is ready.
Where did muesli come from
What pops into your mind when you hear the word ‘muesli’? As a foodie and food nerd, I did some digging about the origin. and I found out that muesli was not originally intended as a breakfast but as an appetiser?
You probably came across ‘Bircher muesli’ packed on supermarket shelves. As the name suggests, it is named after Dr. Bircher-Benner who was a Swiss physician and pioneer nutritionist in the early 20th century. He introduced muesli to his patients who needed a diet which is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. Although the commercial Bircher muesli ingredients might be slightly different from the original Bircher-Benner recipe, its main ingredient is oats. Thanks to him, we can prepare this wholesomely delicious muesli bowl as a quick and nutritious breakfast or brunch in our modern day.
Phytochemicals make you healthy and energetic
Sounds pretty scary, doesn’t it? But be assured that it is not exactly what you think. Phytochemicals (Greek word phyto – meaning ‘plant’) are simply plant chemicals with antioxidant properties. Simply speaking, different coloured fruits, vegetables and other plant-based foods can protect us from some chronic diseases and contribute to our health and wellbeing in a long run as medical and nutrition experts said. You may have heard about anthocyanin, lycopene, beta carotene and so many other odd unpronounceable words. If you are a health buff like me and want to read reputable sources from Harvard Health and learn how to apply this to your everyday diet, click here.
How to create a deliciously healthy breakfast muesli bowl
- Use plain or Greek yogurts that contain no sugar, artificial flavours and colourings, sweeteners and other food additives.
- Replace Greek yogurt with any dairy-free yogurt for plant-based eaters (but be mindful that commercial dairy-free yogurt has sugar and other non-wholesome additives)
- Use fresh fruits in season, if possible, for maximum nutrients and flavour.
- Mix different coloured fruits.
- Freeze seasonal fruits during their season.
- Mix with frozen fruits if particular fruits you are after are not in season.
- Add nuts and seeds of your choice to add more texture and healthy fat to the bowl. (pumpkin seeds, sunflowers, chia seeds or flaxseed)
Ingredients
Greek or Plain Yogurt 400g (approximately 2 cups)
Fruit in rainbow colours
- Muesli or Rolled Oat 1 cup (see Note)
- Cherries frozen or fresh
- Banana 1 - slices
- Blueberries - 1/3 cup
- Apple dices - 1/3 cup
- Any of your favourite fruit or seasonal fruit
Nuts and Seeds
- Chia seeds
- Nigella seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Flexi seeds
- Almond or any nuts of your choice
Instructions
- Prepare different fruits into slices and dices
- Place the equal amount of yogurt into two separate bowls
- Add rolled oat or muesli mix onto the yogurt
- Layer it with the prepared fruits
- Sprinkle with your favourite nuts or and seeds
Notes
Rolled oats you get from a local supermarket is a whole grain food (dehusked, steamed and pressed). It is suitable for this dish as it does not require any cooking.
Steel-Cut oats are not desirable for this breakfast dish. Basically, they are chopped whole oat groats (uncooked). It requires cooking with heat and is perfect for making porridge.
