the perfect breakfast

Not too long ago a good friend of mine tried to convince me that a scone was "the perfect breakfast" (specifically cherry almond scones from here). Although this scone is perhaps the best I have had, for me, it is not the perfect breakfast, unless I am aiming to look like a woman from the Versailles-era when being rotund was a symbol of class and attractiveness. Though we endlessly teased and questioned my friend about it, not being able to follow her logic, she held her ground by saying that it was the perfect combination of wheat, eggs and fruit to start your morning (though she didn't talk too much about the portions of butter and sugar in each scone relative to the wheat and fruit content).
After this interaction, I have been on the search for my version of the "perfect breakfast" - one that I can rely on to be that staple in my diet to start my day out on the right foot. For a few years, I tried cooking oatmeal each morning and adding yogurt for some protein, but after reading Omnivore's Dilemma I couldn't stomach yogurt for awhile (think yoplait yogurt sweetened with HFCS = yuck, or worse the fat free version with aspartame, more yuck). After that, I became somewhat obsessed with eggs since they are loaded with protein and vitamins. For most of graduate school I ate a breakfast burrito (2 eggs, cheese, salsa and tortilla) each morning. It was great because it kept me full for the majority of the day but once I became hungry again in the mid-afternoon, I reached for whatever was around- usually not having a pre-planned fruit/vegetable option and was forced to the on-campus snack bar with "healthy choices" such as mealy red-delicious apples, baby carrots, packets of cheese and luna bars- nothing that was truly satisfying. (Sometimes, I joke about how I basically lived off of luna bars and baby carrots for a few quarters- this is actually not that far from the truth, weird that I didn't feel very healthy then...)
I had to find something for breakfast that had great nutritional value with lots of naturally occurring vitamins, protein, fiber, healthy fat and wheat to keep me full, but not so many calories that I tricked my body into thinking it was preparing for war, or a long fast, much like what the giant breakfast burrito did to my body. I thumbed through some of my favorite yogi books such Baron Baptiste's Journey into Power and finally gave into reading the French Paradox book: French Women Don't Get Fat (you can read Lucy's awesome blog about it here which is actually linked from the author's website). Both books suggested that yogurt was the answer. I started buying organic yogurt, experimenting with various styles like Greek (thick) and Australian (runny), with my favorite ending up being Stoneyfield Organic NF Plain Greek Yogurt. It is loaded with protein, active cultures and no added sugar. Then on an incredible trip Australia, I discovered muesli (and all its glory), and once back in the states I began making it and adding that my yogurt.

After that long-winded evolutionary journey of my breakfast habits, I am going to share with you my personal recipe for muesli. I have experimented with it a bit and think I have finally arrived at something that is delicious. You basically just take a bunch of ingredients, mix them together and put them in the oven. What could be easier?!

 Here is my favorite way to make muesli:

1 c. rolled oats

1 c. wheat flakes

1/2 c. steel cup oats

1/2 c. sunflower seeds

1 c. sliced almonds

1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. flaxseed meal (or you can also use seeds and do closer to a 1/2 c. of those)

Mix all that together and spread over a tinfoil-covered pan.

Drizzle about 1-2 tablespoons of both honey and canola oil.
Bake at 370 for about 15-20 min.
Let cool. Then store in an airtight container.

Although muesli is traditionally supposed to be uncooked, I often find that it tastes too barnyard-like and baking it takes away that being-on-a-farm smell/taste to it for me. If you have any local raw unpasteurized honey, I would use that too. I recently have started having a teaspoon or so of it every morning before breakfast (and then a lil drizzled on my yogurt) and it has totally helped with my pollen allergies.
I also recently gave into buying a yogurt-maker and tried my first batch this morning, and you know what? It wasn't half bad! I used non-fat milk and cultures from my stonyfield yogurt, which made it a little runny, but I think with perhaps a 1% substitution and a little longer in the cookin-saddle, this investment will be well-worth it!

Drumroll please...

Alas, my version of the "perfect breakfast" a la slow food! Homemade yogurt with the milk made from from family-farmed cows right here in the PNW, fresh organic PNW peaches picked up at the ballard farmers market, a drizzle of raw unpasteurized wildflower honey (the best is from the wallingford farmer's market) and homemade muesli with the ingredients picked up in the bulk section at WF (not exactly slow food, but I tried to buy as local as possible), all this paired with a latte with the same milk and my favorite coffee roasted over on Whidbey Island.

Yum!
Any questions, let me know! :) Happy breakfasting!