Muesli for the indolent

I first had muesli, that wonderful Swiss dish of uncooked oats, nuts, and fruit, several decades ago while visiting some friends. We were staying with them before heading off to DC to see a Georgia O'Keefe exhibit at the National Gallery of Art, and the night before we left our friend painstakingly chopped up nuts, apples, pears, and other fresh fruit, poured in a oats and raisins, added milk, and popped it into the 'fridge. The next morning we enjoyed a wonderfully healthy breakfast (which offset the Mexican food and margaritas from the night before). I really enjoyed the muesli, but left with the impression that making it involved far more chopping and preparation than I was willing to do just for a bowl of wet oats, even if they were mighty tasty. (Remember, this is part of what might become my "for the indolent" culinary series, if I can get around to developing it as an actual series. Eventually. )

A while back, maybe a year or so, I had an inspiration to try a quick n' easy version of muesli to see how it would work. It whips up in minutes and has become a household favorite. Indeed, my wife B loves it as a snack.

Muesli for the Indolent

All the ingredients are pictured above. Choose variations according to availability or whim.

Ingredients:

• Whole, uncooked oats - Sometimes we get organic from the coop, sometimes it's Quaker or the grocery store equivalent
  
• Frozen organic fruit - We typically use the berry mix from Kroger
  
• Raisins
• Nuts - almonds and walnuts are favorites here, but anything's game.
  
• Milk - Organic plain soymilk is our choice
  
• Fruit juice - we're fans of Cherry JuicyJuice. Organic options are also nice
• Brown Sugar - to taste, if desired

Procedure:

1. Thaw the berries in a big bowl. I microwave them for a minute or two
   
2. Pour in a big bunch of oats. I probably use 5 cups or so, but I never measure
3. Add nuts and raisins. Just dump enough in to make you happy
   
4. Mix in a bit of brown sugar. We usually put in 2-3 tablespoons. Or so. I think
   
5. Pour in enough soymilk and juice so that the oats will soak. I usually use about half soymilk and half juice, but again, I never really measure
   
6. Refrigerate overnight

That's it! I can whip up a batch in five minutes. This is our standard weekday breakfast, and our big bowl last 3-4 days, plus some snacking.
Enjoy!