Toasted Muesli

1/25/2018

I like yogurt but I'm far from being a yogurt purist. I feel compelled to point out the fact that I prefer the full of sugar - tastes like dessert - kind of yogurt. (Have you tried the Chobani Key Lime Pie yogurt? Ridiculous) As if the added sugar wasn't bad enough, I also like to load up my yogurt with all sorts of extra deliciousness: fruit, granola, almonds and chocolate. It's not that I wouldn't love to be a plain, non-fat yogurt eating kind of girl but if I'm being honest with myself, I pretty much eat yogurt for the sugar.

The way I look at is that there are far worse things that I could be eating. I do seek out protein rich, non-fat Greek yogurt so I do get some benefits from eating my sugary snack. Now if I could just eat yogurt instead of dessert, I would be better off. Unfortunately, I can't seem to convince my brain that eating a cup of Boston Cream Pie yogurt is just as good as indulging in an actual slice of Boston Cream Pie !

I've tried in the past to wean myself from my go-to dessert like yogurt to sugar-free plain yogurt but it was unsuccessful. (No big surprise there.) So since I can't quit my sweet yogurt habit, I'll concentrate on reducing the amount of sugar that I add to it. A Toasted Muesli is a great swap for an ultra sweet granola. As an added bonus, when I add it to my already sweet yogurt - I hardly notice that it doesn't have any added sugar. Throw in a few fresh blueberries and suddenly it's a parfait.

Toasted Muesli
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup barley
1 cup rye flakes
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
pinch of sea salt

Spread the oats, barley flakes, rye flakes, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, almonds and pistachios on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 325.