Morning Muesli

John picked up a box of instant oatmeal at Trader Joe's over the weekend thinking that this would be a better breakfast than the boxed cereal he normally gets.  I tried a packet yesterday hoping to like it but it's difficult to get rid of that packaged taste.  

Last night, I decided I was going to make muesli or a version of what I had for breakfast while traveling in Asia for today.  Instead of milk, I substituted vanilla flavored soy milk and threw in whatever fruit (fresh or dried) that I had around the house.  The result was much tastier than the instant oatmeal.  Below is my loose version:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1  1/2 cup milk, soy milk or almond milk 

1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cranberries whatever is on hand)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup chopped fresh fruit (apples, banana, strawberries, whatever is in season)

1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 Tblsp sugar to taste (optional - the fruit is sweet enough)

Stir together oats, milk and dried fruit into a bowl, cover and leave overnight in the fridge. (if not overnight, a couple of hours should be fine).  In the morning, add your yogurt, fresh fruit, and nuts. 

I sometimes add leftover cereal such as Grapenuts, Kashi, or granola to the oatmeal mixture for added crunch.