$5 Friday: #useitup muesli

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December was a giddily busy month.  I had plans to make and bake so many homecooked goodies. OK, I fake-booked a bit about my triumphs and made it look that I was a domestic goddess.  And yes, I did do some baking.  BUT it was soooo hot, and was soooo tired, and there was so much on. I only did the minimum.

Homemade muesli, served with homemade yoghurt, foraged blackberries and homegrown mint
Homemade muesli, served with homemade yoghurt, foraged blackberries and homegrown mint

So now my cupboards are full with little packets of interesting nuts and dried fruit and berries.  Things that were a bit of a splurge to purchase but part of the essential Christmas baking experience.

And now I am trying to clean out my cupboards to make more room via #useitup as I have discovered I have way too much food. I was planning on incorporating into this blog post a cupboard inventory (and approximate food bank cost), but there was too much to count and add up so I just gave up.

Instead I made up a batch of muesli.

A bowl of my homemade muesli
A bowl of my homemade muesli

A 750g bag of muesli costs between $3.50 and $8.00 to buy at your local supermarket depending on what’s in it.  Some gourmet blends cost even more.  Having read the ingredients label and inspected my bag of muesli, I discovered something interesting: the vast majority of it (59% in fact) is rolled oats.  That’s right – rolled oats that sell for 99c a 750g bag at ALDI.

This is my recipe based on what I had on hand. I used some amazing coconut crisps that a friend brought back from China.  And also good quality Angus Park dried fruit medley. But many other combinations are possible including:

  • Cooconut, dried apricots (cut into small pieces) and chopped almonds;
  • Walnuts and goji berries;
  • Dried cranberries and chopped almonds; and
  • Apple and sultana with a pinch or two of cinnamon.

Actually, once you get the base right you can add pretty much anything.  Enjoy and have fun with #useitup in your cupboard. I look forward to hearing about your amazing creations. I am sure they will be spectacular and gourmet.

Ingredients

442g rolled oats
75g processed bran (optional)
3/4 cup mixed fruit
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/3 cup large coconut crisps
1/8 cup linseed

Ingredients for my homemade muesli: oats, linseeds, coconut crisps, dried fruit, almonds and processed bran
Ingredients for my homemade muesli – what will you put in yours?

Method:

  1. Bake the almonds in the oven on a low heat until puffy.  Allow to cool, then chop finely.

    Ingredients on top of the rolled oats, waiting to be mixed together
    Ingredients on top of the rolled oats, waiting to be mixed together
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Using a second large bowl, transfer ingredients from one bowl to another until combined equally.  Store in an airtight container.  Makes 750g.

Cost:

Oats – 59c
Bran – 28c

The base cost of the muesli is 87c, which comprises 69% of the mixture. I haven’t costed in the dried fruit as I already had it and it was free. I am guessing it would cost around $1, perhaps $2 at most.  I will put the cost of this at $2, so $2.87 total.

A bowl of homemade muesli, yoghurt, blackberries and mint

 

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